An Interview with Natalie Lam
Do you think about how sustainable your period products are? Well, I didn’t! Not until I connected with Natalie Lam and found out about Natracare; the period and personal care brand doing things differently.
Natracare has created tampons and pads that are:
Free from all plastics
Made from 100% organic cotton
Completely chemical free
Free from perfumes & dyes
Certified vegan
I had no idea about all the bad stuff in conventional sanitary products until I did some research! Plastics that are bad for your body and the environment, bleached cotton (ew) and absorbent gels made from crude oil. Basically huge environment no-no’s. I also didn’t realise that conventional period products could contain animal-derived ingredients, making them unsuitable for vegans! We also don’t know if any of these ingredients have been tested on animals too. And if I didn’t know about all of this, then I’m guessing other women don’t know either…
I caught up with Natalie, Social Media Manager at Natracare, to find out about how she got started at Natracare and what she loves about the company and how their products are changing the way we think about our periods…
1. Tell us a bit about your career so far and how did you end up working for Natracare?
I’ve worked in digital marketing for almost five years now. For the first three years I was working at an agency in Bristol, creating strategies, social posts and blogs for companies that didn’t inspire me.
While clients all excelled in their own right, they were not in the industry that I wanted to work in long-term. I wanted to be somewhere that thought about the bigger picture, put people and the planet first, somewhere that truly aligned with my morals and values. Luckily the opportunity to work for Natracare presented itself to me at the perfect time.
2. As a vegan yourself, how important is it to work for a vegan company?
Now that I’m at Natracare – a company where veganism is a fundamental part of the brand’s ethos - I don’t think I’d be able to work somewhere it wasn’t.
It’s great being surrounded by like-minded people, and fighting for a cause that you truly believe in by using your skillset to do so. It simultaneously feels effortless, like you’re making great use of what you’re good at, and like you’re truly making a difference.
All of these combined makes for a really positive atmosphere every day at Natracare. It drives us to do more, and to do better.
3. Natracare products are free from animal derived ingredients; do other brands still use animal ingredients in their feminine hygiene products?
Period brands are not required to disclose the ingredients in their products, so there is a possibility that other brands still use animal-derived ingredients.
There’s still some uncertainty around reusables too, so to be on the safe side, opt for feminine hygiene products that have nothing to hide and do list everything in their products – like Natracare.
4. What are the benefits of switching to plastic-free tampons and pads?
There are countless benefits to switching to plastic-free period products that so many people don’t even realise.
Plastic period products are not just adding to our growing landfill problem, but they also end up in our waterways too; shortening the lives of so many creatures. In fact, menstrual products are the fifth most common item you’ll find on the sea shore.
Plastic pads and tampons are also often flushed down the toilet too (which no one should ever do!), contributing to our increasing fatberg problem in the UK, and similarly, polluting our oceans.
Beyond environmental benefits, avoiding plastic-filled period products means your skin will be able to breathe better during your ‘time of the month’ too. Plastic pads and liners create a sweaty and uncomfortable environment, leading to irritation and bacterial growth.
5. Where do you see veganism in the next 5 years (and how does Natracare fit into this)?
I’ve now been vegan for 3 years and have seen an exponential growth in the industry. More people are vegan, more local vegan businesses are opening (and thriving!), the alternatives you find in supermarkets are better in quantity and quality…
This is only going to keep growing too. More people are cottoning on to how beneficial veganism is, for both their bodies and our planet.
Food is frequently the first step that people take, but once they’ve found their flow with that, they’ll begin to think beyond food to other everyday items like footwear or their period products.
That’s where Natracare comes in. We’re a campaigning brand. Always have been, always will be. Whether it’s for plastic free or vegan and cruelty free lifestyles, we continue to fight for the causes and continue to be the pioneers in the period product industry for protecting our planet.
Natalie also has a vegan food Instagram account - make sure you follow her on their too! Check out Natracare’s Instagram too!