The Sequel Spiral Tampon by Sequel received this year’s Hygienix Innovation Award. The Sequel Spiral Tampon features a proprietary spiral design that is engineered to be more fluid mechanically efficient, meaning it is designed to absorb more evenly and not leak before it’s full. In August 2023, the Sequel Spiral Tampon received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical device and the company will now begin a series of consumer trials, with broad availability expected in the first quarter of 2024.

Greta Meyer, co-founder and CEO of Sequel, gave a presentation about Sequel’s journey during the Hygienix conference last year. A former Stanford University division one lacrosse player, Meyer developed the tampon design concept with co-founder Amanda Calabrese, also an elite athlete, in response to demand for a more reliable and comfortable tampon. Sequel has a manufacturing partnership with Israeli feminine hygiene manufacturer Albaad.

Sequel has been granted 11 patents in the U.S. and globally with seven additional patents pending internationally. They have developed a proprietary manufacturing method that enabled them to scale up quickly and transition from proof-of-concept manual manufacturing to automatic manufacturing.