At what age does the first period arrive today? It was by discussing this subject with one of her relations that Audrey Paris completely changed her life. This resident of Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin) worked until 2020 as a “business developer” in mass distribution, since then she has developed and launched, in April 2022, the brand of intimate protection “XO-XO”
“It means kisses, kisses. We can see this expression in particular in the series gossip girl. She talks a lot to teenagers, ”explains the 30-year-old (36), well informed thanks to her two daughters. Including an eldest who helped to click… “I was talking with a friend who asked me if I knew brands of towels for her 9-year-old daughter. It shocked me because mine was not very far from it and I didn’t imagine that the rules would come so soon… And I realized that there is no product adapted to their morphology . That the intimate protections sold were often too big and super uncomfortable. »
The report could have stopped there but the mother of the family wanted to go further. “I told myself that I had to not only educate my daughter but also find a solution. His business was almost born. Almost. He still had a lot of work and exchanges to do before creating “XO-XO”.
So how did she do it? “I surrounded myself with young girls of friends aged between 8 and 10 years old, then up to 14 years old. The idea was really to know their expectations and have them test what was on the market. I also called on a network of mothers to understand their needs,” continues Audrey Paris, who also cut and assembled existing pads before arriving at the desired product. Intimate protections tested in the laboratory in 100% organic cotton and smaller in size than existing ones “to adapt to the narrower pelvises of young girls”.
A “first period kit” accessible from 8 years old
“The daytime ones measure 21 cm when the classics are 24. For the night, we are on 24 cm against 27 usually. The shape is also narrower, so that the towel hugs the underwear like a second skin”, she explains, also specifying that her boxes contain more units than those of well-known brands: “18 for those of day, because that corresponds to a cycle”.
Since last spring, all of its products have been available on its website, but above all in around thirty retail outlets. Today mainly in the Grand-Est and the Paris region, before developing elsewhere, hopes the designer. “The goal is to make XO-XO accessible where young girls are,” insists Audrey Paris, who has made it “a mission” to raise awareness about precocious puberty.
It also offers a “first period kit” accessible from the age of 8. “So that parents can show their child, explain with simple words. In fifteen minutes, you sit down with your daughter and she understands the essence of what the rules are. To be ready on D-Day.