Box of 16 Pursettes tampons with prelubricated applicators, Regular

Box of 16 Pursettes tampons with prelubricated applicators (13 remaining), Regular, Campana, USA, 1972-1973

Pursettes tampons were pitched at young tampon users with the selling point of being smaller and “daintier” than their rivals. The company supplied free purse containers for its digital (non-applicator) variety, to spare users “all sorts of embarrassments”, not least the shame of being seen to be carrying period products.

Another feature was their prelubricated tip, which aimed to make insertion easier for beginners. This variety goes a step further to include a prelubricated applicator, “coated with a special material which dissolves when moistened to become like a petroleum jelly film.” Users were advised to dampen the end with a piece of tissue to avoid it becoming too slippery to hold.

The 1970s saw tampon manufacturers competing with one another over their products’ absorption capabilities, with ever-more absorbent varieties made from artificial fibres such as rayon and polyester being released onto the market. Pursettes were made of Purilon, described as a “hospital-tested miracle material” that could substantially outperform cotton. The race came to a halt in 1980 when higher absorbency tampons were shown to be associated with an increased risk of developing toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a rare but life-threatening condition caused by bacterial infection.