Box of 10 Lil-lets tampons, Super

Box of 10 Lil-lets tampons (7 tampons and insert remaining), Super, "Perfect Internal Protection", Lilia White, Birmingham, UK, 1960-1969

Like the first commercial tampons, Lil-lets came onto the market as ‘digital’ tampons, so named because they could be inserted with a single finger (or digit) rather than requiring an applicator.

Digital tampons became increasingly popular from the 1950s after Dr Judith Esser-Mittag, a German gynaecologist, developed an applicator-free design that expanded widthways. The device became known as the o.b., standing for ‘ohne binde’ which translates to ‘without (a) pad’. Lil-lets adopted Esser-Mittag’s design for the UK market, emphasising their products’ small size and discretion as key selling points. The reverse of the pack reassures users that the ‘medically approved’ tampons are ‘scientifically safeguarded against germs’.