Packet of 10 "Lil-lets" O.B. tampons

Packet of 10 "Lil-lets" O.B. tampons, in original packaging, normal size, by Smith and Nephew, 1960-1965

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.