By Cherie Hoeger
It Started with Discomfort
Before starting Saalt, I had been a traditional pad and tampon user that dealt with the discomfort of disposable products because…well, I didn’t know other options existed. Then I discovered reusable cups and underwear after looking into reliable reusable solutions for my family in Venezuela who couldn’t access any period care. After trying my first period cup, I was blown away! A cup could be worn for 12 hours, held 3-4x more than tampons, had no odor, could last 10 years, and it was so comfortable, I would forget I even had it in. I thought, “Where has this been all my life?” But I still couldn’t find the ideal cup that I felt I could confidently recommend to my friends.
Fourteen design iterations later, we designed our very first prototype of the Saalt Cup with the dream of creating the easiest-to-use menstrual cup for beginners. Little did I know that our design would later become the best-selling menstrual cup on Amazon and in Target stores nationwide and our Saalt Discs would soon follow as the number-one-rated menstrual disc by New York Times Wirecutter and also the best-seller on Amazon.
“Why Does It Feel Like a Wet Towel?”
Next up was period underwear. My vision from the start was to create fully reusable and sustainable replacements for both tampons and pads that were better for our bodies and planet. Yet in the spring of 2017, eight months before Saalt’s official launch, I found myself pretty underwhelmed with the leakproof panties available on the market.
As a cup user, I was used to feeling clean and dry, even on my period. So when I tested out other period pants products, I kept thinking, “Why can’t this feel more like real underwear?” I wanted something that felt drier and wasn’t so thick and hot—something more like a regular pair of underwear, but leakproof.
One day, I approached my husband and Saalt co-founder, Jon, and asked, “Do you think we can make a product that’s as thin, dry, and comfortable as a regular pair of underwear? Underwear that doesn’t feel like I’m wearing a wet towel between my legs?”
From that moment, our design objective was clear: make the thinnest, driest, and most comfortable leakproof underwear on the market.
Starting from Scratch—and from “Stupid”
At Saalt, we sometimes talk about “starting from stupid.” There’s actually an advantage to not being the expert in a particular field. Someone new to a discipline comes in with no preconceptions and lots of questions. Sometimes, that fresh perspective is exactly what’s needed to create something truly unique and innovative.
So, we whiteboarded our vision and made our first phone call to a designer and pattern maker. When we asked her for a pattern for a pair of underwear, she immediately asked what type of fabric we’d be using. We didn’t even realize we’d put the cart before the horse—you can’t make a pattern if you don’t know what material you’re using. That was our first clue that we needed help and a lot of homework.
From Crime Scenes to Periods
That homework led us through months of research, conferences, and conversations until we connected with a PhD textile engineer who specialized in blood on fabric. He was actually a consultant for the FBI. When they needed an expert for crime scene investigations, they turned to Dr. Stephen Michaelson. Amazingly, he agreed to help our young, scrappy company, without a product or even a website, tackle the challenge of building better period underwear.
Just three months before we launched the Saalt Cup, we made our first trip out to North Carolina to learn the ins and outs of textile engineering. The big challenge? Designing a gusset (the absorbent part) that could wick liquid down and feel dry to the touch. Nobody had done that yet.
Inventing "Layer Zero"
We started referring to the gusset stack from top to bottom: layer one was the top surface, layer two was the absorbent middle, layer three was the leakproof barrier, and layer four was the body fabric. But we wanted something even better. We imagined a new top layer—one that didn’t just wick and absorb but stayed dry to the touch.
We called it “layer zero.”
When we described our dream fabric to yarn manufacturers and mills, they told us it didn’t exist. But we kept pushing.
Engineering a Gusset That Wicks Wetness and Dries Fast
While searching for our “layer zero,” we also worked with textile engineers to build out the rest of the gusset. We engineered absorbent fabrics that were thinner but could hold more liquid. Two fabric weights could each hold up to three times their own weight, while still staying soft, breathable, and flexible.
We also had to think about body fabric. Cotton is the traditional choice because it’s breathable, but it’s slow-drying. Polyester, on the other hand, doesn’t absorb liquid—it wicks and dries fast, like performance wear. So we engineered a hybrid approach that could wick like activewear, absorb like a sponge, and dry faster than cotton. That also made Saalt Wear easier to rinse clean and more durable over time.
Can It Be Breathable & Leakproof?
Making something breathable and leakproof wasn’t easy. The intimate apparel industry didn’t have the answers, so we turned to the experts in outdoor performance wear. We needed something soft, non-crunchy, and breathable—but still waterproof.
After testing over 20 liners, we found a breathable barrier that let air and vapor pass through but locked in menstrual fluid. This allowed us to keep our gusset thin and soft, while still being more absorbent and leakproof than the competition.
Finding the Magic “Dry” Layer that Powers Saalt Wear
On our third trip to North Carolina, we visited a lab with fabric testing machines that could actually measure how wet a fabric felt on either side. We tested everything we had—and then found it. The fabric that performed better than anything we’d seen. It wasn’t even commercially available yet, but it was exactly what we’d imagined.
Combined with our gusset layers, this new “layer zero” lets fluid wick down and stay down. It kept the top surface dry to the touch. That combination is now patented and powers every pair of Saalt Wear!
Bringing Parisian Style to Period Care
Once our gusset was perfected, we needed the perfect body fabric. In 2019, we attended Interfilière in Paris—one of the world’s biggest fashion and textile shows—and met Marion Toccacieli, a brilliant French lingerie designer behind the brand Icone. We showed her our gusset technology, and she agreed to help us bring modern Parisian design to period underwear.
Together, we launched our first lace and mesh collection in December 2020.
Saying No to PFAS Treatments from Day One
Before launch, we ran our usual safety and sustainability tests and found PFAS in one gusset layer. It came from a fabric treatment used by our supplier. We stopped everything and demanded a reformulation. Even though it delayed our launch by six months, we refused to put PFAS in our product.
Doing the right thing for our customers and the planet was, and still is, non-negotiable.
Seeing Is Believing
After years of development and hundreds of fittings, we finalized our designs, filed our gusset patent, and launched Saalt Wear. You can actually see our gusset technology working: fluid gets pulled into the layers and disappears. In fact, we’ve timed it—and it absorbs 10x faster than the competition with no pressure applied. A simple napkin dab proves how much drier it really is.
Trying It Is Life-Changing
It's not just period panties. It's patented, science-backed technology engineered for real comfort. It’s designed to wick, absorb, breathe, and protect—without compromise. And it’s made by a team obsessed with getting every detail right, down to the invisible layer that makes all the difference.
That’s what makes Saalt Wear so revolutionary—high-performing tech, obsessive comfort, and design that puts people and the planet first.
We hope you try it, and that making the switch is not only game-changing, but also life-changing.
xo,
Cherie & Jon
