When Miki Agrawal founded Thinx — the company that sells underwear that can replace tampons and pads — she got everyone talking about periods.
Now, she wants them to talk about bidets. The entrepreneur's next project is Tushy, a startup selling bidet attachments that could replace toilet paper in homes across the U.S.
SEE ALSO:Some transgender men need period underwear like thisThe problem is, Americans are weirded out by the bathroom fixture that cleans your butt with water instead of toilet paper.
"Why are our butts the only place we clean with dry paper?"
Invented by the French and common across the rest of the world, bidets never caught on with the English, or their colonies in America, according to Agrawal. Then, when American soldiers saw bidets in French brothels during World War II, they associated them with immorality. Today, bidets are rare, if not unheard of, around the country.
Despite the challenge of getting bidets into American bathrooms, investors are excited about the startup's potential. Tushy raised $500,000 in a seed round announced Thursday, led by Propulsion Capital with participation from the cofounders of the mattress startup Casper, among other angels.
"No brand has broken through to make people aware that the bidet can be accessible, beautiful and affordable," said Tushy CEO and Chief Marketing Officer Monica Pereira.
Credit: screenshot/tushyTushy — and millions of others around the world — believe bidets are more hygienic than toilet paper. As Pereira asks, "Why are our butts the only place we clean with dry paper?"
Toilet paper can cause yeast infections, hemorrhoids and urinary tract infections. Bidets can also be a better option for people with IBS, people who might not be able to reach behind themselves, and postpartum moms.
Bidets are also definitely more environmentally friendly. The toilet paper used by Americans comes from 15 million trees every year.
'Periods, pee and poop are all categories that need innovation.'
In addition to cultural norms, one reason bidets haven't been adopted in American homes is that traditional versions are bulky and expensive. Most bidets are standalone, next to a toilet, rather than attached to it. They can cost several hundred dollars.
Tushy instead offers a $69 portable bidet attachment that can easily attach to a toilet, no plumbing expertise needed. Tushy's bidet is meant to look chic and minimal — a normal addition to any millennial's bathroom. Its metallic, rectangular design is even meant to mimic an iPhone, to make people as comfortable with the new addition to their bathrooms as possible.
That's similar to Agrawal's marketing strategy with Thinx: making period underwear seem cool with viral ads and the right influencers.
"Female hygiene and sanitation — it's all the same category," Agrawal said. "Periods, pee and poop are all categories that need innovation."
Credit: Tushy
Credit: TushyTushy customers often have the same basic questions: Can I install it myself? (Yes.) Where does the water come from? (The same water supply as the toilet, but not fromthe toilet.) How do I dry off? (You don't always have to, but you can use a tiny bit of toilet paper or a Tushy bamboo towel, if you're more comfortable that way.)
Agrawal's parents are from Japan and India — two cultures that use bidets — so she knows bidets can be a normal part of life. But the question for Tushy is: Can you get people to change a lifelong mindset about hygiene?
Agrawal thinks so.
"It'll be like, 'I can't believe Americans didn't have bidets until 2017,'" she said.
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