At Damiva, we’re cheeky because we believe that taboos about women’s health – and especially menopause – are out of date. So we’re calling out euphemisms and lack of dialogue about female aging. And we’re making products that make a big difference in women’s lives.
Our philosophy is that menopause is 100% natural and our products should be too. Not the “fake” natural that you get by putting aloe in as an ingredient – but the “tough” natural that comes from scientific formulation, pathogen testing and GMP manufacturing at very high standards. We source our ingredients strategically, ensure that every batch has a safety certificate that meets our standards and test every lot for pathogens. That’s how we can attain a 2 to 3 year shelf-life for completely natural products.
Our story begins with our CEO, Chia Chia Sun, who is a peri-menopausal woman and pharmaceutical executive who couldn’t believe that products didn’t exist that she would use for 30 years during her menopause. So she turned to our President, Gardiner Smith, to help her formulate our first one, Mae by Damiva, inspired by Mae West who gained celebrity after age 40.
Mae is a 100% natural vaginal suppository. After Chia Chia spoke to dozens of women about labial dryness, she and Gardiner co-invented their second product, Cleo by Damiva, named after Cleopatra who was a scientist and invented lip balm. That’s why we call Cleo, the world’s first labial moisturizer, “the lip balm for your other lips.”
While our products are used by women as young as teenagers and for various indications, such as after cancer, hysterectomy and child-birth, we focus on menopause, because Chia Chia believes that her demographic of women 40 plus – who make up half of all women – is largely ignored and their needs are not met.
Chia Chia’s Story
Chia Chia Sun, a cancer geneticist and pharmaceutical executive in Toronto, Canada, was doing a cancer study when she discovered how many women were experiencing vaginal dryness and other symptoms that mimicked menopause. Realizing that she was heading into her 40’s herself, Chia Chia began to research vaginal dryness and was horrified to discover that 85% of post- and menopausal women experience vaginal dryness; and that 40% experienced pain with intercourse – and that almost no one is talking about it or doing anything about it.
Another shocking fact was to find out that with 50+% of the female population over age 40, how few products existed on the shelves for peri-menopause and menopause. Her obvious question was:
“What would I want to use for the next 30 years?”
She knew she wanted a product that was safe, chemical free and hormone free, and with the discovery that no such product existed, Chia Chia and her husband and partner Gardiner Smith, also a pharmaceutical executive, decided they needed to remedy the situation. That’s how Damiva’s first product Mae was born, and followed by Cleo.
So we’re calling on YOU – the lovely women and men who support us – to help us break down taboos and make life healthier and happier for women over 40. Please share the Damiva message with your friends, community, network and, most importantly, the women you love.
Enough Beating Around the Bush!
DAMIVA CEO Chia Chia Sun