Herapreg wins the inaugural RougeGorge Prize with its vulval and pelvic pain-relief briefs

Another victory for women’s health. On Thursday, at the Morning Sofia workspace in Paris’s 18th arrondissement, RougeGorge presented its award to Herapreg for Pelvinity, a pair of over-briefs designed to alleviate vulvar and pelvic pain through compression. With this award, an issue that remains largely overlooked is thrust into the spotlight: following a decision by a jury of customers, employees, and partners, the winner received a prize of 10,000 euros and one year of support from the RougeGorge teams, as well as networking opportunities and increased visibility with the lingerie brand.

Founded by Emmanuelle Santos, Herapreg currently sells a single product available in six sizes, priced at 80 euros. The Pelvinity over-briefs, with monthly sales now around 400 units, are the result of several years of research and collaborative work. After 14 years in real estate and five years running a concept store, Emmanuelle Santos decided to develop a compression product for the pelvic and vulvar areas to help women suffering from pregnancy-related pain. Drawing on her own experiences, the entrepreneur developed Pelvinity alongside midwife friends and her first volunteer customers, as well as an independent stylist, textile suppliers and doctors- some of whom contributed their own money to support the project, raising 250,000 euros.

A non-invasive solution endorsed by doctors

“I didn’t want to think only about money anymore; I really wanted to help women and fulfil a kind of mission,” explains Emmanuelle Santos. This ambition is shared by some doctors, who feel helpless in the face of the pain experienced by many women. Emmanuelle Santos emphasises the non-invasive nature of her solution, as opposed to surgical intervention. She hopes to encourage patients to think twice before undergoing surgery. 

Production is based in France, and the materials used are also sourced from France, with the exception of one material manufactured in Germany. The company works with a factory capable of producing 45,000 units per year. The award should help the company capitalise on this production capacity and take Herapreg to the next level. “We’ve still spent very little on marketing and communications. The idea is to really open the floodgates because we’ve identified real opportunities in the digital space, particularly on Meta,” emphasises Herapreg’s founder.

“Many women are seeking solutions on their own because there are healthcare deserts in quite a few places. They’re trying to educate themselves, understand their symptoms, and find non-invasive solutions. And social media is great for that, as is organic search. We’re working a lot on educational articles,” she explains.

Upcoming editions of the Prix RougeGorge

These over-briefs can also be used by women experiencing pelvic organ prolapse or post-operative pain. ‘I’m working on other innovations- products that are a bit more technical… We’re now seeing that some women wear them every day,” the award-winner continues. “So right now, the second product we’re developing will apply gentle, targeted compression to the lower abdomen and vulva. And it’s intended for women who experience painful periods and endometriosis, which falls under chronic pelvic pain.”

With her innovation for women’s health and well-being- certified as a medical device- Emmanuelle Santos has successfully set herself apart from dozens of other candidates. Five of the seven other finalists presented their projects at the awards ceremony, with the Positive Company label in attendance. Centred on topics such as the environment, social issues, and health, these projects were diverse, ranging from Cuissoh’s anti-chafing cycling shorts to Pemlab, a store specialising in women’s health, and Franjynes’ partial hair prostheses, which won the ‘Coup de Cœur’ Prize in this first edition (2,000 euros).

RougeGorge plans to repeat the initiative every year to provide these solutions with crucial visibility and networking opportunities. “It’s part of the purpose we want to foster within the company. It instils pride in our employees,” says Catherine Gallais, CEO of the lingerie brand. “A company has a role to play in supporting the ecosystem,” she adds, citing the post-operative bras her company launched a few years ago.