Melanie Cristol

Entrepreneur | Lawyer

Melanie Cristol is an entrepreneur and lawyer based in Los Angeles, California.

Melanie is the founder and CEO of Lorals, an award-winning manufacturer of STI-protective intimatewear. With customers in over 80 countries and educational videos amassing over 100 million views, Lorals strives to reinvent intimacy and to help everyone feel comfortable, confident, and protected. 

Named among Entrepreneur Magazine’s “100 Women” honorees, Melanie has been interviewed by The New York Times, Fast Company, Cosmopolitan, and The American Lawyer. She has spoken about tech, manufacturing, and sexual health at SXSW, Lesbians Who Tech, and at various colleges and universities nationwide. Melanie holds five US and international patents for Lorals’ unique function, design, and manufacturing process.

Melanie founded Lorals after working as an attorney at an international law firm. There, she conducted internal investigations of multi-billion-dollar corporations, litigated mass actions in the healthcare, consumer products, pharmaceutical, and technology industries, and played a role in securing gay marriage rights for the Western United States. 

Melanie has also worked at MTV Networks, Lambda Legal, and the National LGBTQ Task Force. She attended school in New York City and graduated with honors from Columbia College and Columbia Law School.