When you pick up a box of tampons or pads, you expect protection. But buried beneath the colourful packaging of sanitary products lies a darker truth: they could be slowly poisoning you.
In the UK, millions of women and girls as young as 10 rely on pads and tampons when they menstruate, but many mainstream sanitary products contain toxic chemicals that could be silently harming your body.
So, what’s actually in them?
Unlike food, cosmetics, or even cleaning products, sanitary products in the UK are not legally required to disclose their ingredients. This means companies can sell you intimate items, ones that come into contact with the most absorbent part of your body, without telling you what’s inside. They’re actually regulated under General Product Safety Regulations 2005, the same law that covers furniture polish and fairy lights.
Research from Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) and City to Sea has found alarming evidence of harmful substances in high street sanitary products. This includes:
- Fragrance Chemicals– These “signature scents” can contain dozens of undisclosed chemicals. This includes phthalates, which are linked to hormonal disruption and reproductive harm.
- Super Absorbent Polymers (SAPs)– These are found in many pads. These petroleum-derived materials trap bacteria, increasing risk of irritation, allergic reactions, and Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).
- Glyphosate– A pesticide classified as a probable carcinogen by the WHO, often found in non-organic cotton.
- Dioxins and Furans– Byproducts of the bleaching process used on cotton and wood pulp, both of which are known carcinogens.
All of this, placed inside or next to your body for hours at a time- month after month, from years to decades.
Why does this matter?
The vaginal canal is one of the most absorbent parts of the human body yet it’s where these chemicals are placed for years on end. This is more than just a personal health issue- it’s a gendered health crisis, where corporations profit from the lack of appropriate regulation.
Women’s health has historically been underfunded, under-researched, and under-prioritised. The silence around these ingredients reflects a broader pattern of systemic neglect- one where corporate interests come before public safety, and where those most affected are told to be quiet, grateful, and clean.
There’s something deeply dystopian about a capitalist system that turns a blind eye to toxic chemicals in products that women cannot live without, allowing them to suffer more in a process that is already draining to their bodies.
The scary numbers
- Women who menstruate will use an estimated 11,000-16,000 disposable products in their lifetime
- Nearly 90% of UK menstrual products contained plastics, including in the absorbent core, according to a 2020 WEN investigation
What can we do?
- Demand transparency. Push for legislation requiring full ingredient disclosure on menstrual products. Support campaigns like WEN’s call for full ingredient transparency and better regulation of menstrual products.
- Support ethical brands. Companies like DAME, Grace & Green, and Here We Flo offer chemical-free alternatives and publish their full ingredients
- Explore reusables. Menstrual cups, period underwear, and reusable pads offer safer, sustainable alternatives
- Talk about it. The more we lift the veil on this issue, the less control these corporations (and their chemicals) have.
We deserve products that protect, not poison. It’s not just our pads or tampons that need cleansing- but the system that sold them to us without question.
