Our testers (and Wirecutter readers) said that the slightly smaller carrying size wasnt worth the work and failure rate caused by the extra step of expansion. Testers liked the organic version just as much. If youd like to avoid disposables, you might try a menstrual cup instead. Applicators generally are listed as being made of a plant-based plastic, plastic, or cardboard, with any dyes listed as pigments of undisclosed sources. But for those who grab whatever tampon's available (often of the Tampax and Kotex sort prevalent in drug stores and your local bodega or grocery store), you're most likely putting some pretty toxic ingredients in an area of your body that'sincredibly absorbent. "We put between 10,000 and 11,000 tampons into our bodies throughout our lifetime," says Frenkel. Although theres no evidence to suggest organic tampons are safer than their conventional counterparts, preference for an organic tampon is personal. The O.B. Although Tampax claims that its cardboard applicators are biodegradable and flushable, many plumbers disagree. Sport versions also tend to be a little more expensive. We decided not to add these to the panel test. As with beauty products, brands don't have to list what chemicals they're putting under the umbrella term "fragrance," so it can contain harmful ingredients. I see a trend towards this phenomenon with a healthy lifestyle in general., Aside from cautioning her own patients against fragranced feminine care products which can kill the healthy bacteria and cause bacterial vaginosis she says there is no right or wrong answers, and that its up to personal preference. Organic tampons are not necessarily processed any differently than tampons made from synthetic materials, and they are not any safer from a personal health perspective. But that was a few years ago, and the conversation around responsible and ethical feminine care has become much louder. O.B. Organic tampons, as a health-conscious alternative, ride largely on one claim thats been tricky to substantiate: that mainstream tampons are dangerous. Our applicator-tampon testers overwhelmingly preferred traditional plastic applicators to compact applicators, citing a high percentage of failed tampons as a result of the extra step necessary to expand compact applicators (which can be rendered useless and often end up as a bloody mess when the user opens the applicator too much or not enough). 2022 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company. Every tampon we tested came with a list of materials noting what the absorbent core was made of (usually rayon or cotton) and what the string consisted of (generally polyester, polypropylene, cotton, or a combination of these materials), as well as, if applicable, the materials in any fabric overlayor veilaround the absorbent core, which is meant to prevent fiber shedding (this veil is usually made of polyethylene, polypropylene, or a combination of the two). She is also a GLAAD Awardnominated on-air host and a New York Times best-selling author. (In this guide we use the term blood colloquially to refer to the stuff that the tampon is absorbing; in reality, tampons absorb menstrual fluid, which is made up of blood, vaginal secretions, cervical mucus, and tissue from the endometrium.) told us its Organic tampons contained the following: organic cotton (absorbent material, string, thread), polypropylene-based film (wrapper). Pro Comfort tampons were testers favorite of all seven digital options, organic or conventional. Its hard to find anybody who works on tampons or tampon-related research who isnt firmly in one of two very opposite camps. O.B. In every test we conducted, the sport tampons were the same as their non-sport counterparts, with a slightly different applicator. Pro Comfort and O.B. You Can Now Change Your FSA Contributions Midyear. in the lab in a petri dish) or in animals, so we dont really know if this translates to humans. Quite simply, there is a lack of data. To determine our testing pool, we read hundreds of customer reviews and forum comments. Earlier this month, reports the Times, Representative Grace Meng, Democrat of New York, introduced a bill called the Menstrual Products Right to Know Act, which would require menstrual hygiene products including tampons, pads, and menstrual cups to list their ingredients on the package. If passed, it could mean tampon companies have to own up to any potentially harmful ingredients used. Dioxins: Tampons undergo bleaching during the manufacturing process. What are the supposed risks and why? Tampons with applicators typically rely on plastic or cardboard and come in a variety of designs, all of which are intended to make insertion of the cotton wad easier and more comfortable. Its never a sure thing, but Tierno told us that younger people should be more careful with their tampon use than older people, who might already be protected even if they have the rare toxigenic strain living in their vaginas. O.B. tampons we like best cost on average 25 percent less than other leading applicator-free tampons. "While the other three synthetic ingredients (polyester, carboxymethylcellulose, and polyacrylate rayon) have been taken off the market, rayon still exists in many tampons today.". "While the FDA maintains that there are only trace amounts of dioxins, when you look at this from a cumulative angle, there is cause for concern.". *At the time of publishing, the price was $18. When we asked the companies that made the tampons we tested to provide complete lists of what went into their products, many reiterated whats stated on their tampons boxes. (Our testers also found the Original versions wrappers much more difficult to open.). Shes a practicing gynecologist and researcher based in London and the founder of Gynae Geek, a blog aimed at combatting misinformation. The Pearl tampons heavy-duty plastic wrapper didnt open up in our pockets or purses, and it made disposing of the used tampon much easier. Pro Comfort tampons cost a bit more than the next-closest conventional competition (O.B. "According to the EPA, there is no safe level of exposure to dioxin," says Frenkel. To minimize potential brand biases, we sent testers samples whose identities we had (mostly) eliminated, with only the sanitary packaging (which well call wrappers throughout) in place. The O.B. "Fragrance is essentially chemical soup," says Frenkel. They emphasize health, safety and goodwill. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Its core is made of certified organic cotton, though the packaging and applicator may be no different from those of the Pearl tampon. picks are free of rayon. Size and fit can vary widely, so we have multiple picks. I would say its a low priority compared to things like having a healthy diet, exercising regularly, not smoking or drinking too much alcohol and keeping stress levels low. Really. ", Another important factor to note? Organics tampons performed well on our fiber-shedding test. And before you spend your money on organic tampons, keep in mind that a 100% organic label addresses only how the cotton is grown and sourced (according to USDA standards, if youre buying such tampons in the US). We had some of the testers who tried digital tampons test reusable tampon applicators from Dame (25, or about $32) and Thinx ($60). Pro Comfort, Period underwear designed to handle your flow, 2019 reclassification of menstrual products, Under Wraps: A History of Menstrual Hygiene Technology, Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers, Tampax Pearl ingredients listed on Smart Label, disclose the chemicals and processes they use in manufacturing sanitary products, its cardboard applicators are biodegradable, obstetrician-gynecologist Jen Gunter, these are unsafe, professor and researcher at the NYU School of Medicine, author of Under Wraps: A History of Menstrual Hygiene Technology, Menstrual Tampons and Pads: Information for Premarket Notification Submissions - Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff, Exposure assessment to dioxins from the use of tampons and diapers, Dioxins and their effects on human health, Toxic Shock Syndrome in the United States: Surveillance Update, 19791996, Staphylococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome 20002006: Epidemiology, Clinical Features, and Molecular Characteristics, Propensity of Tampons and Barrier Contraceptives to Amplify Staphylococcus aureus Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-I. A tampon should be two things: comfortable and functional. Organic, Seventh Generation (before the companys rebranding), L., Oi, Cora, Organyc. Many of the organic tampons we tested, and their applicators, seemed to be almost identical. If you prefer an organic applicator tampon, try Tampax Pearls fraternal twin, Tampax Pure. Organic tampons come in only regular and super absorbencies. In the meantime, forward-thinking companies like Lola, Cora and Sustain are offering consumers ease of mind and are forcing big-box brands to be more transparent and ethically minded. If youre particularly concerned about environmental impact, you might be tempted to replace tampons with sea sponges that you can wash and reuse multiple times. Haley Nahman is the Features Director at Man Repeller. The Honest Companys tampons come in only super and super plus absorbencies and are more expensive than our picks. Conventional applicator tampons we considered, from left to right in regular absorbency: Tampax Cardboard, Tampax Pocket Pearl, Tampax Pocket Radiant, Tampax Radiant, Tampax Pearl, Tampax Pearl Active, Just, Amazon Solimo, Playtex Compact Sport, Playtex Stella, Playtex Sport, Playtex Simply Gentle Glide, U by Kotex Sleek, U by Kotex Fitness, U by Kotex Click, U by Kotex Security. Pro Comfort design has a sturdy, long string, and testers found the tampon easy to unwrap. Tampons are more expensive and harder to find. As with its conventional counterpart, the Pure versions substantial string, full-size applicator, and sturdy wrapper set it apart from the competition. So whats the right answer? Tampax pointed us to the trade-association-run repository Smart Label from the US-based Consumer Brands Association and Food & Consumer Products of Canada. Mercola is not an MD but rather an osteopathic physician, whos been written up more than once by Quackwatch for unsubstantiated claims and has been warned by the FDA and FTC several times for making false medical claims. Organics tampons are generally less expensive, plus more widely available. While one tester referred to the O.B. And since Rely was one of a handful of super-absorbent tampons, designed to be left in for longer than your average tampon, it gave the bacteria plenty of time to multiply. We chose not to include Oi Girl in our panel test due to similarities with its sibling brand, Oi. Philip Tierno, a professor of microbiology and pathology at the NYU School of Medicine and one of the experts on TSS, told us in an interview that at the age of 15, a person who menstruates has about a 60 percent chance of having natural antibodies to protect them. The FDA now requires tampons to be bleached using whats called elemental chlorine-free processes. Original tampons, which in our test shed more fibers than the Pro Comfort version did. (O.B. A handful of bills have also proposed that the US Congress require tampon manufacturers to disclose the chemicals and processes they use in manufacturing sanitary products. The number of conventional tampon brands has remained about the same since we first published this guide in 2016, with most boxes on the shelves offered by Kotex, O.B., Playtex, and Tampax. Her latest picture book, The Real Santa, follows a determined little Black boy's journey to discover what the jolly icon truly looks like. Look for BPA-free applicators when shopping for tampons, says Frenkel. Because tampons are not sterile and can grow bacteria and mold after a certain period of time, tampon boxes must also include expiration dates, which you should check. Solimo, an Amazon brand, forwarded us a screenshot of the side of its tampon box. Cora, an organic brand, is the only company that sells non-applicator light tampons, but it wasnt a standout in any other way. (Fun fact: Only Germans and Austrians have a higher tampon-use rate than Americans; people in much of the rest of the world rely even more exclusively on pads.) Pro Comfort: 16, pack of 40O.B. Those are the five big hitters when it comes to preventing cancer and most other chronic diseases which cause death and ill health.. We sent each tester three samples of each tampon of the type they usually used, between 45 and 66 in all per tester. "Highly absorbent viscose rayon is one of four synthetic ingredients that is commonly associated with the increase of likelihood of TSS," says Frenkel. We chose not to test them. I reached out to Dr. Anita Mitra. We considered the naturalbut not organicJust (by Tampax), as well as Brandless cardboard applicator tampons, but chose not to panel-test either. is the only brand that sells conventional non-applicator tampons at most major US retailers.). Dr. Mitra chalks it up to wellness hype. We will consider the moderately priced and social media fave The Honey Pot tampons for a future update to this guide. One tampon in particular, Rely, was strongly linked to many TSS cases. Major scientific bodies (e.g NIH in the U.S.) dont seem interested in funding this research, and a well-controlled, large-scale study of thousands of women followed over many years would be necessary to determine whether particular types of tampons really do pose a threat. As for toxic shock syndrome, she says there is no evidence to suggest this is more common with certain kinds of tampons over others. 4 Mistakes That Are Causing You to Waste Money on Skin-Care Serums, According to an Esthetician, These Are the Best Anti-Chafing Denim ShortsAccording to Some Very Happy Reviewers. At the time of publication, all but our recommended applicator-free tampon, O.B. Its not a significant health concern, but we looked for the least-sheddy models. And with all the emerging healthy (and chic) tampons on the market, there's just no need to put your healthy body through that. Weve been able to study the health risks associated with tobacco use, alcohol and many other exposures, she tells me. In a non-scientific test, we also examined fiber shedding by unwrapping a sample of each tampon type and wiping it on a black cloth, eliminating any contenders that exhibited excessive shedding after repeated trials. We trawled message boards, watched video reviews of tampons on YouTube, read Amazon customer reviews, and asked our friends and colleagues what their favorites were. If youre springing for organic-cotton tampons because youre worried about exposure to harmful ingredients, that isnt necessary. Pro Comfort tampons come in only regular and super absorbencies. She has a lot of thoughts on tampons. I think women should worry at least as much about whats in their tampons as they do their food and cosmetics, Laura says. Things New Moms Need That Nobody Tells You About, What We Think of Thinxs Period Sex Blanket. We found the conventional and organic lines of our picks to be quite similar. Following the 2019 reclassification of menstrual productssuch as pads, tampons, menstrual cups, and period underwearas qualified medical expenses, you can now use health care flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA) funds to buy them. Fuzz factor: Some tampons are more prone to shedding fibers than others. O.B. Would you put rayon in your mouth, Laura asks me, made from chemically-treated wood pulp, and conventionally-grown cotton doused in pesticides?. All the tampons we tested worked fine when we filled them with the amount of liquid they were rated to hold. We also spoke to Deborah Kotz, a spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration; Sharra Vostral, a historian who wrote Under Wraps: A History of Menstrual Hygiene Technology; and Philip M. Tierno Jr., a professor and researcher at the NYU School of Medicine who was one of the first to raise concerns about the correlation between toxic shock syndrome and tampon use back in the 1970s and 80s. Cost per tampon (regular absorbency)1Tampax Pearl: 19, pack of 50Tampax Pure: 38, pack of 16. This article was edited by Tracy Vence and Kalee Thompson. You can find Pearl tampons in almost every store that sells tampons. Organic: 25, pack of 24, You probably already know whether you like tampons. It certainly cant hurt. Playtex Sport Compact and Playtex Stella seemed to have the same tampon as Playtex Sport within slightly different plastic applicators, so we did not include these in the testing pool. At left: Tampax Pearl (top) and Tampax Pure (bottom). To reduce risk, avoid leaving a tampon in for longer than eight hours. This organic version of the Pearl tampons has the same highly rated plastic applicator and wrapper. Mercolas thoughts on tampons are cited again and again in media coverage: take this piece in the Huffington Post, this piece in Time, this one on Bustle. Realizing this stirred Talia Frenkelformerly a photojournalist who worked with the Red Cross and United Nations to document humanitarian crisesto create L., a brand which started with condoms and has now expanded to include feminine care products. Plastic applicators are not biodegradable or recyclable. For this guide, we talked to two representatives from tampon manufacturers: Anne Hochwalt, a researcher at Procter & Gamble; and Terry Balluck, a spokesperson for Kimberly-Clark. Researchers who study S. aureus (staph) think that the synthetic materials used in Rely, the aforementioned foam and cellulose, created perfect conditions for the bacteria to grow. Our 100% organic cotton tampons are rayon, fragrance, and chlorine free, because we believe you should only put good stuff inside yourself.. As the National Center for Health Research puts it: Dioxin is the byproduct of the process from converting wood pulp into a synthetic fiber called RayonTampons are usually made of cotton and rayon. Until the late 90s, bleaching of wood pulp to create tampons resulted in traces of dioxin, but that method has since been changed to a chlorine-free bleaching process. After trying 33 menstrual cups, weve found that the Cora is the best choice for most first-timers. Get it daily. According to the FDA, the presence of rayon in a tampon does not appear to increase the risk of TSS. One study we found says that organic-cotton tampons decrease the risk of TSS dramatically, but another study found the opposite to be true. This tampon is more expensive than some conventional applicator options, but we found its superior applicator and wrapper worth investing a few cents more in. Whether the tampon concern is overblown or not, such disclosures might change our behavior. All materials copyright Repeller 2010-2022, How to Breathe New Life Into Your Old Birkenstocks, Celebrity Astrologer Walter Mercado Shaped My Childhood, With Flair, The Results Are In: 2,000+ People on Love, Sex, and Dating During the Pandemic, Dating in the Great Outdoors: 6 Couples on Visiting Storm King Last Weekend, How to Fall in Love on the Telephone, According to a Newly-Minted Matchmaker. Heres the case for increasing (or decreasing) them. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. So if youre buying an organic-cotton variant purely out of fear of TSS or worries about other chemicals in tampons, save your money. You can find two main types of tampons: those with applicators and those without. The contenders, wrapped and unwrapped, in super absorbency, from left to right: Seventh Generation, Organyc, O.B. The Beach Is My Happy Placeand Here Are 3 Science-Backed Reasons It Should Be Yours, Too. Many people are concerned about tampon ingredients, and the fact that companies are not currently required to disclose them. Organic, Natracare, Oi, Cora, Rael, O.B. Were continuing to monitor stock on our picks. The first time I worried about the ingredients in my Tampax Pearls was after seeing an ad for the organic alternative. Vagina shapes vary, which means that for some people a bell shape will work best while for others a wing design might be more effective. Organic tampons have exploded in popularity over the past few years, however, with dozens of independent startups and many of the top names in conventional tampons launching their own organic lines, too. Organic tampons to be the least sheddy among organic digital competitors (they tied with tampons from Rael for this distinction). Tampon and pad manufacturers are not even required to list the ingredients on their packaging. Our picks are the tampons that testers said exceeded expectations. Whether it's finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we'll help you get it right (the first time). All rights reserved. We divided our 11 testers into three test groups: people who preferred non-applicator (digital) tampons, people who preferred applicator tampons and primarily used light or regular ones during their cycles, and people who preferred applicator tampons and regularly used super, super plus, or ultra tampons during their cycles. Some of the tampons in our test group bear a chlorine-free label, which means that the manufacturer doesnt use chlorine to bleach those tampons (some companies use peroxide instead). We arent sure of everything thats in most tampons, including some that we recommend. That said, we have recommendations for organic tampons if thats your preference. Who can we trust? Beyond the box, their only packaging is a thin, clear plastic wrapping. Organizations that back holistic and natural products, such as the nonprofit Womens Voices for the Earth, tend to talk about conventional tampons as if they were poison capsules, while researchers at tampon-manufacturing companies maintain that their products are perfectly safe. The key difference is that theyre made entirely of organic materials (while the conventional O.B. The absorbency levels are standard across brands. Between 1979 and 1996, it noted 5,296 recorded cases. Lots of people are talking about the accumulation of these products over a menstrual lifetime, but there is absolutely NO evidence to suggest they accumulate, says Dr. Mitra. They praised the standard-size applicators, the relatively long and thick braided strings, and the uniquely sturdy, easy-to-open wrappers that made disposal of used tampons a breeze. Since the early 1980s, the FDA has required tampon manufacturers to put warnings about TSS on their boxes, reminding people not to leave tampons in for an extended period of time (eight hours tends to be the maximum). When we asked Tampax for an ingredients list for Pearl tampons, a company representative told us to check Smart Label (a trade-association site) and said that Tampax is actively working on implementing the NY labeling requirements, including collaborating with industry to develop consistent disclosure best practices to provide consistent, clear ingredient information to consumers. The Tampax Pearl ingredients listed on Smart Label: polyethylene with pigments for color (applicator), cotton and/or rayon (absorbent core), polyethylene and polypropylene (thin fabric veil around absorbent core), polypropylene (LeakGuard braid), cotton (string), polyester (thread), polyethylene (wrapper). One of the main problems is the funding of such research. Why havent we ever included a question about tampon use in long-term studies of womens health? She explains that congresswomen Carolyn Maloney has been asking the NIH to fund such a study for 20 years. products that claim to be"preservative-free" can be a red flag. Thinx now sells a $370 period sex blanket. Tampons come in lots of shapes (bell-shaped, winged, tube-shaped), which dont substantially affect how quickly they absorb liquid or how well they hold it. In every test we conducted, sport tampons were the same as their non-sport counterparts, with a slightly different applicator. Note that when we refer to a brand as not being a standout, it doesnt mean that those tampons performed poorly; rather, they just did their job. BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical that comes from producing plastic, and ithas been linked to cancer. The Pearl tampons foolproof, non-compact plastic applicator, long braided string, and sturdy, reusable wrapper pleased our testers. Some people worry that synthetic fibers increase the risk of toxic shock syndrome because they were implicated in the TSS boom in the late 1970s, but tampon makers no longer use those particular fibers. His approach, which assumes the FDAs findings arent the whole story, is mirrored in other doctor testimonies. Dioxin is a toxic compound, and the one most often associated with non-organic tampons. If youre interested in tampon alternatives, we also have guides to menstrual cups and period underwear. There are a few reasons people are concerned by these trace findings, though: vaginal walls are highly absorptive, for one, and women might use around 10,000 tampons in their lifetime might it add up? O.B. An IRS rule change means your employer may allow you to adjust your FSA contributions midyear. Time and further studies may lead to new reveals. Between 1980 and 1983, the Center for Disease Control (as it was called at the time) recorded more than 2,200 cases of TSS, with over 100 resulting deaths and many other people experiencing serious complications. Organic tampons are our favorite applicator-free options. Dr. Mitra says its impossible to draw conclusions until larger scale studies are conducted. Pro Comfort, O.B. *At the time of publishing, the price was $6. Learn more. What little we know about tampon ingredients which are legally, but wrongfully protected as trade secrets is of huge concern. Shes referring to tampon companies not being required to list the ingredients on the box the way food and beauty companies are. Toxic shock syndrome isn't necessarily from just leaving your tampon in for too long. But even if youve been buying the same tampons for years, you may learn that there are options that you like a bit better, that can save you money, or both. Pro Comfort tampons, O.B. We found O.B. Thats because tampon makers arent required to disclose this information. All tampon materials and finished products are assessed for safety using the broadly recognized risk-assessment principles established by the US National Academy of Sciences and World Health Organization, Anne Hochwalt, a researcher at Procter & Gamble, told us in an interview. The Pure ingredients listed there are: polyethylene (applicator), organic cotton (absorbent core), organic cotton (thin fabric veil around absorbent core), polypropylene (LeakGuard braid), cotton (string), polyester (thread), polyethylene (wrapper). Even organic cotton can be pretty harsh on the environment, and it still requires (organic) pesticides to grow. Panel testers disliked U by Kotex Click, our previous top pick, because of its compact applicator, which had a tendency to fail. Lines within brands often include the same tampon in slightly different applicators.