I’ve been using organic tampons for probably about 10 years. Let me tell you, the organic tampon industry has changed since I started using them…and not for the better.
More and more women have become more conscious about what chemicals are in their feminine products. There is a much higher demand for organic tampons now than there was 10 years ago!
While I’m happy to hear that more women are becoming aware of the harmful ingredients in tampons, the tampon industry is definitely taking advantage of women who don’t know better. Tampon manufacturers are not required to list ingredients in their tampons so a lot of companies trying to be more “transparent” are listing “ingredients” that aren’t actually ingredients. You’ll see what I mean later on in the post.
I am an avid label reader and I research the heck out of what ingredients are, why they’re in a product, and the harm they could cause. I try my absolute best to only use and promote products that are completely toxin free. My standards are much higher than any label or claim stamped on the front of a product. I research every ingredient in every product I use and if there is any question if it’s safe or not, I do my best to avoid it.
But this is exactly why we need to do our due diligence as consumers and really educate ourselves on the safety of ingredients. (Or find a trusted friend to do the legwork for you…i.e. me!)
With that being said, I’m about to show you some popular “Organic” tampons that aren’t as clean as people would assume. Just because something is labeled organic still doesn’t mean it’s completely safe.
CORA:
Cora is one of the most popular, well known organic tampon brands. I’ve seen Cora at Target and Wegmans. It’s probably at other stores too, I just mainly shop at Target and Wegmans.
The first ingredient in Cora Tampons is Organic Cotton, which is great! But Cora also contains polyethylene, polyester, “fiber finish”, “water-repellent wax”, and BPA Free plastic (in the applicator).
Let’s break down the rest of these ingredients.
Polyethylene: Polyethylene is an ethoxylated ingredient which means it can be contaminated with 1,4-Dioxane which is carcinogenic. Polyethylene is a form of plastic and depending on the form of polyethylene, it can have similar effects to our body as BPA has.
Polyester: Polyester is a synthetic ingredient derived from petroleum which is another form of plastic. Ingredients that come from petroleum are contaminated with carcinogens. Synthetic ingredients such as polyester make tampons more absorbent, but it also increases your risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Fiber Finish: We have no idea what ingredients are actually in “fiber-finish”. Fiber-finish isn’t an ingredient…it’s a concoction of many ingredients hiding under a label. It might not be toxic ingredients, but we have no way of knowing they’re not toxic either.
Water Repellent Wax: Same thing…pretty much every wax is water repellent. It could be paraffin wax which is super toxic, or it could be coconut wax which is not toxic, but we don’t know because the exact wax is not listed.
BPA Free Plastic: I really don’t recommend any plastic. I know plastic is so hard to avoid, however BPA isn’t the only toxic ingredient in plastic…it’s just “trendy” to avoid. Most plastic has harmful chemicals and should be avoided when possible.
L. Tampons:
You’ve definitely seen this brand at Target…The one in the cute round plastic tubs! Don’t let the cute tubs or the organic label fool you! There was even a proposed class action lawsuit filed in August against L. Tampons for mislabeling their product as Organic when most of the ingredients are not Organic.
Again, the first ingredient is Organic Cotton…these also contain polyester, glycerin, paraffin, and titanium dioxide.
Let’s dive into these ingredients too, shall we?!
Polyester: Like in the Cora tampons, Polyester is a synthetic ingredient derived from petroleum which is another form of plastic. Ingredients that come from petroleum are contaminated with carcinogens. Synthetic ingredients such as polyester make tampons more absorbent, but it also increases your risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Glycerin: There are 2 kinds of glycerin…vegetable glycerin and synthetic glycerin derived from petroleum. We don’t know what kind of glycerin L. uses. Best case, they are using vegetable glycerin which can throw off your vaginal pH balance. Worst case, they’re using synthetic glycerin which is contaminated with toxic chemicals that can cause cancer.
Paraffin: Paraffin again comes from petroleum and is contaminated with cancer causing chemicals.
Titanium Dioxide: This is used in tampons because it is a whitening agent. So basically, it makes the tampons look white. The International Agency For Research On Cancer classifies Titanium Dioxide as a carcinogen. There was apparently a viral tiktok about this ingredient in tampons and many doctors and OBGYN’s have tried to debunk it however, they make their money on women having reproductive issues and reproductive cancers… not accusing, just putting that out there. It’s hard to trust someone who has a huge financial gain on people being and staying sick.
Tampax Pure Organic Cotton Core:
Don’t be fooled by the Organic Cotton Core. The core might be organic, but there are other ingredients in these too.
It was really hard to find an ingredient list. Tampax doesn’t list the ingredients for these on their website. They just have a roundabout way to “find the ingredient” but then they only list the core ingredient. That’s super shady so I did some digging. Unfortunately, I found multiple (different) ingredient lists for these tampons so I’m still not sure which one is accurate. The list of ingredients I’m going off of is what Target has on their website for the Tampax Pure tampons. This list is very similar to the L. Tampon ingredients.
The Target list is Cotton, Polypropylene, Polyester/Poliester, Glycerin, Paraffin, Titanium Dioxide
Polypropylene: Similar to polyethylene (like in the Cora tampons), it is a plastic that can be contaminated with cancer causing ingredients.
Polyester: Polyester is a synthetic ingredient derived from petroleum which is another form of plastic. Ingredients that come from petroleum are contaminated with carcinogens. Synthetic ingredients such as polyester make tampons more absorbent, but it also increases your risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Glycerin: There are 2 kinds of glycerin…vegetable glycerin and synthetic glycerin derived from petroleum. We don’t know what kind of glycerin L. uses. Best case, they are using vegetable glycerin which can throw off your vaginal pH balance. Worst case, they’re using synthetic glycerin which is contaminated with toxic chemicals that can cause cancer.
Paraffin: Paraffin again comes from petroleum and is contaminated with cancer causing chemicals.
Titanium Dioxide: This is used in tampons because it is a whitening agent. So basically, it makes the tampons look white. The International Agency For Research On Cancer classifies Titanium Dioxide as a carcinogen.
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I’m sure there are many truly clean tampon brands out there, but there is only one I’ve known and LOVED for 10 years! Drumroll please…
NATRACARE
Natracare has been my favorite organic tampon brand ever. They are so comfortable to wear, I swear my period has gotten lighter since using them, the only ingredient in the tampons is 100% Organic Cotton…nothing else!
Natracare tampons are also much more environmentally friendly than any other tampon brands I’ve researched. They have applicator free ones (which I definitely prefer), however they do have ones with a cardboard applicator. The ones without the applicator are so tiny too so they’re easier to be discreet about when you’re at work or at school.
I can not say enough good things about this brand. I’ve seen Natracare at Wegmans and Whole Foods but you can also get them on Amazon!
Is there another clean tampon brand you like? Let me know, I’d love to try it!
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