We are more aware of our health and wellbeing than ever before. Being conscious of the things you put in your body has become a must in our society. And what we put in and on our sensitive areas is even more important since your vagina can absorb the products, even the non-organic ones. Obviously, this has us carefully navigating the feminine products we use.
Which brings us to tampons. Several feminine hygiene products, including tampons, have been linked to harsh chemicals and compounds. These are the main (and toxic) ingredients you can find in most tampons on the market:
Dioxin
This chemical is the result of chlorine processing. The EPA states that there is no safe level of dioxin and that we should watch out for it because it’s linked to hormonal issues and immunity problems.
Rayon
Rayon is a highly absorbent compound used a lot in tampon production. TSS warns that they are three chemicals that should be taken off the market currently. Those chemicals happen to be polyester, carboxymethylcellulose, and rayon. Unfortunately, rayon still exists in most famous tampon brands.
GMO cotton
Non-organic cotton is genetically modified to resist pesticides and herbicides, which end up affecting cotton production. The reason why this practice is dangerous is that this modification allows more pesticides to end up in your tampons as residue.
Fragrance
Fragranced feminine products are highly linked to irritation, allergies, and vaginal PH balance issues. Fragrances are a mix of harmful chemicals designed to produce a pleasant smell.
Chlorine
Just like dioxin, chlorine is used in bleaching and processing cotton that produces traces of these harsh chemicals on your cotton-based feminine products.
BPA
BPA is a synthetic hormone-disrupting chemical used in most plastic products and has been highly linked to cancer. BPA is used in the applicators, so always look for BPA free tampons.
All these chemicals and compounds have been linked not only to hormonal and irritation issues during your period but are also a direct cause of TSS (toxic shock syndrome), a condition that can sometimes be deadly.
Luckily, now that you’re aware of all the things you should avoid when shopping for feminine products, you can easily pick healthier and sustainable alternatives.
Here’s a list of some of the natural and organic tampons you can find in your local grocery stores:
Lola compact plastic applicator tampons $10
Seventh generation organic applicator tampons $6
Cora organic cotton tampons $10
The honest company organic cotton applicator tampons $7
Natracare organic all-cotton tampons $5
Organyc organic cotton tampons $6
L. organic tampons $5
There are many more great organic tampons you can find that aren’t on this list, and the great thing about them is they cost the same as the regular name-brand tampons out there!
