Is organic always better when it comes to tampons?
Organic tampons are sustainable and may reduce vulvar or vaginal irritations but are typically more expensive than conventional tampons.
With an influx of direct-to-consumer organic tampon companies, the choice between organic and conventional tampons can seem daunting. The question remains: is organic always better?
Now, with options for purchasing menstrual products expanding, the 33 million women who used tampons in 2019, according to data from Statista, have to choose where to buy their products and which product to buy.
Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates tampons as class II medical devices, their ingredients are not required to be listed on the packaging, leaving millions of women in the dark. And for consumers who are rampant ingredient checkers, the situation can be concerning.
Conventional tampons have absorbent fibers usually made of cotton, rayon, or a blend of the two, with conventional cotton crops farmed using pesticides.
Rayon is made from cellulose fibers derived from bleached wood pulp. In the bleaching process of rayon, trace amounts of dioxins, linked by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cancer in 1994, can appear in tampons.
Now, the FDA mandates that manufacturers make tampons using "elemental chlorine-free or totally chlorine-free bleaching processes" to avoid harmful effects of dioxin.
Organic tampons are made of 100% organic cotton, as manufacturers use cotton to make the tampons from crops grown without the use of pesticides. Companies create organic tampons using no toxins, dyes, or synthetic fibers.
Dr. Alyssa Dweck, a practicing gynecologist with expertise in female sexual health and the author of The Complete A to Z for your V advised, "I see no clear medical benefit to organic tampons over conventional ones with one exception."
She explains, "some women are super sensitive and develop vulvar of vaginal irritation and sensitivity and even recurrent infections that seem to clear up when the switch from conventional products and in these cases, may see benefit from organic variety."
When dealing with one of the most delicate organs in the body, it makes sense to be extra careful about what products you are inserting, especially when the tissue inside your vagina is absorbent.
"The vaginal ucosa of the tissue on the inside is absorbent, you have blood flow there, and something left in there long enough can surely be absorbed into the system," Dr. Dweck said.
New York became the first state to make ingredient labels on menstrual products mandatory in Ocotober 2019, when Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed the Menstrual Products Right To Know Act.
Advocate groups such as Women's Voices For The Earth, committed to eliminate chemicals harming health and communities, are pushing for other states to follow New York's lead.
A significant safety concern for tampon users is toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a disease triggered by a bacterial toxin called Staphylococcus aureus linked to tampon use. The risk of developing TSS heightens when using more absorbent tampons than needed or wearing a tampon for more than 8 hours.
When it comes TSS occurences when using the two types of tampons, "organic tampons and conventional tampons really have absolutely no difference from each other when it comes to toxic shock," Dr. Dweck shared.
Tampax released "Tampax Pure" in May 2019. This line has the brand's first 100% organic cotton core tampon free of dyes, fragrances and chlorine bleaching.
"When we set out to create Tampax Pure, we took our time to develop a tampon that is not only made with a 100% organic cotton core, but that also provides Tampax protection. Users can feel good about the ingredients, and trust that our product works," Amy Krajewski, section head of Global Tampax Research & Development said in a statement issued by the company.
