What's Really Inside Your Period Products? Plastic, Plants and How to Choose

You have probably used period products for years. You may have a favourite brand. You almost certainly could not tell anyone what is inside them.

That is not because you have not paid attention. It is because the information has never really been made available.

Here is the odd bit: in the UK, period products are not classified as medical devices, and there is no legal requirement for manufacturers to list their ingredients on the packaging the way food or cosmetics must. So a product that spends days at a time against, or inside, your body comes with less labelling than a bag of crisps.

This guide fills that gap. We will go through what disposable pads and tampons are actually made of, what the research says about the chemicals that have made headlines, where reusables fit in (with an honest look at their own issues), and how to make a choice that suits you.

No scare stories, no shaming. Just the information you should have had all along.

A modern pad is a piece of engineering. It is thin, it is enormously absorbent, and it stays put. Achieving all three means using materials that are largely synthetic.

A typical disposable pad contains:

• A top sheet, the layer against your skin, usually a perforated plastic film or a non-woven synthetic fabric
• An absorbent core, generally wood pulp mixed with superabsorbent polymers (SAP), the gel-like crystals that lock away fluid
• A leak-proof backing layer, usually polyethylene, a plastic film
• Adhesive, the sticky strip and wing glue, made from synthetic polymers and resins
• Packaging, typically an individual plastic wrapper plus the outer bag

Add all that together and estimates put the plastic content of a conventional pad at up to around 90%. One commonly cited comparison is that a single pad contains roughly the equivalent of four plastic carrier bags' worth of plastic.

That is not a criticism of the design. Those materials are exactly why modern pads work as well as they do. But it does explain why period products have become such a significant waste problem, and it is information worth having.

Tampons are simpler, but not plastic-free.

A typical tampon contains:

• An absorbent core of cotton, rayon (also called viscose), or a blend of the two
• A withdrawal string, which usually contains plastic fibres
• An overwrap, often a thin non-woven synthetic layer that helps the tampon keep its shape
• An applicator, if it has one, made from plastic (usually polyethylene or polypropylene) or from cardboard
• Packaging, generally a plastic or foil wrapper

Rayon is worth a brief mention because it comes up a lot. It is made from wood pulp that has been chemically processed, so although it starts as a plant material, it is not simply "natural cotton". Both cotton and rayon are considered safe for use in tampons; the difference is more about processing and absorbency than danger.

This is the part that generates alarming headlines, so let us be careful and accurate.

Several independent studies over recent years have looked for chemical contaminants in period products, and they have found some.

PFAS ("forever chemicals"). Laboratory testing commissioned by consumer watchdogs found indications of PFAS in roughly 48% of pads, incontinence pads and liners tested, 22% of tampons, and 65% of period underwear. A 2025 university study went further and found evidence of intentionally added PFAS in around a third of period underwear and a quarter of reusable pads tested, likely used to help resist leaks.

Heavy metals. A widely reported 2024 study tested 30 tampons from 14 brands bought in the UK, US and Greece, and detected traces of a range of metals, including in products marketed as organic.

VOCs and phthalates. Other research has detected volatile organic compounds and plastic additives in a range of menstrual products.

What this actually means for you

It would be easy to read that and panic. Please do not, and here is the balanced view that the researchers themselves give.

Detecting a substance is not the same as showing it causes harm at the levels found. Much of this testing measures what is present in the product, not how much (if any) is absorbed by the body. Several of the scientists behind these studies have been explicit that there is no reason for people to stop using period products, and that the sensible response is awareness rather than fear.

At the same time, the findings are a fair reason to want better labelling and more research. Products used for roughly five years of a person's life deserve proper scrutiny. Wanting to know what is in them is entirely reasonable.

The organic and "natural" caveat

One genuinely useful finding across this research: products labelled organic or natural did not consistently test cleaner. Organic cotton refers to how the cotton was farmed, not to what else is in the finished product, and not to what happens during processing.

So "organic" is a meaningful claim about farming. It is not a guarantee about the whole product. That is worth knowing before paying a premium for it.

Reusables (cups, discs, period pants and cloth pads) are often presented as the obvious answer. They have real advantages, and one honest complication.

The genuine advantages:

• Dramatically less waste over time, since one cup can last for years
• Lower cost per period once you are past the upfront spend
• No repeated packaging
• Many people simply prefer how they feel

The honest complication:

The same research that flagged PFAS in disposables found it at higher rates in period underwear than in pads or tampons, and found evidence of intentional use in a proportion of period pants and reusable cloth pads. Menstrual cups, typically medical-grade silicone, came out comparatively well.

None of this makes reusables a bad choice. It does mean "reusable" and "free from chemicals of concern" are two different claims, and buying one does not automatically get you the other.

The practical takeaway: choose reusables for the waste and cost benefits, which are real and substantial, but do not assume they are automatically purer. Ask the brand directly whether their products are tested for PFAS.

Whatever you use, the disposal side of the story is significant.

In the UK alone, period products generate over 200,000 tonnes of waste every year. Across the EU, around 49 billion single-use menstrual products are consumed annually. An individual can expect to use something in the region of 10,000 to 17,000 products in a lifetime.

And a large amount of it does not even reach a bin. In the UK, an estimated 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million pads are flushed every single day. Because these products are designed to absorb and expand, flushing them causes sewer blockages, and what escapes the system ends up in rivers and on beaches. Period products are among the most common plastic items found washed up on British coastlines.

Used period products are not classified as medical waste, but they are also extremely difficult to recycle, both technically and economically. Which means, realistically, the two things that make the biggest difference are the choices you make when buying, and making sure what you use ends up in a bin rather than a toilet.

There is no single right answer, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something. Here is how to think it through.

Start with what works for your body. A product that leaks, irritates you or makes you anxious is the wrong product, whatever its material credentials. Comfort and reliability come first.

Decide what you are optimising for. Reducing waste, reducing cost, reducing synthetic materials against your skin, or convenience. These pull in different directions and you cannot maximise all of them at once.

If reducing waste matters most, a menstrual cup or disc gives the biggest reduction, followed by period pants and cloth pads.

If reducing plastic against your skin matters most, look for pads and tampons with organic cotton cores and plastic-free backing, and choose cardboard applicators or no applicator at all.

If you want fewer added chemicals, look for fragrance-free and dye-free products (fragrance is a common cause of irritation and adds nothing functional), and ask brands directly about PFAS testing.

If cost matters most, reusables win over time but require money upfront. Basic own-brand disposables are the cheapest immediate option, and there is no shame whatsoever in that.

Mixing is completely normal. Cup by day and period pants at night. Organic cotton pads at home and whatever is available when you are caught out. Very few people use one product exclusively.

Questions worth asking a brand

• What is the product actually made from, layer by layer?
• Is the backing layer plastic, or plant-based?
• Do you test for PFAS, and will you share the results?
• Is it fragrance-free and dye-free?
• What does your "plant-based" or "plastic-free" claim actually cover, the product, the wrapper, or both?

A brand that answers these clearly is telling you something useful. One that answers with vague imagery rather than specifics is also telling you something.

It would be a bit rich to write all of the above and then be vague about ourselves.

FabLittleBag is a disposal bag, not a period product, so it never touches your body the way a pad or tampon does. Its job is what happens next.

What it is made from: 60% sugarcane, 30% recycled material and 10% cornstarch. So it is made mostly from plants, with a recycled component.

What that does and does not mean: it means we have replaced most of the virgin fossil-based plastic you would find in an ordinary nappy sack or carrier bag. It does not mean you should flush it, bury it or put it in your food waste. It goes in a bin, and we would rather say that plainly than dress it up.

Why it exists: because "bin it, don't flush it" only works if binning is actually easy. Our bags are opaque, seal shut to lock away odour, and open with one hand, so you can deal with disposal in a cramped cubicle, at a festival, on a plane, or anywhere there is no bin in sight. Then you carry it until there is one.

That is the whole product. No claim beyond it.

• Conventional pads are up to around 90% plastic. Tampons contain plastic too, in the string, the overwrap and often the applicator.
• UK law does not require period products to list their ingredients, which is why this is so hard to find out.
• Studies have detected PFAS, heavy metals and other chemicals in a proportion of products, including some marketed as organic. Detection is not the same as proven harm at those levels, and researchers advise awareness rather than alarm.
• Reusables cut waste dramatically, but period pants and cloth pads have shown their own PFAS issues. Reusable does not automatically mean cleaner.
• The UK generates over 200,000 tonnes of period product waste a year, and millions of items are flushed daily.
• The best product is the one that works for your body. After that, choose what you are optimising for, and always bin it rather than flush it.

How much plastic is in a sanitary pad?

Estimates put the plastic content of a conventional disposable pad at up to around 90%. That includes the top sheet, the leak-proof backing layer, the adhesive and the superabsorbent polymers in the core, plus the individual wrapper. A commonly cited comparison is that one pad contains roughly the plastic of four carrier bags.

Do tampons contain plastic?

Usually, yes. The absorbent core is cotton, rayon or a blend, but the withdrawal string typically contains plastic fibres, many tampons have a thin synthetic overwrap, and plastic applicators are made from polyethylene or polypropylene. Cardboard applicators and applicator-free tampons reduce this.

Are PFAS in period products dangerous?

Testing has found PFAS in a proportion of pads, tampons and, at higher rates, period underwear. Researchers have been clear that detecting a chemical in a product is not the same as showing it is absorbed or causes harm at those levels, and they advise awareness rather than stopping use. If you want to reduce exposure, ask brands directly whether they test for PFAS.

Are organic period products better?

Organic refers to how the cotton was farmed, which is a genuine benefit, but testing has found that products labelled organic or natural do not consistently come out cleaner than conventional ones. Organic cotton is a claim about one ingredient, not a guarantee about the whole product.

Are reusable period products always better for the planet?

For waste and long-term cost, reusables are substantially better, and a cup can last years. But research has found PFAS in a notable proportion of period underwear and reusable cloth pads, sometimes intentionally added. Reusable is a strong waste choice, not an automatic guarantee of purity.

Why can't I flush period products?

They are designed to absorb liquid and expand, so they block sewers, and what escapes ends up in rivers and on beaches. In the UK an estimated 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million pads are flushed every day. Whatever product you choose, wrap it and bin it. That is what FabLittleBag is designed to make easy.

• NHS: Periods
• Friends of the Earth: Plastic periods
• City to Sea: Plastic-free periods

Related reading on our blog:

• Back to Basics: Everything You Need to Know About Tampons, Pads, and Beyond
• Sustainable Period Products: A Complete Guide
• Why 40% of UK Women Still Flush Period Products

FabLittleBag makes binning period products easy, discreet and hygienic, wherever you are. Opaque, sealable, one-handed to open, and made mostly from plants. Shop FabLittleBag