Women are looking for eco-friendly and healthy ways to deal with their periods. Procter & Gamble (PG) is betting that organic tampons will do the trick.
On Tuesday, P&G’s feminine hygiene brands — Tampax and Always — debuted a new line of products called Pure. The pads and tampons are made from organic cotton and are “free of dyes, fragrances and chlorine bleaching,” according to the company.
The applicators for Pure tampons will be “composed of a 90% plant-based material,” Tampax said.
“In speaking with thousands of tampon users in the last several years, it was clear that there was still a big unmet need in the natural menstrual category — an option that worked well,” said Amy Krajewski, a Tampex executive who oversees research and development, in a statement.
She added that the new organic products are designed to provide the same level of protection as a regular Tampax tampon or Always pad.
Plastic pollution has increasingly reached the social conscious, and many consumers are looking to reduce their impact on the environment. Companies that make products for periods are among those that have been rolling out innovative solutions they hope will catch on.
Cora, for example, launched a few years ago and allows customers to sign up for custom monthly deliveries of its organic pads and tampons. A startup called Thinx introduced period-proof underwear in 2015. And reusable menstrual cups are on the market from several companies, including Tampax, which unveiled its cup in October.
Several companies are also pledging some of their proceeds to help provide girls in impoverished communities with free menstrual products. For example, Tampax and Always said that for every specially marked Tampax Pure or Always Pure pack purchased, the company will donate one pad or tampon to those in need.
