It’s about time that larger brands start taking the initiative in creating healthier, sustainable feminine products that are not only good for our body, but the environment as well. Tampax Pure & Clean tampons are made with simple materials, such as responsibly-sourced cotton that is free of chlorine bleaching, dyes and fragrances. The main ingredients included are cotton, polyester, polypropylene and fiber finishes.
If you like Tampax Pearl tampons, you’ll love these. Essentially, they redesigned them with 90% plant-based applicators, greatly reducing the amount of plastic used. It’s a definite step in the right direction, but not entirely "pure and clean." Since polypropylene is still used in both the wrapper and 10% of the applicator, they continue to add to the plastic waste problem and tend to wash up on our shores.
Each tampon is individually wrapped and are made unscented. The box I received are regular absorbency (6-9 grams), so for the first two days I found myself going through a few more tampons, considering that these are my heaviest days. It would be great if they created a variety box containing both Regular & Super (9-12 grams) tampons to adjust with the ever-changing period flow.
Overall, I am very happy with the tampons themselves since I found them to have an easy application and great comfort. I only wish that the packaging could live up to the full pure and clean potential.
Growing
up there was little talk or concern over my period. My mother wasn’t around
much, and of course I was never comfortable speaking about it with my father.
As long as I got what I needed (tampons and pads) there was nothing left to discuss.
But things have changed over time, we need to be more forthright about what feminine
products are made of. It’s very important for all women to know what ingredients
they are putting into their body.
An average woman in her lifetime will use 16,000 tampons. Currently
there is no federal law that requires manufacturers to disclose ingredients in
their tampons or pads. Protecting the right to know is important for all women
in our lives. What’s the big deal? Check out what Seventh Generation has
to say:
“Vaginal tissue is very sensitive, which means we should be
extra careful about what’s coming into contact with it. The walls of the vagina
are filled with numerous blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, which allows for
direct transfer of chemicals in to the circulatory system. In fact, there is
considerable interest in vaginal drug delivery systems because the vagina is
such an effective site to transfer drugs directly into the blood without being
metabolized first. One study found that a vaginally applied dose of estradiol (an
estrogen proxy) resulted in systemic estradiol levels in the body 10 to 80
times greater compared to the same dose given orally. So, you should really
know what the heck is in the products you use around the vagina.
Right now, some companies tell you a little bit about what’s in
their products. While tampon and pad manufacturers aren’t required to disclose
ingredients, many do include some basic information on their packages about the
ingredients — unless they use fragrance. A ‘fragrance’ in a product can be made
up of 50-200 different ingredients, many for which health data simply doesn’t
exist. This black box means that you could be exposing your body to fragrance
ingredients without even knowing it.”
Some conscious companies are already doing what’s right for consumers
by choosing to disclose which ingredients are in their products.
Seventh Generation made strides in advocating for transparency industry-wide
by co-sponsoring a rally. On May 23, they joined with Women’s Voices for the Earth to tell Congress that we have the right to know what’s in the products we
use so intimately. Congress can do their part by enacting a very simple,
common-sense law proposed by Representative Grace Meng called the Menstrual Products
Right to Know Act.
It’s
past time that feminine care got the attention it deserves! #comeclean
