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Bath & Body
Zero Waste Beauty
Written By Molly WillowsEdited & Fact Checked By Amber McDaniel
9 mins read
Did you know a menstruating person goes through more than twelve thousand sanitary pads in their lifetime? From landfill mass to the toxic compounds, harmful fragrances, and chlorine bleach saturating them, being on the rag is quite the drag for our planet and human health. But do non-toxic pads work?
Not only do non-toxic and organic pads help your monthly red alert flow more healthily, but they also help remove the Earth from red alert due to climate change and plastic pollution that normal menstrual products contribute to.
While sustainable period underwear and menstrual cups are our favorite eco-friendly menstrual products, we realize that some people are most comfortable with sanitary pads and tampons.
That’s why we’re covering your panties with the best organic cotton pads, reusable and disposable alike. To find those brands that don’t cramp our sustainable style, we considered safe materials, packaging, manufacturing ethics, and various other green credentials.
To make sure we’re thoroughly covered, our new Brand Rating System takes this further by considering a whole bunch of criteria (22 to be exact), including biodiversity, climate action, chemical use, transparency, DEI, and more. To get the full low down on how this upcoming system works and what this article will look like once it launches, check out our explainer, here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Go With The (Heavy) Flow With The Best Natural Pads
Rael’s organic cotton menstrual pads are bloody fantastic for offering both reusable and disposable options, proving that organic cotton pads’ benefits outweigh any disadvantages (hint: there aren’t any.)
A plastic-free period is smart…and possible, thanks to Smartliners, which are made of 100% organic cotton to be kind to your privates and the planet.
Index: Organic Cotton & Non-Toxic Pads For Periods
- Tampon Tribe Jump to brand
- Rael Jump to brand
- Natracare Jump to brand
- Cora Jump to brand
- Daye Jump to brand
Tampon Tribe
Tampon Tribe is yet to be rated.
Tampon Tribe’s Organic Period Pads
Join their moon-time tribe and find out why Tampon Tribe has some of the best non-toxic pads and tampons on the market today.
Their FDA-approved products are made of an ICEA and GOTS-certified organic cotton cover and core, and have no perfumes, chlorine, dioxins, endocrine disrupting toxins, SAPS, fillers, wadding, starches, or glue (so they’re also vegan!).
Natural period pads come in day and night absorbency and each one comes wrapped in a biodegradable starch film, with adhesives made from a biodegradable polymer.
About Tampon Tribe
In Tampon Tribe’s words, “Still using period products created by men in 1979? Upgrade your period with effective, safe and plastic-free products made for you, and your body, today.”
This woman and LGBTQ-owned business supports fair labor practices and is even better than plastic-neutral. Instead of collecting a pound of ocean plastic waste for every pound used, they collect a pound of ocean plastic for each pound saved by not using plastic.
US customers who want to receive Tampon Tribe’s subscription boxes get free delivery monthly of their all-natural pads and tampons.
SHOP TAMPON TRIBE
Rael
Rael is yet to be rated.
Rael’s Non-Toxic Pads With Wings
Rael keeps it real thanks to their organic cotton pads with wings or organic liner pads.
These feature a 100% certified organic cotton cover (OCS and non-GMO), a chlorine-free natural wood pulp and high-absorbent polymer core, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) backsheet, wings made of coated paper and a non-toxic adhesive.
Safe for all menstruation, sensitive skin, and body types, these clean pads blend high-performance and non-toxic technology with clean ingredients to stem your flow without poisoning your privates… or the planet. Win-win!
They’re designed in five sizes: petite, regular, large, overnight, and extra long organic overnight pads.
Rael also sells reusable pads, made with five moisture-wicking layers of organic cotton and totally washable.
Same-day delivery is available for period emergencies.
About Rael
Rael is for real people, regardless of their status, gender, or ethnicity.
The female-founded Korean-American company is passionate about clean menstrual products to empower women through menstrual dignity.
To give back, Rael partners with I Support the Girls, who collect and deliver bras, underwear, and menstrual hygiene products to people experiencing homelessness, impoverishment, and distress.
SHOP RAEL
Natracare
Natracare is yet to be rated.
Natracare’s Non-Toxic Pads
We’re not ovary-reacting, conventional menstrual products are toxic for our bodies and the environment.
Natracare is one of the OG organic maxi pad companies to refresh the chemical-addled feminine hygiene industry.
They offer a huge inventory of the best organic pads for heavy flow, with over ten different kinds of unscented panty liners and natural pads with wings, depending on where your cycle is at.
Not only is there less bunching and no irritation from plastics, perfumes, toxins, chlorine, or any other yucky stuff, but they’ve also got the certifications to back them up.
Vegan Society, Nordic Swan Ecolabel, MADE SAFE, and USDA Biobased all give these products the seal of approval.
All Natracare pads are also commercially compostable to EN 13432 and ASTM D6400.
About Natracare
Natracare was female-founded by spitfire Susie way back in 1989, when being an eco warrior was seldom found.
Today, the work continues. Natracare regularly improves the performance of their hypoallergenic, tested safe products, and is always sourcing new sustainable innovations to support our bodies and the Earth’s.
As members of 1% For The Planet, they support organizations combating plastic pollution, like the Marine Conservation Society and Plastic Pollution Coalition.
SHOP NATRACARE
Cora
Cora is yet to be rated.
Cora’s Organic Menstrual Pads
These popular purveyors of organic period underwear also make high-performing 100% organic cotton pads, rightly called the Peace-of-Mind pad to give you top leak protection.
Cora organic pads are some of the most popular certified organic cotton cover pads on the market because of their clean and dermatologist-approved ingredients, ultra absorbency, side wings, and flexibility.
Available in six different sizes depending on your flow, Cora has you covered, all without any irritating dyes, GMOs, parabens, fragrance, or chlorine.
The brand also publishes a full ingredients list of their natural, organic feminine products online, which includes some amounts of polymer, polyethylene, and silicone beyond the 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton topsheet.
About Cora
Female founded Certified B Corp Cora was started by powerhouse Molly Haywards, who believes that everyone should have access to period care—period.
That’s why with every Cora purchase, the brand donates sanitary products and body literacy resources to those who might otherwise go without. In fact, 10% of profits go to ending period poverty.
To date, they’ve donated more than 22 million products, with 75% of giving in the US dedicated to BIPOC communities.
SHOP CORA
Daye
Daye is yet to be rated.
Daye’s Organic & Non-Toxic Pads
Day(e) or overnight at that time of the month, Daye’s natural pads for periods keep you dry.
These harness the plant power of bamboo, designed with organic bamboo as the absorbent core.
What’s more—they biodegrade in 192 days, which beats the alternative that every plastic pad ever used still exists in a landfill somewhere.
The base of the pad is made of bio-based corn, to replace the toxic and eco-unfriendly plastics used in conventional pads.
Each pad is individually wrapped in that same bio-based corn.
Daye also stands out for being one of few ISO13485 certified feminine product brands, ensuring their production standards match those applied to heart stents, brain implants, and artificial limbs.
About Daye
Daye is carbon-neutral and partners with Pachama to offset carbon and combat deforestation.
They’re also Student Beans partners, offering a 20% discount to college students, saving them cash for tuition and sustainable school supplies.
SHOP DAYE
Why Use Non-Toxic Pads?
When you’re riding the crimson wave, what are the healthiest pads to use?
There are a number of reasons why organic and non-toxic sanitary pads are better for our health and the planet’s, ranging from chemicals used in traditional pads to comfort levels.
What are traditional pads made of?
Traditional pads may look and feel like cotton, but they’re usually made of synthetic plastics like rayon, polyester, or superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) that aren’t biodegradable and further contribute to global landfill overflow and GHGs being released.
The manufacturing process is likewise a mess, thanks to the amount of fossil fuels required to make them.
With 20 billion pads and tampons being used and disposed of annually just in North America alone, there’s a bulky wad of environmental issues as a result of disposable sanitary pads.
In addition to environmental woes, some of the toxins in traditional pads and potential health effects include the following:
- Dioxin: Despite being FDA-approved, even trace levels of dioxins have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and endometriosis.
- Pesticides: GMO cotton used in conventional sanitary pads use pesticides that are linked to neurological dysfunction, infertility, and developmental defects. The EPA has classified 7 of the 15 main pesticides used for cotton as “possible, likely, probable, or known human carcinogens.”
- Fragrances: Considered “trade secrets,” companies don’t have to disclose fragrance formulas, which are made of toxic chemical ingredients.
- PFAS: “Forever chemicals,” PFAS are linked to decreased fertility, high blood pressure in pregnant people, increased risk of certain cancers, developmental delays and low birthweight in children, hormonal disruption, high cholesterol, reduced effectiveness of the immune system—leading to decreased efficacy of vaccines—and more.
- Rayon: production of this synthetic material is so dangerous and toxic that its manufacturing is banned in the US. Are you sure you want that near your most sensitive lady bits?
- Glyphosates: Found in 80% of sanitary products, it’s a known carcinogen.
- Titanium Dioxide: A pigment used that can possibly lead to cancer, so seek organic pads without titanium dioxide.
- BPA: Comes in most plastics and can interfere with the reproductive system and contributes to cancer.
- Chlorine Bleach: a potentially cancer-causing toxic irritant that gives the pads their pristine white look.
There’s a lot of not-nice info to absorb when it comes to the reality of conventional feminine products.
Which is why when anyone asks, “Are organic pads better for you?” You can reply with a resounding “YES!”
How To Dispose Of Natural Menstrual Pads
Don’t just go with the flow and toss your certified organic cotton pads in the trash.
The reason why is that they’ll end up in a landfill somewhere becoming anaerobic, releasing potent GHGs that are no better than plastic.
So, can you compost organic cotton pads?
While home composting isn’t great since they can taint your compost with bad bacteria, you can absolutely send your organic cotton pads to the commercial compost.
There, they have the facilities to heat compost high enough to effectively decompose your natural pads.
Don’t have access to a commercial compost? Check here, or home compost your used organic cotton menstrual pads in a separate compost bin you won’t use in your garden.
If you’re using reusable period pads, just wash them before composting in your regular home bin.
And whatever you do… don’t flush your period products down the toilet. This not only clogs pipes and causes damage, but also pollutes waterways.
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