appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Carolina Malis

Contributing writer for Style by SCMP, specialising in beauty, wellness and lifestyle


The beauty aisle has had a quiet but unmistakable glow-up. Serums went solid, moisturisers went fragrance-free, and now that same forensic scrutiny is focused on a category that, for decades, didn’t invite questions: period products.
The timing isn’t accidental. In 2023 and 2024, TikTok lit up with videos exposing mould inside unopened Always pads, while independent testing commissioned by advocacy groups found that some of the brand’s products emitted chemicals categorised by US health agencies as reproductive toxins and carcinogens. Suddenly, a product most people had grabbed off the shelf without a second thought became subject to the same anxiety that once drove consumers away from parabens and sulphates in their skincare.

The tampon has also been getting attention. For a long time, it was cast as the sophisticated, active woman’s choice, but sales have been dipping in the past few years, especially after a 2024 peer-reviewed study detected heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, in every tampon brand it tested.
The conversation is so charged, in part, because the industry has never been forthcoming about what’s actually in these products. As Susie Hewson, founder of Natracare – the world’s first plastic-free, organic-cotton period brand, established in 1989 – explains, “The absorbents industry has not chosen to be transparent about the materials and ingredients used in their products or the processes used to extract and manufacture the raw materials.”
Plastic is a case in point, because it rarely appears on any label. The leak barrier in most conventional pads is made from polythene, a petroleum-derived plastic also used to make disposable shopping bags. “I estimated that there can be the equivalent of five plastic carrier bags’ worth of plastic in a pack of menstrual pads,” Hewson says. Add the polypropylene top sheet, designed to mimic the feel of soft fabric, and the superabsorbent polymer gels used to lock fluid in place, and what you have is a product that’s far more synthetic than it appears. While they work well, most of the time they won’t biodegrade.

For most people, though, the more immediate concern is the skin. And here the science points clearly to one culprit above all others: fragrance.
“Fragrances or scenting agents that are sometimes included to mask odour can increase the risk of irritation or allergic contact dermatitis, particularly in people with sensitive skin,” says Dr Erum Ilyas, a US dermatologist. In severe cases, the reaction produces blistering that can be misdiagnosed as herpes – something she’s encountered in her own patients and addresses in her book, No-Nonsense Skincare. Importantly, the skin of the vulva is thinner and more reactive than skin elsewhere on the body, so ingredients that cause no visible problem on your arm can cause significant problems lower down.
This is also where the organic label deserves a closer look. “Seeking natural or organic pads doesn’t automatically mean a safer [choice],” Ilyas says. “With sanitary pads, these terms typically refer only to the thin top sheet that sits directly in contact with the skin. Beneath that layer is usually an absorbent pulp that tends to be similar across products.” If sensitive skin is the concern, her guidance is simple: choosing fragrance-free and dye-free products will do more for you than organic alone.

This is where genuine innovation is separating the serious players from the noise. A decade ago, period products were a two-brand conversation. Now there’s a clutch of newcomers, each making a different case. Natracare, for example – which has been championing cleaner period products since before most of its current competitors existed – has replaced its polythene leak barrier with a plant-starch-derived film that’s internationally certified for home composting, and has swapped superabsorbent polymer gels for chlorine-free wood pulp sourced from ecologically managed Scandinavian forests. “Natracare pads and liners are certified industrially compostable,” Hewson notes, “completing the life cycle from raw material extraction to end of life with the potential to return to the soil.”

Rif Care, one of the most interesting newcomers in the space, became the first brand to make period pads from hemp fibre rather than cotton, earning a devoted following among people with sensitive skin or hormone concerns. Rael, meanwhile, parlayed ingredient transparency into brand identity after going viral as the clean swap of choice following the Always fallout. August, co-founded by period activist Nadya Okamoto, chose community over virality, with an organic cotton line that earned a Gen Z audience before clean period care was even a TikTok category.
But how does one read that packaging without spiralling? “Challenge greenwashing,” Hewson says, “which is often a way for brands to disguise dubious materials and processes with vague, unvalidated natural claims.” Instead, she advises, look for certifications that carry independent weight: Gots covers the supply chain from fibre to finished product, while Oeko-Tex tests every component of products for harmful substances, rather than just the top sheet. “Be alert to which brands are not forthcoming in publishing safety data,” Hewson adds – and avoid any products that list “fragrance” or “parfum” as an ingredient, even if it is described as natural or plant-derived. If a pad is marketed as plastic-free, look for an explanation of which plastics have been removed and what has replaced them – and be wary when brands don’t say.

And if a disposable pad still feels like too much of a compromise, the reusable category has quietly become impossible to ignore. Period underwear didn’t get off to a great start: bulky, unreliable and optimistic about what it could actually handle. But that’s changed: Thinx arguably started the mainstream conversation, and a whole wave of brands has since refined the concept into something genuinely wearable.
The current generation is engineered differently, with moisture-wicking layers and designs built for primary protection, not just backup. Most people who’ve made the switch don’t actually abandon everything else, either. Underwear for lighter days or overnight, a pad for heavier flow, a tampon for the gym: it turns out the best period routine is the one that stops pretending one product can do it all.
So whether you’re scrutinising a disposable menstrual product or trying your first pair of period underwear, “vigilance is necessary”, Hewson says. Not purity-spiralling over every ingredient on a wrapper, but bringing the same clear-eyed attention you would to a moisturiser or face wash.


Why dementia is preventable – and the new tools that can reduce your risk

A guide to Hong Kong’s bitter herbal teas and how Gen Z is reviving the health tradition

Focused ultrasound could be the next big cancer breakthrough for hard-to-treat tumours

How much sex should a couple have? Focus on quality over quantity, experts say

Wellness

What’s really in your menstrual products – and should you be worried?

Menstrual products from the Honey Pot. Photo: Handout

Lola organic cotton tampon. Photo: Handout

Natracare, founded in 1989, is recognised as the world’s first plastic-free, organic-cotton period product brand. Photo: Handout

August pads feature an organic-cotton top sheet. Photo: Handout

Rif Care organic-cotton menstrual products. Photo: Handout

Thinx reusable period underwear. Photo: Handout

How to get frizz-free summer hair: watch what products you use on both your hair and scalp

Pay close attention to the products you use to prevent your hair from going out of control in summer. Photo: Trunk Archive


Rossano Ferretti’s nourishing collection. Photo: Handout

Less is More’s Pure Bond Complex Hair Balm. Photo: Handout

The hair spa treatment at Rossano Ferretti in Rosewood Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

A.O.R’s Intensive Moisturising Hair Mask. Photo: Handout

What are anti-inflammation retreats, and do the wellness benefits really last?

A peek inside Acme Wellness Hong Kong's contrast therapy suite, with a cold plunge tub and sauna. Photo: Handout

Gua sha performed at Master Ruth in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

H&M Rollers. Photo: Handout

People ice-bathing and meditating in cold water in an inflatable pool. Photo: Shutterstock

A man relaxes inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber at Human Arc, formerly 10x Longevity, located in Upper House Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Healthy whole foods. Photo: Shutterstock

Gua sha is a traditional East Asian technique that involves scraping the skin with a smooth tool to increase circulation. Photo: Shutterstock

Manuka honey: Kourtney Kardashian’s favourite wellness and skincare elixir

Manuka honey, like this raw product by Manukora, boasts a reputation spanning wellness and skincare, and is backed by celebrity endorsements and medical-grade certifications. Photo: Handout

Activist Mānuka Honey Mask. Photo: Handout

Manuka Doctor Rejuvenating Mask. Photo: Handout

Raw manuka honey products from Activist. Photo: Handout

New Zealand Honey Co.’s manuka is backed by MGO and UMF certifications. Photo: Handout

Flamingo Estate Manuka Honey Soap Brick. Photo: Handout

Aunu skincare products are formulated with medical-grade manuka honey. Photo: Handout

Naturopathica Manuka Honey Cleansing Balm. Photo: Handout

How to do your make-up for the gym – and why gym glam is even a thing, as seen on Kim K, Hailey Bieber and J.Lo

Gigi Hadid staying fresh-faced in a fitness-focused collaboration with Reebok. Photo: Handout

Rhode Pocket Blush. Photo: Handout

Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint Blush & Lip Stain. Photo: Handout

Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows. Photo: Handout

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm. Photo: Handout

Sarah Pidgeon shows off her Rhode Peptide Lip Tint. Photo: Handout

Forget drinking, Gen Zers are heading to high-end fitness clubs to make friends and socialise

Equinox’s Sculpted Yoga. Gen Zs are increasingly turning to healthier forms of socialising. Photo: @equinox/Instagram

Third Space in London. The gym’s Formula3 class comprises rowing as well as kettlebell and body weight exercises. Photo: @thirdspacelondon/Instagram

The view from Equinox King West in Toronto. The gym costs over US$300 a month. Photo: @equinox/Instagram

Equinox King West in Toronto, which opens later this year. Photo: @equinox/Instagram

Kickboxing classes at Third Space London. Photo: @thirdspacelondon/Instagram

Sentiré Pilates offers private sessions. Photo: @sentirepilates/Instagram

Magazines

Style

Beauty

Trends

TikTok exposed Always for chemicals and mould concerns, but newer brands like Rael and Thinx are proving the period aisle can do better


TikTok exposed Always for chemicals and mould concerns, but newer brands like Rael and Thinx are proving the period aisle can do better.


What’s really in your menstrual products – and should you be worried?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}TikTok exposed Always for chemicals and mould concerns, but newer brands like Rael and Thinx are proving the period aisle can do better

TikTok exposed Always for chemicals and mould concerns, but newer brands like Rael and Thinx are proving the period aisle can do better