If you have a box of Tampax tampons at home, you might want to read the ingredients on the box. Yes, just like boxed cakes, tampons have an ingredient list. However, boxed cake ingredients might be more heavily regulated than tampons. This creator explains how they’re getting to the bottom of what’s in tampons.
So what’s in Tampax tampons?
According to Melissa Simonson (@realmelissasimo), Tampax’s tampon ingredients might have made some slight changes. It seems that she has been collecting Tampax tampons since at least 2014.
Simonson has been trying to hold Tampax accountable since at least July, when she provided proof of their shrinkflation.
In her latest clip, Simonson put the boxes side by side to compare their ingredients. While the ingredients remained the same from 2014-2020 consisting of cotton, rayon, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene and fiber finishes, the 2024 box listed slightly different ingredients.
“2024, starts with rayon instead of cotton. Rayon then cotton, polypropylene, polyethylene, then polyester. Also, glycerin, paraffin, ethoxylated fatty acid esters, PEG-100 stearate, titanium dioxide,” she says.
She then shows the different tampons from each year laid out on her table. “And you can see, the titanium dioxide when you compare the color to these older tampons. This one is like this bright stark white,” she says.
They go on to explain that since the older versions state “fiber finishes” which is a very broad term, they could have very well included the same ingredients that are in the 2024 versions and just not have listed them.
However, she says she doesn’t know whether the PEG-100 stearate was in the older versions, which according to SpecialChem can be considered carcinogenic.
The video has almost 2,500 comments and 493,900 views as of Saturday.
@realmelissasimo As individual states pass laws like New York, Vermont and California have done, ingredients lists are becoming slightly more transparent! 🎉🥳👏 #periods #periodtips #period #tampons #tampax ♬ original sound – Melissa Simonson
The Daily Dot has previously covered Simonson’s videos about shrinkflation and tampon sizes.
How safe are tampons?
Surprisingly, menstrual products such as tampons do not need to disclose their ingredients on the box according to the FDA as reported by KFF Health News. KFF also states that “the FDA regulates and classifies menstrual products as medical devices, meaning they are not subject to the same labeling laws as other consumer items. But companies can voluntarily disclose what’s in their products.”
However, several state legislators have mandated different rules for menstrual products being sold in their states to disclose all ingredients, like New York and California. Pretty soon, more states might be required to do this as the FDA is currently researching the ingredients in menstrual items. This is after a UC Berkley doctoral student found several metals in tampons through their research.
This student’s research prompted the FDA to release the following statement, “…While the study found metals in some tampons, the study did not test whether metals are released from tampons when used. It also did not test for metals being released, absorbed into the vaginal lining, and getting into the bloodstream during tampon use…The FDA has therefore commissioned an independent literature review and initiated an internal bench laboratory study to evaluate metals in tampons.”
What are viewers saying?
Viewers are very alarmed, concerned, and upset.
“When can we start the class action lawsuit,” one user said.
“If they are considered medical devices, then they should be covered by insurance, no?” another wrote.
“When do we fight back? how do we fight back,” a viewer commented.
“Had horrible cycles my whole life. started using reusable pads. went from 8 or more days and cramps from hell to 4 day’s and hardly any cramps,” stated a different commenter.
“Oh they’re poisoning the masses,” one wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Simonson for comment via TikTok message and comment and to Tampax via email.
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