Research by Yoppie, the pioneers of personalised period care, has found that 73% of women are unsure about what chemicals and materials go into their period care and who can blame them as it’s not currently a legal requirement to list composition on the packaging.
The cost of going organic
Yoppie’s research shows that on average, an organic tampon comes in at 29p while an organic pad will cost roughly 33p – with both costing around double that of a standard tampon or pad.
But is the additional spend worth it?
Comfort is key
Well, Yoppie’s research also found that for 54% of women, comfort is the most important aspect when deciding on their period care provider, with quality coming a close second (21%) over price (15%).
These are two vital aspects that organic period care addresses simply due to the ingredients used.
Bad for your body
In fact, non-organic products contain chemicals such as Carbon Disulfide, Methylene Chloride, Ethyl Acetate and Toluene, to name but a few, which are essentially reproductive toxicants, carcinogens and irritants and can do more harm than good to the human body.
Big brand names are bad for the planet
What’s more, discarded units and the plastics used both within products and their packaging can have a huge environmental impact.
Yoppie analysed the ingredients listed within five big-name brand tampons and towels including Tampax, Lillets, Always, Bodyform and Tena.
While the ingredients differed from one brand to the next and from product to product, Yoppie found that products often contained at least one of the following harmful ingredients – Rayon/Viscose, Polyester, Polypropylene, Polyethylene, PEG-100 Stearate and Titanium Dioxide.
73% unaware of ingredients
Despite this, 73% of women stated they were either unaware or unsure as to what materials and chemicals went into their period care. Hardly surprising given that period care providers are not legally required to display the ingredients of their products on their packaging.
Although 91% of women believe this needs to be changed and a full list should be displayed on every product.
Founder of Yoppie, Daniella Peri, commented:
“Many women struggle to afford adequate period care and so we can completely appreciate that opting for the cheapest, one size fits all product is generally due to necessity rather than personal preference.
That said, it’s quite scary that so many women are actually unaware of what materials and chemicals go into their period care and how opting for these products can negatively impact both their bodies and the planet.
But who can blame them when there is no legal requirement to list these ingredients on period care packaging?
We believe this is something that needs to be addressed and hopefully, by educating more women on how to better care for their bodies during the menstrual cycle, we can also bring about a wider benefit for the environment in the process.
Not only are organic products better for your body and produce less harmful waste during and after use, but at Yoppie, all of our products are PETA certified and vegan friendly, ensuring they are kind to the environment throughout the full product life cycle.”
