The Hidden Chemicals in Period Products (And What Every Woman Needs to Know)

Welcome to Unstoppables – your weekly circadian friendly actionable tips, tools and information to help you become your own health boss.

We regulate our food. Our skincare. Even our cleaning supplies. But what about the one product every woman and most teenage girls use every month? What I uncovered this week blew me away.

1 Thing I’m Doing

Reducing toxins is always on my mind.
Choosing better. Cleaner. Safer. Always.

These are the filters I use for everything—from what I eat and drink, to how I clean my house, to the products I use on my skin.

So when I walk the aisles at the shops, I’m not just tossing shampoo, apples, and laundry liquid into my trolley. I’m scanning ingredients. Reading labels. Asking questions. Wondering, “Will this support my body or burden it? Will this create calm or chaos for me and my family?”

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about awareness. Because the truth is, our bodies already have enough to contend with. Pollution. Stress. Ultra-processed food. Blue light. Microplastics. It’s a lot.

So if I can reduce even a few sources of daily chemical exposure – I do.

I wear organic cotton where I can. My chopping board’s wood. My drink bottle hasn’t been plastic in years. I even make my own natural weed killer (and no, not because I’m Martha Stewart—but because I care). Not just about what I use personally, but about the interconnectedness of everything we touch and consume.

This week I came across a report called Blood, Sweat and Pesticides, published by WEN (Women’s Environment Network) and PAN (Pesticide Action Network) UK. And what I read shocked me.

Turns out, we women have one more thing to be mindful of—every single month.

Image source: Emma Louise-Pauline (LinkedIn)

The information in this report isn’t just alarming—it’s infuriating. Infuriating because products as essential and intimate as these, with this level of toxicity, should never be allowed to be on our shelves in the first place. But they are. And not just in the UK.

Tampons Tested at 40x the Legal Limit of Glyphosate in Drinking Water

One tampon brand tested in the UK contained glyphosate—the world’s most widely used herbicide—at a level 40 times higher than what’s legally allowed in drinking water.

Let that land for a moment.

A probable carcinogen—linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, infertility, and more—found in a product designed to be used so intimately.

And here’s the kicker: they don’t even have to tell you it’s there.

There’s no legal requirement for period products to list ingredients.
No requirement to test for toxins.
No transparency. No warning. No accountability.

We’ve been sold and marketed products that could be harming our health, completely unregulated and unlabelled.

This isn’t a topic we talk about often – but it’s an important one.

And this week’s newsletter isn’t just for women. It’s for anyone who loves and cares for a woman or young girl.

And finally – this isn’t just about tampons.
It’s about everything sitting on your shelves, stamped as “safe.”
Because just because it’s on the shelf, and you can buy it… doesn’t mean you should.

Two Things I’ve Learnt

Your Body’s Super Absorber

Did you know that absorption through the vaginal wall is estimated to be 10 to 80 times higher than through your skin?

That means anything sitting inside a tampon—glyphosate, PFAS, dioxins, VOCs—isn’t just sitting there.
It’s being absorbed. Deeply and directly.

To make matters worse, this route of exposure bypasses your liver’s detox system entirely. There’s no filter. No barrier. No processing.

And during menstruation—when the cervix softens and tissue becomes even more permeable—that absorption becomes even more intense.

So when we’re talking about toxins in tampons, we’re not talking about surface-level risk.
We’re talking systemic exposure.

💔 Young Girls & Women Deserve Better

We talk about fatigue and painful periods.
We live with hormone imbalances and cycles that feel off.
We struggle through PCOS. Endometriosis. Fibroids. Fertility challenges. And sometimes sadly, even cancer.

But how many of us have ever been told to look here? How many even knew to?

How many women have spent decades using these products—never knowing what they were made of?

It’s time to start asking. And it’s time to start questioning what we’re using every single month.

And if you’ve already asked the hard questions and make healthier choices—thank you.
Now it’s time to pass this on to someone who hasn’t.

We women and girls deserve answers.
We deserve transparency.
We deserve better.
We deserve the best. 

Period Products: An Unregulated Industry

When it comes to what we eat, drink, or put on our skin—there are rules and regulations.
Food has ingredient labels and food standards. Skincare has to adhere to safety regulations. Cleaning products need warning symbols. Even shampoo has to tell you what’s inside the bottle.

But period products? Nope.

There’s no specific law requiring tampon or pad manufacturers to list their ingredients.
No requirement to test for safety.
No limit on pesticide residues.
No regulation worth writing home about.

It’s almost a total free-for-all with the TGA telling me this week…

“Tampons and menstrual cups are exempt goods and do not require an entry in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). This means that they do not require assessment by the TGA before being supplied in Australia.”

This hardly seems right, so it’s no surprise that within the recent report, studies found tampons, pads, and even period undies contaminated with:

• Phthalates (known hormone disruptors)

• PFAS (the infamous forever chemicals)

• Dioxins (linked to cancer and reproductive damage)

• VOCs like benzene and toluene

• Heavy metals including lead and arsenic

These are chemicals tied to infertility, endometriosis, miscarriage, hormone dysfunction, and cancer. And yet, most women have no idea they’re even there.

The Full Chemical Line Up

There’s a lot of startling information included in the Blood, Sweat & Pesticides report, none the least being the full list of substances that were found in period products as follows:

• Styrene

• Trichloroethylene

• Benzene

• Toluene

• Heptane

• Hexane

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

• Carbon disulphide

• Methylene chloride

• Methyl ethyl ketone

• Ethyl acetate

• Xylene

• Formaldehyde

• Dibutyl phthalate

• 1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone

• Benzophenone

• 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether

• 2-ethylhexyl acrylate

• Sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate

• Siloxanes (D4, D5, D6, D7, D9)

• Glyphosate

• Dioxins

• Phthalates

• Fragrance allergens

• Parabens

• Bisphenols

• Triclocarban

• PFAS

• Furans

• Nonylphenol

• Methylchloroisothiazolinone

• Methylisothiazolinone

Honestly, this list sounds more like a breakdown of industrial paint thinner than something we’d willingly use near and inside our bodies.

And yet, here we are.

So, once again as a reminder – just because it’s on the shelf doesn’t mean it’s safe.
And just because it’s normal doesn’t mean it’s okay.

3 Things To Explore

The Healthier & Safer Period Products 

For us health warriors, there’s always another path. A better one. And when it comes to period products, we don’t have to settle for the chemical cocktail on aisle three.

If you’re looking for safer, more body-friendly options, here’s what’s in my circle of trust (and what’s currently under review).

Organic Pads & Tampons

If you’re sticking with disposables, choose brands that are certified organic and as such, use certified organic cotton. These brands also tend to go with no dyes, fragrances and chlorine bleaching, lessening your toxic load.

In Australia, some of the better options include:

• Natracare

• Organyc

• TOM Organic (though keep an eye on this one—TOM was recently bought by Essity, who also owns Libra. Whether that changes their values (or already has) remains to be seen.)

Period Underwear

These have come a long way—and if you find the right brand, they’re comfy, leak-proof, and lower waste.

⚠️ But a word of caution: some brands have tested positive for PFAS, so it pays to be choosy. If you’re looking for period underwear made with organic cotton and you’re in Australia, Eco Period is worth looking at.

Menstrual Cups—Juries Out On This One

Menstrual cups have been widely promoted as a low-waste, long-wear option—and many women I’m sure use and love them. But personally? Based on my research, I have a few question marks.

Most are made from medical-grade silicone, which sounds great on the surface. But like many things, the deeper you dig, the more layered it gets.

Here’s what I found:

• Medical-grade silicone is made from silicon and oxygen (so far so good) plus additional organic compounds.

• To give it strength and flexibility, it’s often blended with:

  • Silica fillers (for durability)

  • Catalysts like platinum or peroxide (to shape and set it)

  • Cross-linking agents (to help it stretch and bounce back)

So, while the material is considered biocompatible, it’s still a synthetic polymer—and what happens with long-term use inside the body? We don’t fully know.

For some women, they’re a game-changer. For others (like me), they’re not for me.

At the end of the day, what you choose to use each month is deeply personal. There’s no one-size-fits-all.

My goal isn’t to tell you what to use—but to share what I’ve discovered, so you can make your own fully informed, fully empowered decision.

Because when we know better, we do better.

And that’s what this is all about.

Menstruation as the 5th Vital Sign

Your period isn’t just a monthly inconvenience—it’s a powerful health indicator.

According to a 2024 JAMA Network Open study, doctors are increasingly recognising menstruation as the “fifth vital sign” alongside temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate.

Why? Because your cycle reflects your overall hormonal, metabolic, and reproductive health.

Changes in your flow, pain, cycle length, or PMS symptoms can all point to deeper issues: thyroid imbalance, insulin resistance, stress, nutrient deficiencies—even long-term chronic disease risk.

This means, if something feels off with your period, don’t just put on a brave face and reach for a painkiller—start investigating and honour your fifth vital sign.

Phases of Life

“The moon is a reminder that no matter what phase I am in, I am still whole.” – Unknown