Are Tampons Shrinking? Let's Talk About "Tampon Shrinkflation"
A growing number of menstruators have taken to the internet to express their concern about bleeding through pads and tampons faster than normal, alleging that the size of their period products has decreased. Are tampons and pads the latest victims of shrinkflation? Let's talk about it.
We’re in a new era that feels like a true period wellness revolution. So many more people are learning about hormone imbalances, pms, and period health than ever before, and consumers are finally paying attention to not only how well their product works, but how healthy the product is for them.
There is a chance that periods are actually getting heavier, as there is so much more toxin exposure in every element of our lives that are endocrine disruptors and can lead to heavier and more painful periods, but more likely, people are just paying attention to their periods more than they ever have before.
In terms of shrinkflation, it’s important to understand how a period brand can come to market. Unlike most other wellness products, period products are Type 1 and Type 2 medical devices, so the absorbancies and products are regulated. All brands need FDA registration. If brands make a fundamental change to a tampon or pad, that is a new medical device that would need to go through FDA approval.
What many consumers might not realize is that the boxes they're picking up off shelf may technically be a new SKU with similar packaging, a new manufacturer that the same brand is using, or so many other factors. Many big conglomerate brands use these sort of deceiving practices to make up for changes happening behind the scenes, with the hopes that consumers won't notice. Now that people are paying attention to periods, they won't be able to get away with it anymore. Consumers are demanding transparency.
Period Care You Can Trust
At Viv, we prioritize both better-for-you ingredients and high performance (which has basically been impossible prior to our product innovation). The original organic tampon brands struggled with performance, and the traditional brands that mastered performance are filled with harsh chemicals (literally the same chemicals you find in weed killers). To create the best tampons, instead of changing the size of the product, you have to innovate. Using more sustainable and higher performing fibers, like 100% organic cotton in our tampons and Bamboo fiber in our pads and liners, while prioritizing absorbency and comfort, allows Viv products to be natural and high performing.
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