Why don't period pads list their ingredients?

Because there’s no legal requirement to do so. In the UK, period products are regulated as ordinary consumer goods under the General Product Safety Regulations, the same rules that cover shampoo or kitchen foil, and there's no legal requirement to list what's in them. Oddly, scented candles under those same rules must flag certain chemicals, but period products don't have to. It's a gap campaigners are working to close, with a new international standard for menstrual products (ISO 25130) expected by 2028.

What is a period pad made of? Layer by layer

A typical disposable pad is built from four or five layers, most of them synthetic:

  • Top sheet: (the bit against your skin): usually polypropylene or polyolefin (a plastic, even though it's designed to feel like soft fabric).
  • Absorbent core: wood pulp combined with super-absorbent polymers (SAP), which are gel-like plastics, typically petroleum-derived, that lock in liquid.
  • Backsheet (the leak-proof layer): usually a polyethylene (PE) plastic film.
  • Adhesives and wings: synthetic glues and plastic film.
  • Wrapper: typically soft plastic film.

Some conventional pads also add fragrance or dyes, and because fragrance is treated as a trade secret, you're rarely told what's actually in it. Health experts, including the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, advise avoiding scented menstrual products, as fragrance is a common trigger for irritation and contact dermatitis, particularly on sensitive skin.

How much plastic is in a period pad?

A lot. A conventional pad is up to around 90% plastic by weight, contains about as much plastic as five carrier bags. With 3 billion disposable period products used in the UK every year, and because that plastic doesn't break down, a single pad can take an estimated 500–800 years to decompose, which is why pads and liners turn up so often in beach cleans.

What about chemicals: fragrance, dyes and PFAS?

This is where the transparency gap matters most. Beyond the plastics, independent testing has raised a few flags about conventional menstrual products:

None of this means every pad is dangerous as exposure levels and regulation vary, and research is ongoing. But given how little is disclosed, it's reasonable to want fewer unknowns against your skin.

Are period pads biodegradable?

Mostly, no. Because a conventional pad is largely plastic, the bulk of it won't biodegrade. Plastic layers can take an estimated 500–800 years to break down. Only pads built to minimise the amount of plastic used can meaningfully change that.

The alternative: what Cheeky Panda pads do differently

While very few pads on the market don’t contain any plastic, but you can cut it right down, and be honest about what's left. Cheeky Panda pads are made mostly from plant-based materials (around three-quarters by weight). Instead of a plastic top sheet, there's a bamboo layer against the skin; the core is bamboo pulp with a paper absorbent lining and no petroleum-based super-absorbent gels, and in place of a polyethylene backing, there's a cornstarch-and-PBAT film. They're also made fragrance-free and dye-free, and independently tested to be free from heavy metals.

Being straight with you: they're not 100% plastic-free. The remaining ~quarter is a polymer (PBAT) plus a little adhesive. That's what keeps the pad absorbent and leak-proof. But that's a world away from a conventional pad that's up to 90% plastic. We also don't yet have PFAS test results for our pads, but it's on our list.

But in the meantime, that’s still less plastic against your skin, far less to send to landfill, and, because pads aren't required to tell you what's in them, a brand that chooses to anyway.

That's the whole idea behind what we make: care without compromise, for people who'd rather know exactly what they're putting against their body.

→ Explore Cheeky Panda's bamboo period care range