The prices of sanitary pads and tampons in the US have soared because of inflation, leaving many cash-strapped women with the unenviable choice of cutting back on the hygiene products to afford other basic necessities.
Sanitary pad and tampon prices have risen faster than even the price of food, The Wall Street Journal reported, nearly doubling since before the pandemic.
The average price for a pack of pads is $6.50, a 41% increase since 2019, according to Circana. The price for a pack of tampons jumped 36% to $8.29.
The higher prices have led to a drop in annual sales of pads and tampons, by 12% and 16%, respectively, since 2020, according to consumer research firm NielsenIQ.
However, the few feminine care companies are still faring well. They exist as a sort of monopoly because the menstrual products are classified as medical devices, which require federal clearance to make it to shelves.
Procter & Gamble – home to Tampax tampons and Always pads – dominates the feminine product market. The consumer goods company reported a net sales and earnings per share increases in the first quarter this year, though it said global sales volume decreased due to price increases.
Kimberly-Clark, which sells U by Kotex pads and tampons and Thinx, and Edgewell Personal Care, which makes Carefree pads and Playtex tampons, also hold significant stakes in the feminine care industry.
Procter & Gamble shares are up 13% so far this year, while Kimberly-Clark shares are up nearly 18% and Edgewell Personal Care are up nearly 10%.
But customers are likely losing confidence in feminine care companies, especially as women turn to social media to share their fears over a recent study that found toxic metals — including arsenic and lead — in tampons.
The high prices for pads and tampons has led to fears of widespread period poverty, or the inability to access menstrual products.
Studies estimate that 16.9 million menstruating women in the US live in poverty, and two-thirds of these women cannot afford pads, tampons and other menstrual products, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Period poverty is often linked with health risks due to not changing feminine care products frequently enough, including mental illness and recurring urinary tract infections.
