First a speech:

Now the last review brought up some concerns because I said, “A tampon is a tampon” – likely some of you disagree, one person said so, but I bet there’s more of you. Here’s the deal – I’m just one girl with one type of cycle and one set of experiences so all I can say is what I know.

If you have a different experience with a product (any product) that you see here at Tree Hugging Family always feel free to leave a comment or send us an email (with your name or not) and we might post it. I say “Might” because Peggy and I think a few of the comments and emails we get are from companies not readers. If we suspect your glowing review is company based and thus biased we won’t post it. But we do value reader input.

Back to reviews:

Today I’m reviewing Seventh Generation Chlorine-Free Ultra-thin Pads with Wings – I’ve only used regular absorbency. The eco and health perks from their website include:

• “Whitened without chlorine
• Ultra-thin absorbent layer
• Safer for sensitive skin
• Wheat-based absorbent core
• Contoured wings for best fit
• Secure, no-slip adhesive
• Packaging is recyclable”

They also disclose all ingredients on their website, right smack in plain view, along with their Material Safety Data Sheets, in both English and Spanish.

Ingredients include:

“Ultra-thin pads are made of a combination of absorbent materials, polyolefins, adhesives, and a silicone-coated paper. The top layer is a non-woven polyolefin cover sheet. The absorbent materials consist of chlorine free wood pulp, chlorine free airlaid fabric, and Lysorb, an absorbent gel. Lysorb, also known as SNAP (super absorbent natural polymer), is a polysaccharide derived from wheat. Polysaccharides are complex sugars found in many natural substances, like the fibers of cotton, wood, and wheat.”

Also available are:

• Chlorine-Free Organic Cotton Tampons
• Chlorine-Free Pantiliners
• Chlorine-Free Maxi Pads

I haven’t used any of the above. I like the Natracare Tampons which are less expensive than the Seventh Generation tampons (where I shop), so I go with those.

What I think:

I think the regular size work great, (i.e. no leaks) and they’re super thin. I’m sort of surprised they work so well, being so thin. Unlike the Natracare pads, the Seventh Generation pads actually stick to your undies. As you might guess, the fact that they stick is a huge pro. I like that the packaging is recyclable and since there’s no plastic backing in the pads, they’re more biodegradable as well. (*SEE AMENDMENT)

Price: The pads is not expensive (around $3.50-5) and often go on sale at my local grocery store, in the natural food / body section. I’ve seen the price go as low as $2.50 per package.

What I love most about Seventh Generation as a company is how forthcoming they appear; nothing is ever hidden on the female products section of their website. If you have to go with a disposable pad, I think they’re a great choice. The pads come in super and overnight as well. I don’t know about the overnight, but a pal of mine raves about the super.

Total points:

Five out of five for an excellent product. If I was comparing them to reusable pads they’d lose points for being well, not reusable. However, since some people will never change to reusable pads, I decided to rate them purely on product merit as a greener disposable pad, which is how I rated Natracare as well.

Have you used these? What do you think?

AMENDMENT: The statement above about no plastics is incorrect and for that I apologize. If you read the comment section you’ll see that this was pointed out to me. Seventh Generation does use polyolefins in their pads, which I skipped over, or misread the first go-through. Sorry about this. I’m not sure as to the exact type of polyefins used by this company, (there are different types) but am going to try and contact them to find out. Here’s what Greenpeace says about this type of plastic, which they grade second best to bioplastics:

“Polyolefins such as Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP) are simpler polymer structures that do not need plasticizers, although they do use additives such as UV and heat stabilizers, antioxidants and in some applications flame retardants. The polyolefins pose fewer risks and have the highest potential for mechanical recycling. Both PE and PP are versatile and cheap, and can be designed to replace almost all PVC applications. PE can be made either hard, or very flexible, without the use of plasticizers. PP is easy to mold and can also be used in a wide range of applications.

In comparison with PVC, PE and PP use fewer problematic additives, have reduced leaching potential in landfills, reduced potential for dioxin formation during burning (provided that brominated/chlorinated flame retardants are not used), and reduced technical problems and costs during recycling.”

This may or may not affect your decision to use these pads – that’s your call. Frankly, as noted when we had extreme green days here, I’m on the side of using reusable pads whenever possible. (Reusable are the next review by the way). If you’re not comfortable with reusable pads or polyolefins; then let me know which pads you like in the comments.

Next up: Reviews of reusable pads.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family