Hundreds of women have been holding their pads up to strong, bright lights in their homes after seeing a viral video on TikTok. The reason why? A woman found out the products may be giving her chemical burns due to the “gross” looking materials inside them.
In a video with over 1.9 million views, Ritah (@ritah.mia08) shared the fact that Always pads burned her and gave her an uncomfortable sensation when she used them. After seeing some viral posts criticizing the company, she decided to hold her Always pads up to the light. That’s when she saw an array of brown and black speckles underneath the supposedly clean product. “Mind you, this is new, I just opened it,” she added.
Other TikTok commenters followed up, saying they had similar experiences due to the synthetic materials in their pads. But, some mentioned a story The Mary Sue previously covered where a woman found living larvae in her pad. TikTok creators and content makers are wondering: Were Always pads always dirty?
Other women check their pads for chemicals and harmful ingredients
“I used to use Always pads, and they used to give me reactions,” said Bee (@bee122628), a TikTok content creator with sensitive skin who struggles to find period products that don’t irritate her. In her video, she mentioned that Equate pads also caused her reactions, raising the question: Could there be something in common between Equate and Always pads?
In her clip, she examined her pads, checking the packaging and holding them up to the light for any obvious irritants or chemical markers. Commenters on other TikTok videos reported similar experiences, citing irritation and chemical burns from their pads.
Bee also clarified that she wasn’t responding to Allie’s Always Pad video, though she had seen it.
A commenter wrote, “There was a video with a whole a– maggot like sewn in the seam of an Always pad on my FYP a few days ago.” Bee replied, “I saw that one too! Never again will I buy Always [pads], ever.”
@ritah.mia08 i hold no negative intent for this particular brand but am curious and concerned. it would be helpful if we got an explanation to see if we should worry or not.@Always#awareness #fyp ♬ original sound – Ritah mia
Some women check for bugs
A TikTok content creator named Morgan (@morgann1024) held her pads up to a lamp to check for bug-related issues after seeing Allie’s original post. She confirmed in a reply to a TikTok commenter that she was looking for larvae, while possibly examining her pads for any contaminants that could burn her. While one person suggested the pads in Allie’s video only looked unusual, Morgan insisted: “There was one that def had some sort of larva… I saw the pad be opened and there was a wiggly larva worm thing in it.”
Is Always Getting Sued?
The Women Voices for Earth tested always pads back in 2014, only to find chemicals such as “styrene, chloroform, and acetone” in them, irritating and near-dangerous products. But, Always has continued to land on store shelves for over 10 years.
While there is no evidence of an active class-action lawsuit against Procter & Gamble specifically, the company has faced recent scrutiny after numerous users reported burning sensations, itching, and chemical-like irritation from its pads. Many women said their symptoms subsided after switching to alternative products.
It remains unclear what actions the company may take, but thousands of consumers have shared accounts of painful reactions in recent months. Recent posts from Clear Water Action and other advocacy groups call for systemic change to drive out synthetic, harmful materials from menstrual products, citing both their environmental and health effects.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Ritah, Bee, and Morgan via TikTok for more information. We’ve also sent a follow-up email to Procter & Gamble.
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