A tampon is a feminine hygiene product designed to absorb the menstrual flow by insertion into the vagina during menstruation. Once inserted correctly a tampon is held in place by the vagina and expands as it soaks up menstrual blood. The majority of tampons sold are made of rayon, or a blend of rayon and cotton. Tampons are available in several absorbency ratings.
A menstrual cup is a feminine hygiene device that is inserted into the vagina during menstruation. Its purpose is to collect menstrual fluid and prevent its leaking onto clothes. Menstrual cups are usually made of flexible medical grade silicone and shaped like a bell with a stem. The stem is used for insertion and removal. The bell-shaped cup seals against the vaginal wall just below the cervix. Every 4–12 hours, the cup is removed, emptied, rinsed, and reinserted. After each period, the cup requires cleaning.
A sanitary napkin, sanitary towel, sanitary pad, menstrual pad, or pad is an absorbent item worn in the underwear when menstruating, bleeding after giving birth, recovering from gynecologic surgery, experiencing a miscarriage or abortion, or in any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from the vagina.
A pantyliner is an absorbent piece of material used for feminine hygiene. It is worn in the gusset of a woman's panties. Some uses include: absorbency for daily vaginal discharge, light menstrual flow, tampon and menstrual cup backup, spotting, post-intercourse discharge, and urinary incontinence. Panty liners can also help with girls who are having discharges and about to start their cycle. Pantyliners are related to sanitary napkins in their basic construction—but are usually much thinner and often narrower than pads. As a result, they absorb much less liquid than pads—making them ideal for light discharge and everyday cleanliness. They are generally unsuitable for the menstruation medium to heavy flow, which requires them to be changed more often.
Kotex is a brand of feminine hygiene products, which includes the Kotex maxi, thin and ultra thin pads, the Security tampons, and the Lightdays pantiliners. Most recently, the company has added U by Kotex to its line of feminine hygiene products. Kotex is owned and managed by Kimberly-Clark, a consumer products corporation active in more than 80 countries.
Feminine hygiene products are personal care products used during menstruation, vaginal discharge, and other bodily functions related to the vulva and vagina. Those products that are used during menstruation may also be called menstrual hygiene products. Products used may include sanitary napkins or sanitary towels, tampons, pantyliners, menstrual cups, and period panties. Feminine hygiene products also include products meant to cleanse the vulva or vagina, such as douches, feminine wipes, and soap.
Playtex is an American brand name for undergarments, baby products, gloves, feminine products and sunscreen. The brand began in 1947, when International Latex Corporation (ILC) created a division named Playtex to produce and sell latex products. Playtex was the first to advertise undergarments on national television in 1955 and the first to show a woman wearing only a bra from the waist-up in a commercial in 1977.
Renova is a Portuguese company that produces paper consumption goods. It is based in the city of Torres Novas, located in Médio Tejo, a NUTS3 subregion belonging to Centro region. It is one of the most well-known industry brands inside and outside of the country. Their products are sold and advertised in countries like Japan, France, the UK, the United States, Belgium, and Spain.
Always is a brand of menstrual hygiene products, including maxi pads, ultra thin pads, pantiliners, and feminine wipes, produced by Procter & Gamble. It was first introduced in the United States in test markets in the spring of 1983, then nationally in May 1984. By the end of 1984, Always had also been introduced internationally in United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, and Africa. According to Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter & Gamble, Always was Procter & Gamble's "first truly global brand."
Carefree is a brand of pantyliners from Johnson & Johnson. In the US, the Carefree brand was formerly marketed by McNeil-PPC and currently being marketed by Edgewell Personal Care.
Cloth menstrual pads are cloth pads worn in the underwear to prevent menstrual fluid from leaking onto clothes. They are a type of reusable menstrual hygiene product, and are an alternative to disposable sanitary napkins or to menstrual cups. They are less expensive than disposable pads and reduce the amount of waste produced.
Arbora & Ausonia was a company that dealt in the manufacturing and sale of absorbent products for the child and family hygiene, feminine hygiene and adult incontinence markets. It fully merged into Procter & Gamble in 2013.
Unicharm Corporation is a Japanese company that manufactures disposable hygiene products, household cleaning products, specializing in the manufacture of diapers for both babies and adult incontinence, feminine hygiene products and pet care products.
Dr. Judith Esser-Mittag, commonly known as Dr. Judith Esser, is a German gynecologist. Her extensive studies of the female anatomy helped her improve the digital style tampon.
Thinx is a New York based company that makes feminine hygiene products.
Bella is a brand of feminine hygiene products, including maxi pads, ultra thin pads, and female wipes. Bella is currently owned by Polish company Toruńskie Zakłady Materiałów Opatrunkowych.
o.b. is a brand of tampon, originally developed in Germany in 1950 and manufactured by Carl Hahn GmbH. It is now owned by Edgewell Personal Care. The product was named by the gynecologist Judith Esser-Mittag who also developed it. The initials "o.b." are an abbreviation of the German phrase "ohne Binde".
"Tampon tax" is a popular term used to call attention to tampons, and other feminine hygiene products, being subject to value-added tax or sales tax, unlike the tax exemption status granted to other products considered basic necessities. Proponents of tax exemption argue that tampons, sanitary napkins, menstrual cups and comparable products constitute basic, unavoidable necessities for women and thus should be made tax exempt.
Nibong Tebal Paper Mill Holdings Bhd. is a Malaysian multinational pulp and paper and consumer goods company and is the world's largest paper manufacturer. Headquartered in Nibong Tebal, Penang, the company produces more than 100 types of tissue papers and has a capacity to produce 250 tons of tissue paper per day. Nibong Tebal Paper Mill has a strong presence not only in Malaysia, but also in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Ella Daish is a British environmental activist campaigning to persuade companies and governments to remove plastics from women's menstrual hygiene products. She is based in Cardiff. In February 2018, whilst working as a postal worker, she started the End Period Plastic campaign. She went on to become a full-time activist. The BBC put Daish on its 100 Women of 2019 annual list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.
