Without a doubt, Tampax is among the biggest and most famous tampon and feminine care brands right here in the United States, but the thing is, they’re involved in what we now know as the Tampax Lawsuit. Why exactly? Well, it turns out that during some tests that their tampons had some harsh and toxic metals/chemicals like lead. And just in case you know a thing or two about that, you’ll get why this lawsuit has become a BIG thing in the country lately. Right? So let’s get on with some details of this case that are out in the public.
What’s Actually Happening?
Okay, how about we just sort this out from the get-go? It seems that these two prominent tampon brands (Tampax and Kotex) are facing a hefty lawsuit. The reason? Their latest claims alleging that their tampons may have lead and some other toxic metals. Basically, lead is a deleterious metal that is the last thing you want to be close to your body, and it shouldn’t even be in the least part of a personal care product. Plain and simple!
The suits say that the corporations kept quiet about it, which is why people are now suing them.
First Of All, Who Exactly Filed the Lawsuits?
Here’s what we know.
The very first instance is a scenario where, in 2025, a lady named Stephanie Foster initiated a legal action against Kimberly-Clark, the maker of U by Kotex Click tampons. The litigation was brought in a federal court in Illinois. What was her allegation? According to the plaintiff, the defendant Kimberly-Clark, in their promotional materials for tampons, went on to claim that the product had “no harsh ingredients” and was “pesticide-free,” but did not disclose the presence of heavy metals such as lead.
While this was going on, see, on the other hand, a different woman named Allison Barton brought a class action suit against Procter & Gamble, the makers of Tampax Pearl tampons. This case was initiated in California in July 2024. According to Barton, an independent laboratory conducted tests on these tampons, and the results showed that women could be exposed to more lead per day than what is allowed by California law. That’s super risky stuff right there!
What Did the Research Show?
In 2024, researchers carried out a scientific experiment on 30 various tampon products from 14 different brands to test for metals. The testing results exposed the 16 different metals and metalloids, such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium, in very small amounts.
What was the biggest revelation? The thing is: Lead was found in every single product, one unit of measurement after another. For some products, levels changed depending on whether they were organic or not. In fact, in a few cases, the organic ones had more arsenic than the non-organic ones.
Though the thing is, the research has not confirmed that the metals are being taken into the body. Still, the very fact that these metals have been detected in products that are used in such a delicate area is quite a scandal. Some doctors have even said that the vaginal area may take in chemicals much more quickly than other areas of the body, hence the risk would be higher even for very small amounts. That’s the concerning part!
What Are the Lawsuits Saying?
Both suits focused their respective issues of disagreement around the same few points. Essentially, these were the points they brought:
- The companies hid the fact that their products contained toxic substances.
- How they marketed the products gave the impression that they were much safer than they really were.
- By not including the required warnings, they could have broken state laws.
