The Shocking Truth About Period Products: What You Need to Know! (w/ Tampon Tribe)

You’re about to uncover the truth about the products you’ve trusted with your most intimate care. This episode isn’t just another discussion on periods— this is the information you deserve to know, but no one’s telling you. 

Join me as I chat with Jennifer, the co-founder of Tampon Tribe, who exposes the dark side of mainstream menstrual products. From toxins that could be harming your body to the greenwashing tricks that brands use to keep you in the dark, we dive deep into the hidden dangers that could be affecting your health and well-being.

But it’s never all doom & gloom over here— Jennifer shares her personal journey with endometriosis and how it led her to get curious about what products she was putting in her body, which led to life-altering healing and the creation of menstrual products that can truly care for YOU, too!

From tampons to pads to menstrual cups to period underwear, we'll walk you through why making a switch could be the best decision for your health.

This episode is your wake-up call to reclaim control over your body and make informed choices that could change your life! Don’t miss out— your health depends on it.

Resources: 

• Shop nontoxic, sustainable period products with Tampon Tribe (affiliate link)
• Follow them on social media @tampontribe 

Transcript

Katie Kurpanek: 0:00

Welcome back to the show, everybody. If we haven't met yet, welcome. I am Katie. I'm the host of the Eco minded mama podcast. And, my mission in life is just to help empower eco minded mamas like yourself. You want to make an impact on this earth. You want to raise your family in a way that is connected to nature and something greater than yourselves. You want to reduce waste, and then also saving money is a bonus that ends up coming with that. So we kind of talk about all those things here. I'm very happy to have you on the show. And today we are joined by an amazing guest. We have Jennifer, the co founder of Tampon Tribe, joining us today, and we're going to talk all things sustainable period products. So I'm very excited about this and welcome to the show, Jennifer.

Jennifer, Tampon Tribe: 0:44

Thank you for having me, Katie. I'm super excited to be here as well.

Katie Kurpanek: 0:48

Awesome. I'm so glad this is actually great timing too, because I recently just had like, a couple episodes, like a mini series on cycle syncing, and talking about, you know, syncing up your life with the four phases of your menstrual cycle. And I feel like this is a really good, you know, episode to be kind of close to that. So I would love to first hear a little bit about yourself and just the story behind tampon tribe in general, because I know it's not just you. You've co founded this, so tell us about it.

Jennifer, Tampon Tribe: 1:17

Yeah, sure, so you're totally right. Tampon tribe was founded by myself and my business partner, Gabby, and we actually founded the company about, Gosh, I think it's seven years ago now. It goes so quickly. Yeah, it's crazy, right? Um, and it was kind of from a combination of my personal journey through endometriosis and our passion for the environment. So, you know, I was really suffering from endometriosis, so it was interesting. You're talking about cycle syncing, because all of this comes into play. Yes, had really bad symptoms, like double over in pain. This is awful. It's got to a point Katie, where I was just thinking, There's got to be a better solution, like you just told to grin and bear it, like there's no grinning. This is just awful, right? You know, we kind of started doing some research, and we found that a lot of the chemicals that were in period products could actually be exacerbating the symptoms, mind blowing in itself. And so I actually thought, well, can't hurt. And I actually found a a European tampon brand at the same at the time that was totally organic, sustainably made, no GMOs, you know, everything that we now are. And literally, from one month to the next, my symptoms stopped, wow. And I just couldn't. I said, There's no way it can be this simple. You know, it can't be. A few months later, I was having this great no period pain. This is awesome. And then I think it was on month four, pain came back. I thought, oh, right, see. But no. The month before, I'd been traveling and I'd used store bought chemical tampons. Oh my gosh. And so back to organic. Now truly organic, which is the next part of the conversation, right? I never had a period pain again. And at the time, my business partner and I were in Los Angeles, actually, and we were here for another business. We've been working together for a long time, and we kind of had an opportunity to start something new. And so we thought, Look, if I'm having an issue accessing these great products, imagine who else is, and I'm in LA, pretty resource heavy, right, right? And there weren't the products on the shelves at that time. I mean, at the same time, we were on Venice Beach, and we kept seeing these plastic tampon applicators, which was horrifying, horrifying. Like, first of all, what are plastic applicators? Why are they in our environment, right? You know, I'm from Australia, she's from Brazil. We're super passionate about our planet, and we're like, what if we put these two things together? And we thought it's impossible, or it would have been done already, right, which we all think when we're building businesses and brands, but it hadn't been done. And we found the manufacturers that could do it with us, and we put it to the test, and it's been successful. So all of our products, we only use GOTS and ICEA certified organic cotton, which is really important. And we're also 100% plastic free. So we don't compromise. We have our pads and panty liners are wrapped in a potato starch film. The backing is plant based. We totally vegan. We don't use glue. We use biopolymers from Germany, so we like outsourced every tiny element. Our applicators, of course, are not plastic. They're not BPA free plastic, which is still plastic, as you know, be really toxic to ourselves and our planet. And it's it's. It's interesting, because you get tempted, right? Like, what if people want plastic? No, we are so, for our brand, for tampon tribe, we are so committed to stick with that mission, because we just know the impact that it has, not just on bodies, but also our planet.

Katie Kurpanek: 5:18

Yeah, you have your why so solid, you're so grounded in it, and then you have the personal experience to back it up, which is so powerful. And I think that this is, it's, it's important to talk about this so much more frequently, I think. And I feel like our, you know, this generation and the next generation feels like it's moving that way towards like tampons and periods like this whole talk shouldn't be taboo, right? We should really, really be talking about it, because this is an entire section of the population that is heavily impacted by the choices we make around our periods. At the time of this recording, I think it was in July that we just had, like, this major case study come out that was revealing all of these toxic metals and chemicals that were found in several like name brand popular period products, I think specifically tampons on store shelves. And so this is impacting countless people, and I think a lot more people have their eyes drawn to it right now. There's a heightened sense of awareness from what I'm sensing online. So I just feel like this is a very important time to talk about it. So can you, I mean, you talked a little bit already about the products that you have with tampon tribe, but how do, how do you and your products like really stand out from this mess? What is it specifically that you feel like is the most toxic or the most dangerous that you're seeing in common period products that is not found in yours?

Jennifer, Tampon Tribe: 6:47

Right? Yeah. I mean, many things as the report showed. And I think one of the most significant parts of the report, well, two, sorry, one of but one of them is that many organic, or so called organic, brands were on this report, and is what really opened up in our sector of the of the menstrual health industry was and we knew this, but how many brands were calling themselves organic? But they're not organic, right? They just put the word organic on the pack. And I'm a consumer, if I see that on the pack, I grab it right. What this report has called everyone to do is to look up the ingredients, and I speak to people every day who are so aware, I'm sure, like yourself, of what they're putting in and on their body, what they're putting on their skin, the clothes they're wearing, and they've never once picked up their pads or tampons and looked at the ingredients. Never, yeah, never, right? And I was, I was one of those people too, like, I never thought that would be an issue, because we trust these products. So the report highlighted a few things, one that in a lot of the name brand products in the in the mainstream, I guess, realm. So, you know, just they're made with synthetics, they're made with plastics. They're made with bleaches, toxins. You've got a ton of metals. You've got arsenic, lead, I think, cadmium, you've got so many because they're made from materials that are man made and so these man made materials need these chemicals to exist, because they're a fabrication or fabric, right? And then you've got the so called organic and this is the, this is a bit of a minefield, because people thought that they were buying really safe products. And you have some of these, many of these so called organic products that have titanium dioxide, which is a carcinogen. It's actually banned in Europe. I think it's banned in Australia. You cannot use this. They also have lead, they have arsenic, and that comes from a lot of sources. It can come from the water that's being used in the soil when they're growing cotton, you have a lot of products that say they use cotton. Now, cotton's a heavily GMO crop, so anything that comes with that comes through into the product and won't survive the testing. And so this is the best thing to do, grab the product, see what certifications they have. Yes. So one thing, if you are certified, it's a hard thing to get certified, and it's expensive and difficult. You will have your certification on the box, right? Yeah, 100% and it won't be like a Canva illustration, which you see like a cotton saying organic. That is not a certification. That is just a picture. You see that a lot. It's greenwashing. Why? Which you know very well, is everywhere. And you pick up the look at this. Look at this cotton picture. I'm like, I couldn't make that cotton picture. So have a look at the certifications. If you can't find them on the box or the package, they'll be on the website. It's illegal. That is one really strict thing you cannot put well, not for long, the certification on the website, because the certifying body will pretty soon tell you to take them down. And that was happening a few years ago. And I've noticed a lot of them come off because they're not truly certified. Then there are different organic certifications, and not all organic certifications are the same. The two prominent ones used in the tampon industry is OCS and GOTS. OCS has two different certifications, their basic one requires 5% of the product to be organic. Therefore their full one, the OCS, 100 requires a lot more. I think it's 80 to 100% okay, so if they're different those certifications, then you have GOTS, which is global organic textile standard, and ICEA which is the International sustainability certification. So we have both of those, and that's what we see. Is really important for our products. Every product is totally different. And, you know, we welcome every product in this space, but it's a matter of being informed about what you're buying and putting in or on your body. And so they're the keys. And I hope that wasn't too complicated, but breaking it down is just looking at the certifications. And for us, GOTS demands a minimum 70% organic, and the remaining 30% has very strict, strict qualifications. You know, you can't put a synthetic in there. We actually have 100% we only use 100% in ours, but that's the minimum certification. We also put all of our third party testing on our website, so we're very transparent about that, and we're very proud of it, you know? So we have the GOTS and the ICEA and they test, I think it's every year we get those tests done, and then we also send to an independent lab, just make sure every batch that runs through has no heavy metals, has no chlorine in the any kind of the processing, plant processing process, yeah, and also that our soils are clean and sustainable. And I think that's something that you'll probably resonate with is, as you know, soils to be GMO free and to be ICEA certified, which is a European certification. So we get all of our certified organic cotton from Europe, from small growth farmers. That's important to us. It ensures there are no herbicides. There are no pesticides. There's nothing in the soil that will get to the finished product. And GOTS has some other things that are important to us when it comes to fair trade, when it comes to fair wages and and you know that other aspect of the business too.

Katie Kurpanek: 12:57

Okay, yeah, I am so glad that you brought up certifications, because that's the number one thing that I will usually point mamas or just people asking questions in general about greenwashing, because it is. It comes up all the time, and it's so frustrating, because we as the consumers like should not this should not be a burden that we have to bear to like be, you know, checking that everything we're wanting to put in or on our body is safe. That's so frustrating. But in the United States, that's especially how it is currently. And so I I've said similar things that, like, if you are looking at a brand that you feel is, you know, sustainable and ethical, non toxic, all of those good things there, they should have nothing to hide behind. They should be very, very proud of that fact that they're aligned with all of those standards. If you are looking at their website, or, like you said, their packaging, and it seems kind of confusing or just not very clear, they're making very vague, broad statements, then that's a red flag immediately, because they should have nothing to hide behind. And you are obviously so proud of what you've all created, and let's talk for a minute about how they work, because your social media, by the way, I'll have it linked in the show notes. Anyone who's listening. When you have a minute to pause, click the show notes and like, go follow them on Instagram, because tampon tribe has some really helpful, like informative reels. And I watched one the other day that showed, like a an experiment where you had two cups of water and you put, you know, a generic brand tampon in one, and then your tampon tribe in the other. And it just was amazing to look at how the longer they sat, all of the different filaments that were coming out of the generic tampon into the water. And you just think about that being your body, and how every single time you put a tampon in, this is what's happening and being absorbed into your body. And then compared to tampon tribe tampons and how solid they held up so. So I'd love if you could talk a little bit about the functionality, because of course, of course, there are people listening who are like, you know, yes, I want to buy something that's certified and, you know, good for the earth, good for me, but they want to know that it's going to work too. So can you talk a little bit about that?

Jennifer, Tampon Tribe: 15:16

Yeah, totally. So there are quite, there are quite a few differences between all of the tampons on the market. When you're making a tampon with synthetics or with man made materials, they tend to dissolve, they tend to pull apart. And yes, you can do that experiment at home, like put your tampon in a cup of water just for a couple of hours and see what happens. Versus something that's made from 100% certified organic cotton. So it'll stay together because it's a quality material, and I think that's another thing to look at. So even if someone has organic on their box of product, it might say organic core or organic cover or organic top sheet, so That's level two on checking out your certifications. But when it comes to the tampons themselves, so the the generic ones will often use a chemical within the tampon to lock in fluid, in my opinion, that doesn't have a great impact on your endocrine system or on your body. Yeah, there are also reports that show these chemicals can actually prolong bleeding and can cause you to use more product. Okay, so that's also a consideration. People will say, Hey, Jen, you know, you sell 10 pads for X amount of money. There's 28 of these pads. You've got to use twice as many of those. Yeah, you know. So I always use the analogy, like, you know, a good paper towel versus a really crappy paper towel, right? Yeah, you're using, like you're using a ton, right? Because it's just made from cheap synthetic materials. You get a good quality one that's made from maybe all natural ingredients that have high absorbency. You only need to use one, yeah, there's just that to consider when you're choosing the product. So for us, we have a certified organic cotton core and cover and string that's woven in. So we don't use anything else. We don't think you need to put wax on the string to stop bleeding. We don't think you need to use titanium dioxide to make it whiter. That's us, yeah, yeah, other companies that that's also their choice, and it's just as a consumer to decide what you're putting in or on your body. But I love to challenge people to give it a go for a month. Yeah? And it'll be an adjustment. So this is the other thing. With tampons, you do need to change them. Yeah? You know, you shouldn't have a tampon in your body, really, for more than three hours. I know some people sleep in them. It's that's okay if it's organic, right? If it's organic, and depends on your flow, there are a lot of variables here, but I've had people well, you know, My old tampon lasted me for eight hours. First of all, what are you doing wearing a tampon for eight hours? Second of all, why do you think that is? It must have a chemical in it, because a cotton cannot physically do that once it's once it's full, once it's fully absorbed, that's it. Yeah, you need to change it. So if it's if it's if it's got a super absorbent and it's causing, you know that capturing that locking in in a tampon, it's because there's a product, there's no magic. Pads is a little different, because pads sits below your body. You can have, you can use certified organic cotton that is woven in, which helps lock in menstrual fluid, for sure, but a tampon, yeah, you have to just be sensible, like, if something's magic, then why is it magic, you know? So that's just a question you can you can ask yourself. And for us, we love being an authentic brand and authentic company. It's very important to who we are. And just knowing that, you know, so many of our customers have said, Oh my gosh, my period pain has eased up. You know, people who suffer from PCOS, they've, you know, reduced their symptoms, and the periods have got shorter. They're like, I used to last a period. Used to be seven, eight days. Now it's four. I'm like, Okay, wow, it's worth trying. We're not claiming in any way that this is going to solve all your all your problems, but sometimes we kind of forget to look at the very obvious thing in front of us, right? And like you said, busy. You know, we've got kids and school and work and partners and house and all these things. So how do we make even have time to think about, let alone make the right choice? So we just do it. Do your best. You know, don't be hard on yourself about your choices, but I think being a little informed along the way and choosing a product that suits you. For us, I'm a huge advocate of the menstrual cup, yeah, all right. And I think anyone kind of in the eco space, it's a fantastic option. Anyone who's busy and running around mind blown with a with a cup, and there are different materials that the cups are made from. So you will have a silicone menstrual cup, which is the majority of the cups out there, very rigid material, and it's kind of designed to open in a cylinder inside your body. Ours are a little different. We make ours from a medical grade TPE out of Germany, which is designed for internal medicine. So for us, that was a very safe choice. It's also a little more malleable, so it actually sits in your body and doesn't necessarily pop out into a circle. It just sits there because your insides are all different shapes. There's a lot going on in your body. And it can also be recycled. So TPE is a rubber so it's recyclable, whereas a silicone, as you know, cannot, yes. So I think the cup is great choice. To be honest. I love it personally, and that is something you can put on the beginning of the day and go about your crazy day and not even think about it, because it will hold at least a full day's worth of fluid. Maybe on a heavy day, you might want to change it once in the day, like empty it once a day. Yeah.

Katie Kurpanek: 21:46

Oh, man. And this is why I was so excited to talk with you, Jennifer, just because not only do I think that this education and resources needs to be put out into the world and talked about so much more often, but specifically with tampon tribe, like my listeners know I will only feature products that I am genuinely, like, in love with and I and I've done the research, and I know that they're credible and they're trustworthy, because, like we said, This is so frustrating to have to deal with greenwashing and to, like, sift through all this confusing information and false claims. So for my listeners, I just want to make this as easy as possible. So like I said before, if you click the show notes, just the episode description, you'll find all of the links that you need to not only follow tampon tribe on social media and continue to educate yourself, because there's so much more that we could be talking about that we can't fit into this one little episode. But also, you know, go to their website. Click that link that I'll have in there. It is an affiliate link, giving a heads up, because I am, like a proud affiliate with tampon tribe. I've used their products. I know how good they are, how good they work, and how good they are for the planet. So click that link as well, and you'll be able to shop with tampon tribe, if you're interested, and check out the variety of products. Like, like Jennifer said, There's tampons, but there's menstrual cups, there's pads. You also have reusable, you know, washable, period underwear, which I am a huge fan of. That's my personal go to. So there's a lot there that you can find in the show notes. Oh yeah, there's also a new feature for my listeners, so I'm going to start talking about this more. I've added a feature into the show notes where you can click a link that says something like, you know, Send Katie a message. I want you to send me a message and let me know your thoughts on this, because it's often like I put out these podcasts and then I don't, I don't have a way to hear from people what they're thinking. So this gives you a very clear way to like, send me a message. Share with me your thoughts, your questions, your wonderings around period products and how to do this sustainably. Share with me like your horrible experiences, your wonderful experiences, and I will be able to repost that, whether it's on social media or share it in another episode, but I would love to hear from you all. So this has been such a wonderful conversation, and it's like the start of a conversation that I hope to be ongoing. Jennifer, I'm so thankful for everything that you and tampon tribe are doing and putting out into the world, and thank you for coming on the show today to share with our mamas.

Jennifer, Tampon Tribe: 24:21

Oh, that's such a pleasure, Katie. It's great to follow you and be part of you. And if anyone has questions too, reach out to Katie or myself. We're available. You know, it'll get to me if you ask, and we're more than happy to answer any questions, because it can be a minefield. Oh, yeah, so we'll get there.

Katie Kurpanek: 24:39

Absolutely. Thank you so much, Jennifer!

Jennifer, Tampon Tribe: 24:42

My pleasure! Bye.