Product Safety of absorbent hygiene products

Absorbent hygiene products  (AHP) comprise menstrual products (sanitary napkins, panty liners and tampons), baby diapers and incontinence care products. They have a history of more than 50 years of safe use worldwide.

Millions of products are used safely each day and absorbent hygiene products manufacturers ensure that all products comply with local legislation and are safe for their intended and foreseeable uses. Absorbent hygiene products and their raw materials are produced from natural and/or synthetic polymers. Raw materials are selected according to strict quality criteria. Before being released onto the market, the composition and safety of all raw materials are reviewed taking into account potential toxicity to the consumer and the environment.

During manufacture, strict quality control systems are in use to ensure product quality and hygiene. Manufacturers of absorbent hygiene products apply good manufacturing practices and high safety and environmental standards.  EDANA members carry out post-marketing surveillance of their products in which they actively respond to consumer comments to ensure continuously the quality and safety of their products.

To further strengthen the industry’s safety efforts and enhance consumer confidence. EDANA and its members have embraced a new level of action and transparency on levels of trace substances with the voluntary EDANA Stewardship Program AHP.

EDANA’s member companies – the product manufacturers and their suppliers - keep safety at the very heart of what they do.

Composition of sanitary products

Some misconceptions revolve around how absorbent hygiene products are manufactured and what their components are. The reality is that these products are constructed from raw materials such as cellulose pulp, the same material paper is made of, and polyester that you will find in your clothes and your sportswear.

The final products and their components are made of natural or man-made materials such as cellulose pulp, viscose, cotton, super absorbent materials, polymers such as polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene and various adhesives.   

Absorbent hygiene products are produced in several steps in compliance with local and international safety standards and regulations.

Raw materials are selected according to strict quality criteria and during manufacture, rigorous quality control systems and good manufacturing practices are in place to ensure the highest hygienic standards are met.

The industry developed documents to contribute to delivering better and safer products:

• Supply chain information for absorbent hygiene products - The basic information you need to know about the product safety and regulatory requirements for placing absorbent hygiene products (AHP) on the market in the European Union

• The voluntary Exposure-Based Risk Assessment (EBRA) guidelines for various hygiene products: The outlines were presented at the Toxicology Forum meeting “Determining Relevant Low-Level Chemical Exposures for Safety Assessments of Consumer Products” May 20–22, 2019 Brussels, Belgium

• The EDANA Stewardship Programme is a voluntary initiative for Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHPs)launched by the nonwovens industry in July 2020. It comprises the Codex, a fact compilation of AHPs and a test method 

• The EDANA AHP guide for labelling : These guidelines are intended to provide information and guidance on the voluntary labelling of absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) composition

• The Tampon code of Practise and information on the safe use of tampons