- Women across TikTok have been alleging that mould is inside of their brand new Always pads
- Cosmopolitan reached out to Always for comment and the brand addresses the claims directly, saying this is in fact not mould
- Some skeptics on the internet cut open pads to prove there isn't any mould inside of them...
Across social media, a slew of women have been alleging that they're finding mould in a variety of Always pads. By now, you might have seen it come across your FYP or explore page, but if not, here's what's been happening: A woman will get an unopened pad from a new pack. After she opens it, she'll hold it up to a light—like in her living room or kitchen—to see through the clean, unused pad. What appears looks like specs of mold on the inside of the sanitary napkin.
Cosmo reached out to Always to see if the brand could provide any clarity on the matter and it emphasised that "the darker colours you see when putting your pad up against a light are not foreign material contamination," read part of the statement. "They are normal shadows that appear in products that contain pulp." Read the full statement below:
At Always, we are committed to delivering superior period products that adhere to the highest standards of quality, performance and safety. We use a rigorous, multistep process to evaluate every component of our Always products. This includes extensive quality testing that is carried out before and during manufacturing. Absorbent pulp fibres are often used in menstrual products. Always only uses virgin pulp designed specifically for our menstrual products – no reused, no recycled fibres! The pulp inside these pads is white. Why does the pad appear discoloured when you hold it up to a light? The darker colours you see when putting your pad up against a light are not foreign material contamination. They are normal shadows that appear in products that contain pulp. When you shine light on these products, the absorbent core material creates visible shadows as it blocks the light. You get the same result if you repeat this experiment with many everyday household items made with pulp like cotton balls, make-up remover pads or even paper. Consumer safety is our top priority. Our pads are used safely by millions of women every day around the world and Always is the #1 pad brand recommended by Gynecologists and Pediatricians in the U.S.
Not everyone on social media has been convinced that there's actually mould inside of the pads. Some TikTok users have been saying basically what Always' statement did—that what appears to be mould is actually the fibres that soak up the blood. Others have even made videos cutting open Always pads to prove this, ultimately showing nothing inside but clean cotton.
These are all valid points, especially considering that the alleged mould was "seen" through household light bulbs versus being tested in a lab by a microbiologist. In a lot of ways, this lands as fear-mongering about something that may not be a thing at all.
Christen A. Johnson is the lifestyle editor at Cosmopolitan where she covers health and wellness, home, money, career, pets, food, travel and more for print and digital. She also dabbles in culture writing, and wrote Cosmo’s first-ever digital cover story. Before joining the magazine, Christen was a lifestyle features reporter at the Chicago Tribune. Several of her health and style stories made the paper's front page. When Christen isn’t digging through antique stores, she's likely drooling over home renos on HGTV, sharing her latest therapy revelation, redoing old workouts from her college basketball days, or trying to perfect her homemade buttermilk biscuit recipe. Follow her on Insta for BTS ~ editor life ~ tingz!
