Women's Regular Soft Pads vs Chlorine Free Maxi Pads: which is safer?

Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Maxi Pads is the clear pick. Bodyform Women's Regular Soft Pads carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Bodyform Women's Regular Soft Pads

Bodyform

Women's Regular Soft Pads

PFAS grade

Poor 25/100

Overall grade

Bad 13/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Cotton/wood pulp core with waterproof synthetic backing (unspecified polymer)

Confidence

35%

PossiblePFAS in waterproof backing

PossibleUnspecified synthetic polymer additives

PossibleSkin contact irritation or sensitization

Our pick

Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Maxi Pads

Seventh Generation

Chlorine Free Maxi Pads

PFAS grade

Excellent 100/100

Overall grade

Excellent 96/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 1

Material

organic cotton, wood pulp

Confidence

78%

PossibleFragrance allergen content

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag PFAS in waterproof backing, Unspecified synthetic polymer additives and Skin contact irritation or sensitization on the Bodyform and not on the Seventh Generation.
  • We flag Fragrance allergen content on the Seventh Generation and not on the Bodyform.
  • The Bodyform is Cotton/wood pulp core with waterproof synthetic backing (unspecified polymer) where the Seventh Generation is organic cotton, wood pulp, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 75 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Seventh Generation is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Bodyform grade, at 35% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

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