Discontinued 2004 Kotex Natural Balance Security Tampons Super Plus 18 vs Tampons: which is safer?
Seventh Generation Tampons is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Kotex Natural
Discontinued 2004 Kotex Natural Balance Security Tampons Super Plus 18
PFAS grade
Good 70/100
Overall grade
Good 66/100
Verdict
Buy with care
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
rayon/viscose/cotton core with cellulose layers
Confidence
72%
PossibleBacterial contamination (post-discontinuation storage)
Our pick
Seventh Generation
Tampons
PFAS grade
Excellent 100/100
Overall grade
Excellent 100/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
none flagged
Material
organic cotton, cardboard applicator
Confidence
88%
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Bacterial contamination (post-discontinuation storage) on the Kotex Natural and not on the Seventh Generation.
- The Kotex Natural is rayon/viscose/cotton core with cellulose layers where the Seventh Generation is organic cotton, cardboard applicator, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 30 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Seventh Generation is the one to buy.
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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