Tampon Super 16 vs Tampons: which is safer?
Seventh Generation Tampons is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Kotex Natural
Tampon Super 16
PFAS grade
Good 70/100
Overall grade
Good 66/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
rayon/cellulose, cotton, cardboard
Confidence
78%
PossibleBacterial contamination and toxic shock syndrome (TSS) risk
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 and toxic shock syndrome (TSS) risk on the Kotex Natural and not on the Seventh Generation.
- The Kotex Natural is rayon/cellulose, cotton, cardboard 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 →
More tampons: see the full ranking