100% Organic Cotton Tampons vs Vtg 1980s Playtex Portables Gentle Glide Tampons OPEN BOX Prop: which is safer?
Natracare 100% Organic Cotton Tampons is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Natracare
100% Organic Cotton Tampons
PFAS grade
Excellent 100/100
Overall grade
Excellent 96/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
100% organic cotton
Confidence
88%
PossibleHeavy metals in pigments or cotton processing
Playtex Gentle Glide
Vtg 1980s Playtex Portables Gentle Glide Tampons OPEN BOX Prop
PFAS grade
Good 70/100
Overall grade
Poor 38/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
Rayon/viscose core, cotton outer layer
Confidence
72%
LikelyMicrobial contamination / sterility loss
PossibleMaterial degradation and structural integrity
ReportedLack of current regulatory compliance documentation
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Heavy metals in pigments or cotton processing on the Natracare and not on the Playtex Gentle Glide.
- We flag Microbial contamination / sterility loss, Material degradation and structural integrity and Lack of current regulatory compliance documentation on the Playtex Gentle Glide and not on the Natracare.
- The Natracare is 100% organic cotton where the Playtex Gentle Glide is Rayon/viscose core, cotton outer layer, 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 Natracare 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