O.b Pro Comfort Super Plus 16 pad vs Absorbency Pads: which is safer?
O.b Pro Comfort Super Plus 16 pad is the clear pick. Poise Absorbency Pads carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
OB
O.b Pro Comfort Super Plus 16 pad
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleMicroplastic shedding or degradation
ReportedIrritation or allergic sensitization from adhesive or synthetic fibers
PossibleBacterial growth or contamination from prolonged moisture
Poise
Absorbency Pads
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
ReportedUndisclosed waterproofing chemicals (PFAS suspected but unconfirmed)
PossibleSkin irritation from absorbent core additives
PossibleFragrance allergens (if product is scented variant)
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Microplastic shedding or degradation, Irritation or allergic sensitization from adhesive or synthetic fibers and Bacterial growth or contamination from prolonged moisture on the OB and not on the Poise.
- We flag Undisclosed waterproofing chemicals (PFAS suspected but unconfirmed), Skin irritation from absorbent core additives and Fragrance allergens (if product is scented variant) on the Poise and not on the OB.
- The OB is rayon/viscose, cotton, and gelling polymers where the Poise is absorbent core with waterproof backing layer, composition unspecified, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the OB is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Poise grade, at 45% 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 →
More period pads: see the full ranking