Thinx Settles Class-Action Lawsuit Over Harmful Chemicals Being Found In Period Underwear Despite Being Marketed As Non-Toxic

Although tampons are the most popular product that women use to handle their period, there are many alternatives that more and more women are using, from menstrual cups to period underwear. The brand Thinx emerged in 2011 and quickly became the most well-known brand to create period underwear. They were known for their memorable ads that were plastered all over social media and billboards in New York City, as well as their commitment to creating environmentally friendly, safe underwear. However, a recent lawsuit revealed that the brand was falsely marketing their products as non-toxic and organic.

Thinx Settles Class-Action Lawsuit Over Harmful Chemicals Being Found in Period Underwear Despite Being Marketed as Non-Toxic

Thinx offers a variety of different underwear in cuts like boyshort, brief, bikini, etc., and you can select from five different absorbencies. The brand describes its products as "underwear that absorbs your period" on their current website, but for the longest time, the underwear was marketed as “organic, sustainable, and non-toxic." A couple years ago, it became clear that the underwear were not, in fact, organic and non-toxic.

Evidently, Thinx period underwear contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, which are harmful chemicals that have been linked to pollution, infertility, and many cancers. Agion, an odor-reducing agent made from silver and copper nanoparticles, was also found in the underwear after testing, despite the fact that Thinx claimed they were "free from these non-migratory nanoparticles." Since 2020, Thinx has been slammed with at least three lawsuits in response to this discovery, claiming that the brand falsely marketed their products as safe even though third-party testers found PFAS in the underwear.

One particular lawsuit in California alleged that women suffered from yeast infections, urinary tract infections, disrupted menstrual cycles, and infertility as a result of using Thinx underwear.

In November 2022, Thinx agreed to pay a $5 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit. Anyone who purchased their underwear between November 12, 2016 and November 28, 2022 can submit a claim for compensation. Many women have expressed their outrage and disappointment on social media, furious that they have spent so much money over the last few years after being lied to by Thinx about the safety of their underwear.

"Saying your product is safe? Third party testing seems to find otherwise. I think many women will now go elsewhere. All we want is the truth," a user commented on a recent Instagram post.

"Voted #1 at poisoning people through their vulvas. $7 up to 3 pairs per person, who shameful!! You’re going down…" someone else wrote.

"Really? You just settled a class action because you deceived your customers. Disgusting," a user commented.

"Don't buy from this company," someone wrote.

In the meantime, Thinx continues to deny all of the allegations and claims that PFAS have "never been a part of its product design." Class Action reports that Thinx has promised to take a closer look at its manufacturing process and pledge that PFAS are not "intentionally added" to their underwear.