Allergic to scented sanitary products? Add your story here!

[wheresmymojo]

Loads of posts about scented sanitary products causing some of us to have issues such as:

• Itchy rashes
• Thrush
• Bacterial vaginosis

After a few attempts I have finally been able to get the attention from Always to respond to my issues.

I know lots of us have them and don't want to be fobbed off that it's 'just me'.

Please can you add your story below if you have issues with scented products.

As another poster has said - I'm pretty sure men wouldn't be expected to spritz Febreeze on their cocks all day for 7 days and have no issues.

I will be adding a link to this thread to my response to Always on Twitter (so obvs don't put anything outing unless you name change)

Yours,

Itchy Vag from Hampshire x

🤚🏻 .. me, I too am now using Tesco cheapo ones (I don't usually shop in Tesco but go especially for their non scented towels)

Scented pads give me fiery flaps and make my Lichen Schlerosus go into overdrive. The smell makes me gag when I go to the toilet too 🤮

Always if you're reading this, crack on with the perfumed pads someone obviously likes them but for the love of all things holy (and my poor flaps) ... label them clearly, and boldly so I can avoid them without looking like some sort of lunatic snorting packs of SanPro in the shops.

Itchy, painful and inflamed and generally fucking awful. I loathe scented sanpro.

The problem is that if you wear one by mistake you can't stop the itching and discomfort until you've had a bath or shower. I've no idea what exact chemicals are used but they'd probably strip wallpaper.

It’s when you go near the SanPro aisle and you can smell the cheap air freshener and then you realise it’s all the sanitary towels, I have taken to smelling them before buying now!

I don't think it's the scent for me, it's the plasticky material. The combination of plastic in a warm damp area makes me very sore.

I used Always all the time until they switched to scented. I hadn't realised that scented pads existed. I was so embarrassed wearing them. My sense of smell is pretty woeful, so if I could smell them when I was wearing them I figured others could to.

I switched to supermarket own brand and have never bought Always since. And will probably still not buy them even if they get rid of the stench because I will not forgive them for their cavalier disregard of what women have been telling them for years.

I got caught out when I grabbed a pack from the chemist recently. I didn't read the packet and discovered they were scented when I got home. After two pads my fanny was itching like crazy so the rest of the packet went in the bin.

Even if Always saw sense and stopped body shaming women into believing they stink I wouldn't buy them after they removed the Venus symbol from the packs. It seems Always don't actually like women and girls very much.

I always get extremely sore and itchy during my period of I use scented towels. I literally have to smother myself in sudacrem if I have to use them. I now buy body form sensitive and although not completely free of itchy mingeitus it’s a lot better

I get awful itching and the smell is atrocious if you put them in a bin not in a plastic bag- so bad for the environment too.

I was faithful to Always for years.
I am peri menopausal and bleeding for weeks at a time, constantly using pads. I was in agony; raw skin, burning and itching. I didn't connect it to the scent initially. I switched to a menstrual cup and problem cleared up.
I buy supermarket own brand now if I need to.
In addition, the removal of references to females on packaging has really annoyed me.
Always don't seem to like women and girls much.

I wore Always scented from my first period. It was what my mum bought so that's what I used. And so I didn't know any different, as it was normal for me to get red raw and sore every month. My mum and I never talked about women s things, ever. It wasn't until I was about 19 that I realised I had had thrush since I was 15! And it wasn't until after the birth of my first child at 22 when the midwife was checking out how I was healing and advised me my skin was really sore and that I was probably allergic to the lads and told me change to an un scented brand. What a revelation!!!! The very hint of a whiff of those vile scented lads now makes me want to heave.

Another one that has stopped buying these products.

I started getting awful symptoms with every period - really hot, feeling swollen, itchy.
Cost me so much in thrush treatments that when I twigged it was the scent I honestly assumed it was a joint venture between Always and Caneston.

I've switched to washables now (which I HIGHLY recommend btw).
My teen dd uses disposables but I always buy her organic, unscented pads.

And if none of the above matters, they don't even fucking smell nice

Similar to other stories here. Itching, red sore skin, thrush-type symptoms. With having endo the last thing I need is yet more pain at that time of the month. Had to switch, found reuseable pads and pants much better and scent-free. Absolutely ridiculous idea to introduce chemicals to a very sensitive area!

Also my discomfort aside, I find it offensive that companies suggest our periods smell and need to be disguised in this way, with fake sickly air freshener stench. What message are we sending to girls and women? It's a shameful secret? Hide us away?

I used to use and trust always pads but the fragranced ones made me itch so I have switched to a rival brand. I accept that some women might want this, but there should always be a clearly labelled unscented alternative.

Also switched to supermarket own brands here. Cheaper, unscented and dont give me irritated skin.
Also always WOMEN use sanitary products so another reason not to buy your products is the removal of reference to women on your packaging.

Itchy and awful spots/cysts

Took me a while to realise that it was the pads causing the problem

Can we add scented loo roll to this? Theoretically I think they just scent the cardboard tube, but it still caused major itching for ages before I realised I'd accidentally bought scented loo roll.

Yes itchy and burning rash where wings sit next to upper legs.

Have changed to body form or sainsburys own.

*Akire

I’ve used them for donkeys years no problem, then they changed and they felt like were burning my skin. Stopped straight away when pad removed, what I imagine to be like if you added neat tea tree oil to pad and sat in it.*

Exactly the same for me - real nippy burning feeling, and bright red skin. Doesn’t happen with non scented.

I stopped using always as they made me itch like mad! It was hard to find non sented ones. I switched to body form but have now switched to reusable ones!

I have switched to Natracare. couldn't be doing with the sickly smell and the burrrrrrning

Oh God, me too on the incredible itching front. Honestly thought I had poison ivy or something on my labia.

Here's the thing, if women say we worry about odour (following whatever massively leading question you've asked to get there), what we want is for there to be NO SMELL. We certainly don't want to smell like we have 20 of those cheapy cardboard tree car scents stuffed up our vag!

As a teenager and youngish women I would use Always without fail. It never occurred to me to use anything else.

Then I had a few years on the pill where my periods were so light I just needed panty liners.

Then I came off the pill and started back with Always only to be puzzled by why my fanny felt like someone had let a load of ants loose in it. Finally realised it was the scent in the pads so switched to Kotex and am MUCH more comfortable.

Ps thought it was just me that reacted to the scent in Always

I now bulk buy Naturcare from Amazon.

So pissed off as the always maxi nights were great but they changed to scented about 6 months ago. I have extremely sensitive skin - my shower gel, deodorant are all colour and scent free. I’m also very prone to cystitis and scented pads absolutely set me off.

This must be costing the NHS a fortune.

The thing is Always knows. So many women have complained over the years / they just don’t give a crap how much discomfort and pain they are causing.

I work with someone who uses these. I can always tell when she's on her period due to the distinctive sickly sweet smell. She smells perfectly nice and clean normally.

Seeing as the whole point of scented sanpro is presumably to avoid embarrassing smells it seems a bit of an own goal by Always.