The horror of scented sanpro!

[AlpacaLypse]

Hi everyone, any chance of us starting a campaign to get manufacturers to clearly label when sanitary protection products are scented?

I know there are some women who prefer the scented product, but there seems to be many more who dislike it intensely, and indeed some who find these products irritate the skin.

At the moment, labelling seems to be very confusing, with euphemisms like 'odour control', and no ingredient list.

Currently the only way to be sure is to sniff the outside of the package, and even then if the shop is well ventilated and the plastic wrapping is thick, you may still get a nasty surprise when you get home. Not to mention peculiar looks from other people in the supermarket aisle!

Who's with me?

A couple of threads I already know about...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2670728-scented-sanitary-towels-just-why?msgid=61950383

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2678330-AIBU-to-think-Always-dont-actually-employ-women-in-their-marketing-design-teams

I am in. Love the moon cup but sometimes need pads as well and hate thrush inducing scented horrors.
I have never needed to smell like cheap air freshener!

Thanks for sending that email OP.
I spent ages the other day sniffing all the packets in Boots because I couldn't see from the ones which weren't scented. I must have looked like a real prat

I'm in.

I'm post menopausal but always wear pantyliners and can't use anything perfumed near my fanjo.
Am finding it increasingly difficult to find unscented products and was sniffing packets like a loon in Sainsbos the other night. It's not ok!

Currently using Bodyform daily fresh string liners with no scent/drama if that helps anyone.

Marking my place to see if they reply. They wouldn't even need to use the words scented/unscented, an indication of what the scent is supposed to be, e.g. Lilac fresh, or marking it as "sensitive" would be sufficient for us all to avoid the itching.

I'm in!

I think it's bloody awful...

I wrote to Waitrose after being tricked into buying their towels with 'triple protection' (PERFUME!!)

They replied with some crappy explanation about the towels being 'hypoallergenic' and totally ignored (deliberately) the fact it was their euphemistic term 'triple protection' I had the issue with especially as this was in fact PERFUME & yet nowhere on the packaging was this stated.

I was sent a 'keep your mouth shut' gift card but I definitely want to take it further. Trading standards??Advertising standards?

I detest the cynical marketing and think it's just part of the shaming of women that goes on ever so subtley to make women vulnerable to the relentless advertising campaigns out to convince women they need product upon product of crap. It's all about the money...Keeping women ashamed of their bodies, their smells, their hair etc is powerful and makes companies rich.

I do wonder how far we've come in terms of women's liberation etc...
'Automatically' pulling on leggings when I have hairy legs shows just how conditioned we are.

Freedom is all in the mind because in reality it's got a long way to go...

God yes, they should definitely say!

Scented pads are brilliant if you've not got a magic tree air freshener handy and someone's spewed in the car. Self adhesive and everything.

Hear hear!

I wish mumsnet would get Always to come on here and defend their vile air-freshener sanpro! It would be fun

I only use the liners and look for the twist n flex ones now which are un scented, but they are blooming hard to find . Almost as if they don't want you to buy them, then they can discontinue them because there was no demand for them! Alternatively I guess they are out of stock because of all the desperate women trying to escape the scented ones....

I HATE HATE HATE those smelly Always pads . It's such an unpleasant smell.

I emailed Procter and Gamble a few months ago to tell them that I hated the smell. It's like cheap air freshener. They assured me its "odour neutraliser" and not scent. We must all be mistaken then. I emailed them back to confirm that I can definitely smell strong cheap perfume but they just rolled the same standard response out and sent me a £5 voucher with a list of products that don't contain "odour neutraliser". Or perfume.

I just use Bodyform now.

I've currently got thrush for the first time in my life.

It happened after a week of using Always scented liners for the first time.

I'd like to send the fuckers a bill

I'm in! My partner would be too.
I'm tired of having to change my trousers so often because they smell of sickly sweet chemicals.

I'm in. I've had always scented by mistake in my ocado shop (I ordered the right ones but the labelling is so poor it's an easy mistake for the 'picker' to make). They BURN!. I used to really like always but after searching their website for the unscented ones and cross referencing them with reviews that say they stink to high heaven and take the skin off your fanjo I've decided the games not worth the candle. I needed pads urgently and went to the local co-op where after sniffing the whole range couldn't find anything unscented and I had to drive to Sainsbury's. I understand there may be a market for the stinky ones but there should be better labelling.

Bodyform night towels are awesome. No scent and don't feel like plastic.

I quite like the scented ones. I am also in favour of clearly labelling them. I have to sniff packets, too, only for the opposite reason.

I suggested months ago they come on for a web chat.

there needs to be a lot more choice of the non-smelly ones!! I like the size and absorbency of a lot of the Always liners, but they do none without scent apart from these teeny tiny daily things that aren't meant for periods but for every day or something. useless. If they think there's a market for the scented ones, fine, but why can't they make the other sizes of liners etc in non-scented varieties as well!!

There have been so many of these threads. I think some of them have been tweeted to Always, but they've ignored them. Maybe anyone who tweets can keep doing it.

I actually think it's so awful that they are selling these products in such a misleading and underhand way. Making me 😡

Of course if some women really do want the scented variety then they should be able to buy them.

What I feel is happening though is women are unknowingly buying these scented products so that sooner or later the choice won't be there at all. How can the companies get away with this? What contempt they are showing to the consumer with this dishonesty.

Let's all free bleed in protest...

Proctor & Gamble et all need to confront this.
Customers getting thrush from their products and still they claim the chemicals are harmless-disgusting!😡

I always wonder if there is a silent majority who likes the scented ones. I like them, but I have never met anybody else who does, either on MN or in RL. At least I have never met anybody else who admits to liking them.

Perhaps but if there is a silent majority why do the companies need to say things like 'triple protection' (WAITROSE sanitary towels)...Why not be honest and state the product is scented?
The product is scented and they need to be explicit about this.

We all know that companies exist to make money out of us but to do it so cynically. Well, it just really annoys me.

We're a captured market of course since we pretty much have to buy these products but at least give us the illusion of choice!!

I do wonder why the secrecy. I'd love to know that they are, because I like them. But why has nobody popped up and named their pads NO-SCENT and made an absolute killing?

It's such a sickly smell. I could probably cope with some sort of fragrance if I had to but the smell is just so nauseating.

I do wonder why the secrecy

me too. for all other products that you put on your skin ingredients are listed. even fabrics have the type of fabric on the label.

just label the products properly with 'scented' or 'perfume' in a readable, not too small typo on the front of the pack and everyone is happy.