Yes. And the question worth asking isn't whether the category is safe, it's what's been added to the pair you're holding.

Almost every worry about period pants comes down to two things that some makers add and some don't: silver, for odour, and PFAS, for water and stain resistance. Neither is needed to make period pants work. Here's how to tell what's in yours, from any brand, including ours.

What's actually in a pair of period pants

That third layer is the part most people don't realise, and it matters here. What stops period pants leaking is a laminated film. It isn't a chemical finish. So a well made pair has no reason to carry PFAS at all.

Some makers still add a water repellent finish to the outer face fabric so the outside feels dry to the touch, and sometimes for swimwear. That's a design choice rather than a requirement, and not every water repellent finish contains PFAS.

Silver, and what the testing found

Silver goes into some textiles as an antimicrobial, to slow the bacteria that cause odour. On a label it shows up as silver, silver ion, nanosilver, silver chloride, or hidden inside a word like zeolite.

Independent consumer-group testing in 2023 detected no silver in WUKA period pants, at a reporting limit of 0.1 mg per kg. Worth being precise about what that is: one test, one sample, one year. It's evidence, not a promise about every pair ever made, by us or anyone.

Is silver harmful? Contested rather than settled. Regulators have raised questions about certain silver compounds and about whether nanosilver affects the lactobacillus bacteria that keep the vagina healthy. We're not aware of published evidence of harm from wearing a treated pair. But period pants don't need an antimicrobial to work, so the simplest way to handle an open question is not to add the thing.

For our period underwear and period swimwear, our supplier requirements prohibit the intentional use of PFAS and silver-based antimicrobial treatments.

One exception, and you should hear it from us rather than find it. Our DryTech incontinence range does use a silver-based antimicrobial. That's a different product doing a different job, for urine rather than periods, it's certified by the treatment supplier, and it's disclosed on those product pages. By the label test further down this page, "odour control technology" is a phrase you should question on anyone's packaging. Including ours. So we're naming it.

PFAS, and the difference that matters

PFAS are a large family of synthetic chemicals used across industry to repel water, oil and stains. They're called forever chemicals because they break down extremely slowly, which is why regulators are restricting them. There are thousands.

In textiles they're usually there deliberately, as a durable water repellent finish. They can also arrive in tiny amounts that nobody intended, carried in on a machine, a lubricant, or a supplier's other production run.

That difference between added on purpose and present in traces is where most brand claims fall apart. In July 2025, researchers at Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame published a study of 59 reusable products across period underwear, pads, cups and reusable incontinence products. They reported PFAS at levels consistent with intentional use in close to 30% of them. They also found, in every category, products with no sign of intentional PFAS.

So building a pair with no intentionally added PFAS is entirely possible. What nobody can do is prove a total absence. Every test has a detection limit, and below it a test can only say it didn't find anything. It can't say nothing is there. That's why we give you a method, a limit and a date instead of an adjective.

How to check the pairs you already own

Five minutes, any brand. Look for these words on the care label, the packaging or the product page. Any of them means something has been added:

• antibacterial
• antimicrobial
• anti-odour
• odour control
• freshness technology
• silver
• silver ion
• nanosilver
• Ag
• zeolite
• stain resistant
• water repellent
• DWR

A trademarked treatment name counts too. If there's a branded technology on the label, look up what it's made of.

What the law asks for, and what we do instead

Less than you'd expect. In the UK, period products are regulated as ordinary consumer goods, not as intimate health products. Fibre composition has to be labelled, and a treated article making a biocidal claim has to name the active substance. Beyond that there's no general duty to tell you what finishes are on the fabric, and no legal limit in Great Britain on silver in a textile. A coalition of health and environment groups is pressing the government to change that. We think they're right, and we've been part of that conversation.

The EU and the United States are both further ahead, in different ways. The EU restricts several PFAS in clothing at parts per billion, with a further restriction covering PFHxA applying from 10 October 2026. Northern Ireland follows the EU rules, so it applies there too. The United States regulates by total fluorine in parts per million, and several states have set dates already.

Great Britain has adopted none of it. We're moving our own testing onto the EU limits regardless, because "legal here" and "good enough for the person wearing them" are not the same test.

The regulatory detail, if you want it

Restriction	Limit	Applies from
REACH Annex XVII Entry 68. C9 to C14 PFCAs, their salts and related substances. Regulation (EU) 2021/1297	25 ppb for the sum of the acids and salts. 260 ppb for the sum of related substances	In force in the EU since 25 February 2023
REACH Annex XVII Entry 79. PFHxA, its salts and related substances. Regulation (EU) 2024/2462	25 ppb for the sum of PFHxA and its salts. 1,000 ppb for the sum of related substances	10 October 2026, for clothing and accessories for the general public
EU POPs Regulation 2019/1021. PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS	25 ppb each. 1,000 ppb per related substance group	In force. The 25 ppb figure for PFOS has applied since 3 December 2025, so older certificates were run against a looser limit
California AB 1817. Total organic fluorine in textile articles	100 ppm, falling to 50 ppm	100 ppm since 1 January 2025. 50 ppm from 1 January 2027
Washington. WAC 173-337-110, total fluorine in apparel	50 ppm	1 January 2027
New York. S.1548 / A.1502, PFAS in menstrual products	No intentionally added PFAS	19 December 2026
Great Britain	No PFHxA restriction. No legal limit on silver in textiles. The assimilated POPs Regulation does restrict PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS in articles	n/a

Entry 79 sets its limits in homogeneous material, which means per individual material rather than as an average across a finished garment. Entry 68 and the POPs Regulation are expressed for substances, mixtures and articles. The distinction matters, because a gusset, a membrane and a face fabric are different materials made by different people, and an average across the three hides whatever sits in one of them.

Two very different tests are in circulation, and they answer different questions. A total fluorine screen, usually EN 14582, looks for fluorine in general and typically detects down to around 20 mg per kg. That's a legitimate method and it's the right one for the American thresholds above, which are set in parts per million. It cannot see a 25 ppb limit, because 20 mg per kg is 20,000 ppb, roughly 800 times above it. Measuring against the European limits needs a speciated method, EN 17681-1:2025 by LC-MS/MS, with a reporting limit at or below 25 ppb for each substance measured. Neither European entry is a general per-substance PFAS limit, and anyone who tells you it is has misread it.

The practical questions

How long can I wear a pair?

Up to 12 hours, then change based on comfort and your flow. Switch sooner if you feel damp. You'll change more often on a heavy day, and that's normal rather than a sign anything's wrong.

How often should I change them?

Go by feel rather than the clock. When you notice dampness against your skin, change. Most people change once or twice on a heavy day and go the full stretch on lighter days.

How do I wash period pants?

Rinse in cold water after wearing, then machine wash at 30 to 40°C. No fabric softener, because it coats the fibres and stops the absorbent layer doing its job. No bleach. Air dry rather than tumble dry, which protects the waterproof layer. A mesh laundry bag helps.

Do period pants smell?

Not usually while you're wearing them. Menstrual blood develops a smell mainly through bacterial activity once it reaches the air, and a well made pair keeps it away from the surface.

If yours smell after washing, that's usually detergent or softener build-up rather than the pants failing. Strip them: cold rinse first, then 40°C with a normal dose of detergent and no softener, and air dry fully before folding.

Worth saying plainly, because odour is the reason some brands add silver in the first place. You don't need it.

Are period pants hygienic?

Yes, washed properly and changed when damp. The same rules that apply to any underwear apply here. Wash after every wear, dry fully, and replace them when absorbency starts dropping off.

Can period pants cause thrush, BV or a UTI?

Period pants are not a recognised cause of thrush, BV or UTIs. Sitting in damp fabric for a long stretch can be uncomfortable whatever the fabric, so change when you feel damp and let them dry fully between wears.

If you get symptoms regularly, that's one for your GP or a sexual health clinic rather than something to solve by changing underwear. This page is general information, not medical advice.

Can you get toxic shock syndrome from period pants?

Toxic shock syndrome is rare. Menstrual cases are usually linked to products worn inside the body, such as tampons and cups. TSS can also happen for reasons unconnected with periods, including wounds and burns. Period pants are worn externally, so they aren't associated with the menstrual route.

If you ever feel suddenly and seriously unwell during your period with a high temperature, a rash, vomiting or dizziness, get medical help straight away, whatever product you're using. This page is general information, not medical advice.

Are period pants safe for teenagers?

Yes, and they're often the easiest first period product to get on with, because there's nothing to insert and nothing to change at school beyond a normal loo trip.

One point that comes up a lot. People ask whether teen products need OEKO-TEX Class I. Class I covers articles for babies and toddlers up to three years old. Underwear worn against the skin at any older age, including teens, sits in Class II, the same class as adult underwear.

Can I use them after giving birth?

Check with your midwife first, particularly in the first days. How much you're bleeding is something they'll want to be able to assess, and that's easier to judge with a disposable maternity pad than a reusable garment.

After that, plenty of people use period pants for postpartum bleeding. It's heavier than a period, so you'll change more often. If you've had stitches or a caesarean, ask what's comfortable against the wound. This page is general information, not medical advice.

How long do period pants last?

Ours are designed for up to 52 washes. You'll know it's time to replace a pair when it stops feeling dry against your skin as quickly as it used to, or when the elastic has gone.

Are period pants safer than tampons and pads?

Period pants are worn externally, so they don't carry the risks that come with anything worn inside the body, and you're not throwing something away several times a day. Beyond that, chemical questions apply right across period care, disposable and reusable alike. The useful question is the same whatever you use: what's in this specific product, and has anyone measured it?

What are WUKA period pants made of?

A soft top layer against your skin, an absorbent core, and a laminated waterproof back layer. Exact fibre composition varies by range and is listed on each product page. For our period underwear and period swimwear, our supplier requirements prohibit the intentional use of PFAS and silver-based antimicrobial treatments.

Do WUKA period pants contain PFAS?

For our period underwear and period swimwear, our supplier requirements prohibit the intentional use of PFAS and silver-based antimicrobial treatments. WUKA independently tests selected fabrics and components before production as part of our material approval process. Tested materials are approved for use only when they meet the stated PFAS screening criteria. Results apply to the samples, methods and reporting limits shown in the relevant test certificates.

We don't make absolute absence claims, because no test can show absence. What we can show you is a method, a reporting limit and a date.

Do WUKA period pants contain silver?

Independent consumer-group testing in 2023 detected no silver in WUKA period pants, at a reporting limit of 0.1 mg per kg. For our period underwear and period swimwear, our supplier requirements prohibit the intentional use of silver-based antimicrobial treatments.

Our DryTech incontinence range is the exception and does use a silver-based antimicrobial, which is disclosed on those product pages.

What we don't know yet

Every page like this should have a section like this, and most don't.

• No test proves absence. Every method has a detection limit. A clean result means nothing was found at that limit, which is useful, and is not the same as nothing being there.
• Certificates cover windows, not pairs. A certificate covers goods made during its validity period. Matching one to a specific pair in your drawer is harder than the logo makes it look, for every brand.
• How much actually reaches you is not well studied. Researchers have pointed out that the vulval area absorbs more readily than skin elsewhere. What that means for a chemical bound into a fabric and worn externally is not something anyone has measured well, and we're not going to pretend otherwise in either direction.
• The rules are still moving. The EU tightens again in October 2026 and Great Britain has not followed. Anything here about the law has a shelf life, which is why this page carries a review date.

If any of that changes what we can honestly say, we'll change what this page says.

Where that leaves you

The category isn't the problem. What matters is what's been added to a specific pair. Read the label, look for the treatment words, and ask the brand for a method, a limit and a date rather than a reassuring adjective. If a brand can't give you those, that tells you something.

That goes for us too. If you want the testing detail behind a WUKA product, ask us and we'll tell you what we have and what we don't.

Ask us about testing

Sources

• Which?, "Are your period pants safe?", silver and PFAS testing of period pants, November 2023.
• CHEM Trust, reporting on silver in period pants, November 2023.
• Venier et al., Indiana University and University of Notre Dame, Environmental Science and Technology Letters, "PFAS in reusable feminine hygiene products", 22 July 2025.
• Regulation (EU) 2024/2462, REACH Annex XVII Entry 79. Regulation (EU) 2021/1297, Entry 68. Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on persistent organic pollutants, as amended.
• California AB 1817. Washington WAC 173-337-110. New York S.1548 / A.1502.
• EN 17681-1:2025 and EN 14582:2016.

Last reviewed 4 August 2026 by the WUKA product and compliance team. Next review October 2026, when the EU PFHxA restriction begins to apply, or sooner if anything here changes. This page is general information about products and materials. It isn't medical advice. If you have symptoms that worry you, speak to your GP.