Always products are displayed on a shelf in a supermarket in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on October 29, 2024.
Ruvic Dice | Reuters
Rising inflation and ever-changing tariff policies have led to higher prices on store shelves in recent years, squeezing consumers' budgets.
An often overlooked example: menstrual products.
The average price of menstrual products, including pads and tampons, has increased nearly 40% since 2020, from about $5.37 per unit to $7.43 per unit, according to February data from Chicago-based market research firm Circana.
Dollar sales of menstrual products have grown nearly 30% during that same period, according to Circana.
But at the same time, sales of menstrual products (which generally include pads, tampons, liners and more) have seen a decline of about 6% since 2022, gradually falling each year, according to data from NielsenIQ.
The data analytics company noted that items across the store have seen increases in average unit price, and dollar volume for overall consumer packaged goods is up 2.7% so far this year. Those price increases are in line with rising inflation: the latest consumer price index for February shows a 2.4% annual increase.
The latest CPI data found that US personal care product inflation rose sharply, up 22.1% in February from January 2020.
But since menstrual products are a necessity for a large portion of the population, those costs may be hurting consumers.
“I think we're at a point where consumers in general have to choose whether they can buy food for their family or buy recipes for their family. Some things that we normally define as a necessity, people are finding alternatives or going without,” said Sarah Broyd, partner at consulting firm Clarkston Consulting.
Broyd said the gap between higher prices and declining sales shows that consumers may be looking for alternatives out of necessity.
Menstrual products have not been affected by inflation alone either. According to government data, the United States raised $115 million through tariffs on menstrual products containing cotton in 2025, compared to just $42 million in 2020.
The United States imported most of its menstrual products from Canada, China and Mexico in 2024, according to the World Bank. President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on those three countries at varying levels over the past year.
Those additional costs are in addition to the so-called “pink tax,” where some states impose a sales tax on menstrual products. According to 2025 data from Statista, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Indiana have the highest sales tax on menstrual products, at 7%. Products that are considered “medical devices” are often excluded from sales taxes.
'A subscription service to be a woman'
For Dafna Diamant, 30, the rising price of menstrual products has become evident at the cash register and a drag on her monthly expenses.
The New York resident said she's noticed her usual package of about 18 tampons rise to around $25, especially over the past year.
“It's crazy, and it seems like, as a woman, sometimes you have to pay $50 every two months,” Diamant told CNBC. “And for some people, this affects their income.”
Diamant said she is particularly frustrated because it is not a monthly expense she can do without. She often buys own-brand vintage products from retailers such as CVS and WalgreensHowever, she said she is still surprised by the sticker price.
“Being a woman still feels like a subscription service,” Diamant told CNBC. “You have to pay every month to be fertile.”
Even the largest companies have felt the effects. Procter & GambleThe parent company of menstrual products brand Always, said in July it was raising prices on 25% of its home and personal care products due to a total annual tariff impact of $1 billion. It manufactures its Always products in facilities in Maine, Utah and Canada, according to the company.
P&G declined to comment for this story.
Kimberly ClarkThe maker of the Kotex brand of menstrual products, said in an earnings call in April that the company incurred a total of $300 million in gross costs due to tariffs, and more than half of that figure was related to tariffs placed on China. The company did not respond to CNBC's requests for comment.
Broyd, a partner at Clarkston Consulting, said menstrual products have been hit by a “triple whammy”: rising raw material costs, inflation in supply and energy chains, and cross-border friction from tariffs.
“When you think about the plastic, the pulp and some of the major components of feminine care products, a lot of it is likely coming from overseas and then being hit with a lot more tariffs,” Broyd said.
She added that these tariffs are in addition to alleged higher taxes on other feminine products, the subject of the Congressional Pink Tariff Study Act introduced last year by Democrats to determine whether the US tariff system is “regressive” or has a “gender bias.”
As prices continue to skyrocket, Broyd said he believes companies will continue to reevaluate their portfolios and potentially sell off their feminine care segments to focus on higher-margin businesses. In November, Edgewell Personal Care sold its feminine care business to a Swedish company for $340 million.
“You're seeing these more niche, startup-type brands appearing in stores… That's the biggest growth,” Broyd said. “People who have the ability to flex and buy more organic or trusted products will spend that premium. But for other consumers who don't have the discretionary income to do that, they will switch to private brands, or go without them.”
The rise of reusables
Diamant said she and her friends are now trying menstrual underwear instead of single-use products to optimize their spending.
An increasing number of people have tried reusable menstrual products, mainly because they are eco-friendly and cheaper.
Major manufacturers have often relied on brand loyalty for their products, which could be affected if consumers turn to alternatives.
“If you're on feminine care, you'll use Kotex for 40 years. If you're on Depend, you'll use Depend for 40 years, right?” Kimberly-Clark CEO Michael Hsu said in a November earnings conference call. “There's a long-term frequency. There's a lot of expense for consumers, and because of that, they want to have an ongoing relationship with us.”
Saalt, a reusable menstrual products company that offers cups, pads and underwear, said it estimates that 16% to 20% of U.S. female consumers have tried or used reusable menstrual products, mostly younger consumers.
“Affordability is huge,” CEO Cherie Hoeger told CNBC. “When you look at our product, a cup or disc can last 10 years, and our product is only in the $30 price range… They can save up to $1,800 over the life of that cup or disc, and that's a small amount.”
Saalt, which launched in 2018, reached eight-figure revenues in its third year of business, Hoeger said. The company declined to disclose details of its finances, but said demand has grown year after year since its launch.
Among Generation Z, Hoeger said the main reason for switching to reusable products is price.
“They usually have some affinity with sustainability and climate change, but it's never their number one,” Hoeger said.
The rise of reusable products may be contributing to the decline in sales of single-use products in recent years. It also coincides with recent studies indicating that tampons may contain lead or other harmful ingredients. The Food and Drug Administration investigated the presence of metals and determined there was no risk.
Building on that momentum, other companies like Knix, MeLuna, Flex and more have entered the reusable products space and gained growing market share as consumers look for alternatives.
“Affordability is the crux; it's the root of the problem,” Hoeger said. “Without affordability for these menstrual products, there will be real economic consequences for women.”
