Having difficulty finding a pair of period underwear that’s right for you? We compared 10 of the best brands out there to help you decide.
Comparing Period Underwear Brands: 10 Best-Selling Brands of Period Pants
Period underwear has become one of the go-to options among feminine hygiene products, and we’ve come a long way since the early days when a handful of brands were sharing a completely new market. What makes period pants so amazing is that they offer a compromise-free approach to menstrual hygiene… so long as you pick the right pair to fit your needs and convictions. That’s right, choosing period undies is above all an opportunity to swap out an everyday product for an alternative that reflects your environmental and social commitments all while looking after your own health. Here is what you need to know about some of the most popular brands out there.
1. Elia Lingerie: THE Period Underwear Brand That Hits All the Marks
French brand Elia Lingerie wants to convey a clear message: choosing period underwear means taking care of your health, protecting the Earth, and respecting human beings. These guiding principles account for the full transparency and strict health, environmental, and social standards Elia abides by. Their aim is to create compromise-free products and to advocate for diversity. To this end, the brand offers a wide range of sizes, from 10–11 years all the way to an EU size 60.
Elia Lingerie strives for quality and ensures a complete traceability of all the fabrics used in the manufacturing process. The brand owns four workshops throughout the whole of France, one of which is France Textile-certified. As for the products themselves, they are Origine France and OEKO-TEX standard-certified. Made from GOTS organic cotton threads and eucalyptus fibre, Elia panties prevent the bacteria, allergies, and yeast infections sometimes associated with subpar products from developing. They are suitable for all body types and all period flows. The result? Beautiful, incredibly absorbent, and super effective period underwear that protects you against leaks and odours, all without any synthetic materials or silver nanoparticles coming into contact with your skin.
The brand has perfected a completely unique production model based on an algorithm which allows garments to be created on demand, putting an end to overproduction and fast fashion practices!
Elia Lingerie is commended for its fight against endometriosis and the support the brand extends to the Marie Curie Institute, the Hospitals of Paris, and the association Règles Elementaires, which aims to tackle period poverty. It goes as far as to offer a content platform where gynaecologists, midwives, physiotherapists, and other women’s health professionals speak out on a variety of subjects. On Elia’s website, you will find several useful tools to help you see how much money you can save by switching to period underwear, one to compare period underwear models, and even a flow calculator and a menstrual horoscope!
All that is why our editors are head over heels in love with Elia Lingerie.
2. Thinx: The International Brand
US period underwear brand Thinx was one of the very first to hit the market back in 2013. Designed to be worn with no additional protection or in addition to your usual feminine hygiene products, Thinx period undies come in a variety of models and absorbency levels. These machine-washable pants keep their promises and are good at making you forget that you’re even wearing them.
Although the brand does not manufacture its products locally and doesn’t use organically grown materials, Thinx remains an ethical company which promotes the well-being of its workers employed in its Sri Lankan factories. The brand even supports women who wish to receive training to increase their expertise and turns its sewage sludge into bricks to limit waste.
Thinx wants to see the end of period-related taboos and to make feminine hygiene products more widely available through promotion, education, and accessibility. Thanks to its EveryBody programme, the brand gives talks in schools and works against period poverty by giving period products to associations that redistribute them in poor countries.
3. Knix: Comfort Comes First
Canadian lingerie brand Knix is a wonderful embodiment of its own motto: Unapologetically Free! Its goal is to help you feel good in your own skin. Knix has a no-frills approach to period underwear and prefers reliable materials and human-centric products to bring you the right kind of protection to face any situation.
Although Knix makes no claim to perfection, the company hopes to do its best to reduce its environmental footprint by adopting sound practices it can strive to keep improving upon. For instance, thanks to its Positive Returns initiative, the brand has donated 35,000 bras to women’s shelters throughout North America in 2020 alone. Knix products are OEKO-TEX certified and audits are carried out regularly to optimise production and distribution techniques.
Simple, comfortable, effective, Knix period panties absolutely deserve the keen interest they receive.
4. ModiBodi
Launched in 2013, Australian brand ModiBodi started selling period underwear in Europe in 2019. What sets ModiBodi apart is the wide variety of trendy designs you’ll find on their site, where there truly is something for everyone. And the same goes for the absorbency levels the products come in, as the brand offers period pants for super light, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy flows. And, for even better comfort, you can pick your favourite model from the seamless collection.
ModiBodi uses a patented technology called Modifier Technology™. The brand’s garments are all OEKO-TEX standard-certified and contain bamboo, merino wool, organic cotton, and recycled nylon. By following a sensible production model, ModiBodi ensures that the factories where its products are made abide by the principles of the International Labor Organisation. In addition, each pair of period underwear is wrapped in fully compostable packaging to reduce its environmental impact even further.
5. Saalt
The founder of American brand Saalt launched her company after she heard from her aunt who lived in Venezuela that it had become impossible to purchase tampons and pads from the shops. Determined to end women’s dependency on disposable products, she set out to create menstrual cups, and then moved on to period underwear. Her ambition? To reduce the environmental footprint of periods and to make menstrual products available and accessible to all.
Saalt period underwear combines a soft colour palette with a pared-down design. The brand’s products hold a Bluedesign certification and are made using recycled plastic bottles in an effort to clean up the textile industry and to make it more sustainable. Saalt is a B Corp who cares about its own practices and strives towards ethical habits. They even go as far as to provide shelter and access to medical care, water, and education for their workers who need it.
6. Aisle
Aisle was founded back in 1993. The company counts among the first to have offered reusable, washable menstrual pads, and then period underwear. As a true pioneer, it has greatly contributed to raising awareness on the alternative to disposable period products. What makes Aisle period pants stand out has to be the “absorbency booster” available as an option. Thanks to this removable extra layer, they can hold up to 8 tampons’ worth of period blood.
This B Corps does everything it can to have a positive social and environmental impact and was even voted “Best of the World”. The brand uses a patented, OEKO-TEX standard 100 certified material to craft its product: Truetex™.
7. Marguette
French period underwear brand Marguette wants to create garments that protect our bodies and the environment. The brand offers 4 different models – all made in France – and puts an emphasis on comfortable, breathable materials. From the first to the last day of your cycle, Marguette period lingerie keeps any feeling of moisture or irritation at bay.
What makes Marguette stand out are the materials. The brand uses organic cotton grown in India, bamboo grown in China, eucalyptus grown in Turkey, as well as merino wool sourced from a Responsible Wool Standard-certified farm in South Africa. Caring and sustainable, Marguette period underwear is all about quality.
8. Dans Ma Culotte
Dans Ma Culotte is a fun and bold brand which offers a full range of organic period products. After the successful launch of its line of reusable pads, the brand started marketing soft, comfortable period panties, produced sustainably in France and India.
Dans Ma Culotte uses OEKO-TEX standard, GOTS, and Max Havelaar Fairtrade-certified materials. Simple and colourful, its selection of period underwear and other period products is there to make your life easier.
9. Moodz
Period underwear brand Moodz celebrates diversity by offering an array of shapes and sizes to cater for every body’s needs. Inclusive and full of cheer, the company shows a strong social commitment.
Moodz supports associations that work towards ending period poverty, gender dysphoria, and sexist violence. As for the products themselves, they are made from GOTS-certified cotton.
10. Slowen
Franco-Italian brand Slowen is mostly known for its “Slip-Slap” period panties, which combine all the benefits of pads with the unmatchable comfort of period underwear. This concept keeps worries at bay even when your flow is the heaviest, since each pair comes with several swappable pads that you can replace during the day. Slowen also offers traditional period pants.
All of the brand’s products are manufactured in France and the suppliers are located in France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. As for materials, Slowen uses organic cotton, recycled microfibre, Tencel, and bamboo. All fabrics are OEKO-TEX 100 certified.
Period Underwear: How Does It Work?
What makes period underwear so unique is the innovative concept of a lingerie that can be used to replace any traditional period product and allows you to experience a period that changes nothing to your daily habits. With the right level of absorbency, period pants can keep you dry for 12 hours without the sensation that you are wearing anything other than regular undies.
Washable and reusable, period underwear is made up of several ultra-fine, absorbent, leakproof layers for maximum reliability without any discomfort.
Click here to find out more about other brands on the market.
How to Pick the Right Brand of Period Underwear?
Being able to compare period underwear brands is important because choosing the right pair comes down to very subjective factors.
Some few companies are practically perfect in every way and fully deserve to be recommended whatever your specific needs may be (which is why ranking them is always interesting). A solid commitment to quality, to your health, to protecting the environment, and to ensuring safe working conditions for their employees is a good place to start when trying to decide on a brand. With this said, your preference in terms of design, for instance, also weighs in the balance.
Remember to check whether the pair you like comes in your size and absorbency level. The quality of the materials – which will be in contact with your body for hours at a time – is just as crucial. Finally, treat yourself by selecting a true gem that, even if it probably won’t make you enjoy your time of the month, may at least help you feel a bit better about it.
How to Wash Period Underwear?
To wash a pair of period underwear, the first step consists in rinsing it thoroughly with cold water (never use hot water, as it may “cook” the blood and set it inside the fabric). If your flow is especially heavy, don’t hesitate to let your pants soak for about half an hour.
Once you have rinsed your period lingerie, you can wait until the end of your cycle to wash every pair you’ve used all at once or put it straight into your washing machine with the rest of your laundry. Select a gentle setting and put your garment in a mesh bag if you have one to protect it even further, though this isn’t strictly necessary. Use a soap-free detergent and no fabric softener.
Hang dry only. Forget about using the tumble dryer, the radiator, or your hairdryer which, even though they might seem like a good idea to save time, could damage the fabric beyond repair.
This is everything you need to know about the best brands of period underwear out there and what makes each of them special. Are you ready to give them a try?