“There is still a lot to do” on the composition of hygienic protection, believes the Règles elementary association

Laury Gaube, communications director for the Règles elementarys association, believes on franceinfo on Saturday that the decree which obliges manufacturers to detail the composition of periodic protection is a first step forward.

Each year in France, nearly 3 billion menstrual products are sold, but these products can sometimes present a risk for those who use them. The government announced Friday March 8 that from April 1, manufacturers will have to detail the composition of their hygienic products.

“The decree is a first step forward, but we know that there is still a lot to do”, estimates Laury Gaube, communications director of the Règles Élementaires association, invited Saturday March 9 on franceinfo. She particularly deplores the lack of scientific research concerning periodic protection.

Franceinfo: Why is this transparency important?

Laury Gaube : Billions of periodic protection products are sold in France and are used by women daily. Until today, we really did not know the impact that these periodic protections can have on women’s health and we still deplore it today. The decree is a first step forward, but we know that there is still a lot to do and that this decree is unfortunately still incomplete.

You still need to know what is hidden behind these components, because it is sometimes difficult to read such labels…

Exactly. Today, we know that with this decree, the list of components will only contain substances that are added intentionally by manufacturers. This excludes many substances that are added unintentionally, for example during bleaching or manufacturing processes. These are stages where there may be the integration of toxic substances and which consumers are not necessarily aware of.

If this transparency is a first step, what more do you think needs to be done?

There are still a lot of things that need to be done. Already have access to the complete list of components of periodic protections, therefore even the substances added during the manufacturing of raw materials. We also know that this decree does not apply to all periodic protection. It excludes products classified as “textiles”. Typically, menstrual panties are products that are widely used by consumers, about which we talk a lot, and they still don’t know what’s inside these protections. So there are still elements missing from this decree. There is also a huge lack of scientific research on these subjects.

Historically, has research neglected these topics?

Yes, clearly. Today it is estimated that one in two French people think that periods are extremely taboo. We know that there are shortcomings in women’s health. It’s actually a lack of interest. On products that we use daily like periodic protection, no research has been done, even though these products are really in contact with the body, sometimes inside women’s bodies. We really want research to be done, so that we can have access to the complete composition. It’s good to have names, but you still need to be able to decipher what’s hidden in the protections.