Products are always displayed on a shelf in a supermarket in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 29, 2024.
Given Ruvic | Reuters
Rising inflation and ever-changing tariff policies have led to higher prices on store shelves in recent years, straining consumers’ budgets.
An often overlooked example: menstrual products.
According to February data from Chicago-based market research firm Circana, the average price of menstrual products, including sanitary pads and tampons, has risen nearly 40% since 2020, from about $5.37 per unit to $7.43 per unit.
According to Circana, U.S. dollar sales of menstrual products increased nearly 30% over the same period.
At the same time, sales of menstrual products — which broadly include pads, tampons, pads and more — have declined about 6% since 2022 and are gradually declining each year, according to data from NielsenIQ.
The data analytics firm noted that average unit prices of items increased across the store, with U.S. dollar volume of consumer packaged goods increasing 2.7% overall year-to-date. These price increases are in line with rising inflation, with the latest consumer price index in February showing an annual increase of 2.4%.
The latest CPI data found that personal care inflation rose dramatically in the US, rising 22.1% in February compared to January 2020.
However, because menstrual products are necessary for a large portion of the population, these costs can harm consumers.
“I think we’re at a point where consumers in general are having to decide whether they can buy groceries for their family or recipes for their family. For some things that we typically define as necessities, people are looking for alternatives or going without,” said Sarah Broyd, partner at consulting firm Clarkston Consulting.
Broyd said the gap between higher prices and declining sales shows consumers may be out of necessity looking for alternatives.
Menstrual products aren’t just affected by inflation either. According to government data, the U.S. collected $115 million from tariffs on cotton menstrual products in 2025, compared to just $42 million in 2020.
According to the World Bank, in 2024 the United States imported the majority of its menstrual products from Canada, China and Mexico. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of varying amounts against all three countries last year.
These additional costs are in addition to the so-called “pink tax,” where some states impose a sales tax on menstrual products. According to 2025 Statista data, Tennessee, Mississippi and Indiana have the highest sales tax on menstrual products at 7%. Products that are considered “medical devices” are often exempt from sales tax.
“A subscription service for being a woman”
For 30-year-old Dafna Diamant, the rising prices for menstrual products are noticeable at the checkout and are putting a strain on her monthly expenses.
The New Yorker said she noticed her usual box of about 18 tampons had gone up to about $25, especially in the past year.
“It’s crazy and it just feels like sometimes as a woman you have to pay $50 every few months,” Diamant told CNBC. “And for some people it puts a strain on their income.”
Diamant said she’s particularly frustrated because it’s not a monthly expense she can forego. She often buys period brand products from retailers such as CVS And Walgreensyet she said she was still shocked at the sticker price.
“It still feels like a subscription service to be a woman,” Diamant told CNBC. “You have to pay every month to be fertile.”
Larger companies have also felt the effects. Procter & Gamblethe parent company of menstrual product brand Always, said in July it would raise prices on 25% of its personal care and household products due to a total annual tariff burden of $1 billion. According to the company, Always products are manufactured at locations in Maine, Utah and Canada.
P&G declined to comment for this story.
Kimberly Clarkthe maker of menstrual product brand Kotex, said on a conference call in April that the company incurred a total of $300 million in gross costs from tariffs, with more than half of that coming from tariffs against China. The company did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Broyd, the partner at Clarkston Consulting, said menstrual products face a “triple whammy” of rising raw material costs, inflation in energy and supply chains and cross-border tensions from tariffs.
“If you think about plastic and pulp and some of the key ingredients in feminine care products, they probably come largely from overseas and then are subject to a lot more tariffs,” Broyd said.
She added that these tariffs come on top of already alleged higher levies on other women’s products that are the subject of Congress’s Pink Tariffs Study Act, introduced by Democrats last year to determine whether the U.S. tariff system is “regressive” or exhibits a “gender bias.”
Broyd expects companies to continue to reevaluate their portfolios and potentially sell their feminine care segments to focus on higher-margin businesses as prices continue to soar. In November, Edgewell Personal Care sold its feminine care business to a Swedish company for $340 million.
“You’re seeing these more niche and startup brands popping up in stores. … That’s the biggest growth,” Broyd said. “People who have the opportunity to branch out and buy more organic products or products they trust will spend that price premium. But other consumers who don’t have the disposable income to do that will compromise and switch to private label or forego it.”
The rise of reusable items
Diamant said she and her friends are now trying period underwear instead of disposable products to cut down on expenses.
More and more people are trying out reusable period products, mainly because they are environmentally friendly and more cost-effective.
Large manufacturers often rely on brand loyalty for their products, but this could be compromised if consumers turn to alternatives.
“If you’re in feminine care, you’re going to use Kotex for 40 years. If you’re in Depend, you’re going to use Depend for 40 years, right?” That’s what Kimberly-Clark CEO Michael Hsu said on an earnings call in November. “The frequency is long-lasting. Consumers have a high spend, and so they want to have a lasting relationship with us.”
Saalt, a reusable menstrual product company that offers cups, discs and underwear, estimates that 16% to 20% of U.S. consumers have tried or used reusable menstrual products, with the majority being younger consumers.
“The affordability is huge,” CEO Cherie Hoeger told CNBC. “If you look at our product, a cup or disc can last 10 years, and our product is only in the $30 price range. … You can save up to $1,800 on the life of that cup or disc, and that’s on the low end.”
Saalt, which launched in 2018, had eight-figure sales in its third year of business, Hoeger said. The company declined to disclose details of its financials but said demand has increased year on year since its inception.
For Generation Z, according to Hoeger, price is the main reason for switching to reusable products.
“They usually have some affinity for sustainability and climate change, but that’s never a top priority,” Hoeger said.
The rise in reusable products may be contributing to the declining sales of single-use products for the period in recent years. This also lines up 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.
With this momentum, other companies such as Knix, MeLuna, Flex and others have entered the reusable products space and have secured growing market shares as consumers look for alternatives.
“Affordability is the sticking point; it’s the root problem,” Hoeger said. “Without the affordability of these period products, there are real economic consequences for women.”
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