Prices of menstrual products are rising dramatically due to inflation and tariffs

Rising inflation and ever-changing tariff policies have sent prices flying across store shelves over the past few years, putting pressure on consumers’ budgets.

One often overlooked example: menstrual products.

The average price of menstrual products, including pads and tampons, has risen 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 increased nearly 30% over the same period, according to Circana.

But at the same time, sales of menstrual products — which broadly include pads, tampons, liners and more — have seen a roughly 6% decline since 2022, and are falling gradually each year, according to data from NielsenIQ.

The data analytics firm noted that in-store items saw increases in average unit price, with dollar volume of consumer packaged goods overall up 2.7% year-to-date. These price increases are in line with rising inflation, with the latest Consumer Price Index in February showing an annual rise of 2.4%.

The latest CPI data found that inflation in personal care products in the United States jumped significantly, up 22.1% in February compared to January 2020.

But because menstrual products are essential to a large portion of the population, these costs may hurt consumers.

“I think we’ve reached a point where consumers in general have to choose whether they can buy food for their families, or buy prescriptions for their families,” said Sarah Broad, a partner at Clarkston Consulting. “Some of the things that we would normally consider a necessity, people are finding alternatives to or doing without.”

The gap between rising prices and falling sales shows that consumers may be looking for alternatives out of necessity, Broyd said.

Menstrual products aren’t just affected by inflation. According to government data, the United States collected $115 million through tariffs on cotton-containing menstrual products in 2025, compared to just $42 million in 2020.

The United States imported the majority of menstrual products from Canada, China and Mexico in 2024, according to the World Bank. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on these three countries at varying levels over the past year.

These additional costs come 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 considered “medical devices” are often excluded from sales taxes.

For Daphna Diamant, 30, the rising prices of menstrual products became noticeable at the checkout and put a strain on her monthly expenses.

The New York resident said she’s noticed her usual collection of about 18 tampons go up to about $25, especially over the past year.

“It’s crazy, and it’s like as a woman, you sometimes have to pay $50 every two months,” Diamant told CNBC. “And for some people, it negatively impacts income.”

Diamant said she’s particularly frustrated because it’s not a monthly expense she can do without. You often buy store brand products from retailers such as CVS and WalgreensHowever, she said she was still shocked by the sticker price.

“It’s still like a subscription service to be a woman,” Diamant told CNBC. “You have to pay every month to be fertile.”

Even major companies have felt the effects. Procter & Gamblethe parent company of menstrual products brand Always, said in July it was raising prices on 25% of personal care and household products due to the impact of the $1 billion total annual tariffs. It manufactures its Always products through facilities in Maine, Utah and Canada, according to the company.

Procter & Gamble declined to comment for this story.

Kimberly ClarkKotex, maker of the brand Menstrual Products, said on an earnings call in April that the company incurred a total of $300 million in total costs from the tariffs, and more than half of that was related to tariffs on China. The company did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.

Menstrual products have been hit by a “triple whammy” of rising raw material costs, inflation across energy and supply chains, and cross-border friction due to tariffs, said Broyd, a partner at consulting firm Clarkston.

“When you think about plastic and pulp and some of the key components of feminine care products, they are more likely to come from overseas and then subject to much higher tariffs,” Broyd said.

She added that these tariffs are in addition to the already allegedly high duties on other feminine products, which is the subject of the Pink Tariff Study Act introduced in Congress last year by Democrats to determine whether the US tariff system is “regressive” or has a “gender bias.”

As prices continue to rise, Broad said she believes companies will continue to reevaluate their portfolios and potentially sell their women’s care segments to focus on companies with higher margins. In November, Edgewell Personal Care sold its feminine care business to a company in Sweden for $340 million.

“You’re seeing more niche brands and startups popping up in stores. … That’s the biggest growth,” Broyd said. “People who have the ability to praise and buy more organic products or products they trust will spend that higher price. But for other consumers who don’t have the discretionary income to do so, they will trade up and go to private label, or they will go without.”

Diamant said she and her friends are now trying menstrual underwear instead of single-use products to simplify their expenses.

An increasing number of people have tried reusable products, mainly because they are environmentally friendly and cheaper.

Large manufacturers often rely on brand loyalty for their products, which could suffer if consumers turn to alternatives.

“If you’re in Women’s Care, you’ll be using Kotex for 40 years. If you’re in Depend, you’ll be using Depend for 40 years, right?” Michael Hsu, Kimberly-Clark CEO, said on a November earnings call. “There’s a long-term hesitation. There’s a lot of spending for consumers, and because of that, they want to have an ongoing relationship with us.”

Saalt, a reusable products company that offers cups, discs and underwear, said it estimates that 16% to 20% of U.S. consumers have tried or used reusable menstrual products, which is mostly made up of younger female consumers.

“The affordability is huge,” CEO Sherri Huger 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’re able to save up to $1,800 over the life of that cup or disc, and that’s on the low end.”

Saalt, which launched in 2018, generated eight-figure revenue in its third year of business, Huger said. The company refused to disclose details of its financial data, but said that demand has grown on an annual basis since its launch.

Among Gen Z, Hoeger said the main reason for the shift to reusables is pricing.

“They usually have some affinity toward sustainability and climate change, but it’s never their No. 1,” Huger said.

The rise of reusables may be contributing to the decline in sales of single-use products over the past few years. It also coincides with recent studies suggesting that tampons could contain lead or other harmful ingredients. The Food and Drug Administration investigated the presence of the metals and determined that there was no risk.

Leveraging this momentum, other companies like Knix, MeLuna, Flex, and others have entered the reusables space and gained increasing market share as consumers look for alternatives.

“Affordability is the crux of the problem, it’s the root problem,” Huger said. “Without the affordability of period products, you have real economic consequences for women.”