The Bloody Truth: Why The Caavakushi Team is Re-Thinking Sanitary Pads
Let’s have a serious chat. As vegans, we spend an incredible amount of time scrutinizing micro-ingredients in our almond milk and checking the glue on our sneakers. But the Caavakushi team recently found a massive blind spot in the community: the bathroom cabinet. Specifically, the sanitary pads we use every single month. We’ve been asking ourselves: are these products actually vegan, or have we been unknowingly supporting industries that clash with our ethics?
The answer isn’t as simple as “it’s just cotton.” In fact, the Caavakushi team discovered that the global feminine hygiene market—estimated to reach $48.18 billion in 2026—is built on a foundation that often ignores animal welfare (Our source: Fortune Business Insights, 2026).
90% Plastic Problem
One of the first things we came across in our research was the sheer volume of environmental destruction tied to conventional pads. Did you know that average sanitary pads contains up to 90% plastic? That is the equivalent of four plastic bags per pad (Our source: Organyc, 2024). For the Caavakushi team, this is a vegan issue. Why? Because these plastics take 500 years to break down, eventually entering our oceans as microplastics. Once there, they are consumed by marine life, causing starvation and death. We feel that a product cannot be truly vegan if its very existence systematically destroys the habitats of wild animals.
Horrors Of Lab Testing Sanitary Pads
This is where it gets heavy. The Caavakushi team was heartbroken to find that many mainstream menstrual brands are classified as medical devices, which often mandates animal testing. According to PETA, “guinea pigs and rabbits have to endure having products… forced into their bodies to test for irritation” (Our source: Natracare & PETA Analysis).
In 2024 alone, Canadian institutions reported that over 3.7 million animals were used in experiments, with nearly 100,000 of them subjected to pain at or above their tolerance threshold (Our source: PETA Statistics, 2024). While we are seeing a shift, with the FDA announcing plans in 2025 to phase out some animal testing requirements, many household name pads are still tested on animals to meet outdated safety regulations.
Are There Animal Ingredients?
You might think, “Surely there’s no meat in a pad!” While that’s true, the Caavakushi team has researched the hidden additives. Some conventional sanitary pads use adhesives or finishers that can be derived from animal by-products. Furthermore, the bleaching process often involves chemicals that have been lethally tested on mice and rats to determine their LD50 (the dose required to kill 50% of a test population). For instance, 1,4-Dioxane, a common byproduct in processed fibers, has been tested extensively on guinea pigs and rabbits (Our source: Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, 2023).
The Caavakushi Perspective
So, what do we think? The Caavakushi team feels that the time has come to extend our veganism to our period care. We’ve seen that simply buying what’s on sale at the supermarket often means funding companies that still conduct vaginal irritation tests on rabbits.
We believe that for sanitary pads to be 100% vegan, they must meet three criteria:
– No animal testing on the final product or its ingredients.
– No animal-derived materials in the adhesives, fragrances, or fibers.
– Biodegradable materials that don’t harm wildlife post-disposal.
We aren’t here to judge—being vegan in a non-vegan world is a marathon, not a sprint. But we think that by shifting the 36.91% market share currently held by disposable pads toward ethical, certified vegan alternatives, we can save thousands of animals from laboratory cages. Next time you’re in the hygiene aisle, look for that Leaping Bunny or Vegan Society logo. Your body, and the animals, will thank you.
Vegan Resources
- Caavakushi Vegan Food Recipes
- Caavakushi Vegan Drinks Recipes
- Caavakushi Vegan Newsletter & Free 7 Day High-Protein Vegan Meal Plan
- Vegan Stuff Podcast With Caavakushi
- Caavakushi Vegan Search Engine
- Best Vegan Recipe Books
- Best Vegan Wines & Alcohol
- Best Vegan Food & Supplements
Tell Us How You Feel
We want to know how you feel about the site, blog articles, and our recipes. Comment below and let us know your thoughts. Snap a quick picture or video clip of your recreation of our recipes and tag us on social media #Caavakushi #Caavakushirecipe #Caavakushimeal. We can’t wait to see how you added your special touch to our recipes. Help a fellow vegan out by posting your recipes on our vegan forum and make some new plant-based friends. Our podcast has something for everyone, from vegan activists to vegan businesses and plant-based celebrities.
If you like it, help us out by letting us know by leaving a review and 5 stars. Thanks in advance! (really appreciate it.) Oh, and we almost forgot to tell you that we’re giving away our 7-day high-protein vegan meal plan for free for a limited time only when you sign up for our vegan newsletter. Get yours now before it’s too late!
