What Are in Disposable Overnight Pads?

Topper

When I rubbed the top of the pad on my skin it felt slightly rough but it still felt like fabric. Looking at it closer, I realized it was just plastic with a bunch of small perforated holes pointing up. This explained a lot of things and I understood why it’s common for people to have itchiness and irritation. I used this overnight pad the most, and I definitely had problems at times.

I didn’t realize that you’re essentially sitting on a cheese grater.

Once I switched to reusables, I’ve never had any itchiness or irritation since.

"Distribution" Layer

This is a thin layer that sits beneath the perforated top material to act as a distribution layer. Once fluid reaches this section, it helps pull that fluid down to the main absorbent core while spreading the fluid evenly throughout the pad. Although it prevents over-saturation in one area, the fact fluid is able to spread rapidly makes it more likely for you to leak over the sides quicker.

With reusable pads, the fabric on the top layer is able to pull fluid to the core while spreading it slowly so you’re less likely to leak.

Core

The second layer looks like thin paper so it’s a wonder how everything can be absorbed for so long. This is because it’s a super absorbent polymer that’s able to expand when it gets wet. You may know that baby diapers are pretty flat at first, but when they pee it suddenly expands. That’s because disposable diapers are filled with these gel pearls. It’s also why people can find disposable pads uncomfortable because not only do you have poor quality material against your skin, but your pad is also expanding. With reusable pads, the thickness you get is the thickness you’ll stick with. The worst that can happen is the maker didn’t prewash the fabric and it could shrink a little.

Backing

The back layer is made of polyolefin which is a form of plastic and synthetic material. There are two types of polyolefin known as polypropylene and polyethylene which are used for different purposes. Polypropylene is used in harder plastics like food containers. Polyethylene is a thinner plastic material that’s found in plastic grocery bags and shrink wrap. The material in pads used are the same as the grocery bags you find in the store which aren't breathable at all.

Polypropylene and Polyethylene plastics can also be recycled and turned into olefin fibers which are commonly used in clothing like wetsuits and athletic wear or upholstery and carpets because of the material’s lightness and water resistance.

The issue with polyolefin is that it's a highly flame resistant material. Here's a video showing how pads burn when they contain more polyolefin:

Video credit: Precious Stars Vlogs

Because many pads are flame resistant and release toxic chemicals when they're burned, this why pads can take up to 800 years to decompose. Additionally, not only do these plastics trap fluid but they retain moisture. Bacteria thrive off this and the moisture can increase your risk of developing yeast infections.

On the other hand, reusable pads use fabrics that are water-resistant and release excess moisture and heat which reduces the risk of getting yeast infections.

Works Cited

“What's in an ALWAYS Pad?”Always®, Procter & Gamble Co. , always.com/en-us/about-us/what-ingredients-are-in-always-pads.

“Olefin Fibers.”Polymer Properties Database, Polymerdatabase.com, 2015, polymerdatabase.com/Fibers/Olefin.html.

Ugbolue, Samuel C.O., editor.Polyolefin Fibres Structure, Properties and Industrial Applications. 2nd ed., Woodhead Publishing, 2017.ScienceDirect, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/polyolefin.