Rewind 15 years, and the term “period pants” referred to the granny pants you’d wear to feel comfy during your cycle. Five years later – in the mid 2010s – things got a little more high-tech, and a small number of menstrual-care brands began to add absorbent period pants to their product offerings. Sure, for quite some time, period underwear of this kind was shunned for being smelly, ugly, nappy-like and prone to leakages. But today, things have progressed further, and today – according to menstrual health expert and CEO of WUKA – “the reality is actually quite the opposite".
Having spent the past three years testing all-manner of new period underwear releases, I firmly believe the best period pants of 2023 deserve all the hype they get. And I’m not alone. “We’ve found that many love period underwear – simply because they can put it on in the morning like regular underwear and go about their day without having to worry about leaks, Toxic Shock Syndrome, smells, or discomfort,” Ruby said.
While the number of period panties users is growing, there’s still a way to go in cementing them as more popular than their singe-use counterparts. Sure, everyone’s period preferences are different, but our reviews – and campaigns like M&S’ recent public letter to the government calling for period pants to be exempt from a 20% tax – should encourage changes.
If you’re even the least bit period-knicker-curious, I’d urge you to give them a try. Ahead, my carefully-curated buying guide to the best period underwear for your time of the month, covering every size range and absorbency level. Regular tampons, be gone.
SKIP TO: Our full product reviews | What are period pants? | Do period pants really work? | How often to change your period pants | Do you wash period pants?Tested By:
Meet The Expert:
- Ruby Raut, CEO and co-founder of WUKA
GLAMOUR Tried & Tested Edit: Best Period Pants At A Glance
Classic Bikini Moderate Absorbency
Classic Bikini Heavy Overnight Absorbency
Recycled Seamfree Hi-Leg Cheeky
WUKA Ultimate™ High Waist, Super Heavy Flow
How we tested the best period pants:
As chief period lingerie testers Sophie Cockett and Lucy Smith, we trialled each pair of bestseller period pants below over a number of months, at various points in our cycles. Some pairs have been tested for over a year. We worked out in them, went to actual work in them, and lounged in them. We scored each pair based on functionality and period protection: factors like comfort, absorbency during heavy periods, what they’re made from (sustainable, organic cotton?), how well they washed, whether they keep that clean feeling and how they felt under normal clothes.
What are period pants?
“Period pants are just like your day to day underwear but with the added benefit of them being able to absorb your period blood, so you can be free to get on with your day,” Ruby said. They have an absorbent, moisture-wicking and odour-eliminating gusset, and are available in a plethora of styles to suit your flow. You can bleed freely in them for up to 12 hours, whether you're going to work, to the gym or even for a swim.
3pk Heavy Absorbency Period Full Briefs
WUKA Stretch Seamless High Waist Heavy Flow
What are the pros and cons of period pants?
- PRO: You can wear the best period pants all day without worrying about changing a tampon. You can also wear them to give you extra protection alongside a pad or menstrual cup on heavy flow days, or to protect against incontinence or for peace-of-mind postpartum.
- PRO: When ordered from reputable brands like Modibodi, Saalt, Thinx and Wuka, period pants don't smell, since their super-absorbent and sweat-wicking fabric works to avoid leaks, avoid any nappy-like scenarios and keep you fresh and dry. Most period pants are actually made with a patented design that neutralises bad odours and bacteria, and you can pick a style to suit you.
- PRO: Switching to period pants saves money. “Whilst they do require a bigger initial investment, the average woman will spend around £120 on disposable period pads in just two years, but with reusable period pants, the cost is no more than £75,” Ruby added.
- PRO: Leak-proof pants are a sustainable choice. “We’re in the midst of an environmental emergency when it comes to the impact of single-use plastic,” Ruby said. “In fact, around 91% of the 380 million metric tons of plastic that is produced globally every year isn’t recycled.” Single-use menstrual products are a huge contributor to this plastic pollution, with one pack of sanitary pads containing the equivalent of five plastic bags, and the average woman using over 11,000 disposable products in her reproductive lifetime (which each take over 1,000 years to decompose). “The environmental saving of switching to a more sustainable period product like reusable pants or pads is vast. Each of us have the power to divert 9,600 plastic-filled sanitary towels from landfill or oceans in our lifetime by switching to reusable alternatives,” said Ruby.
Classic Boyshort
WUKA Ultimate™ Midi Brief, Light Flow
- CON: Since you're buying something reusable and washable, period pants require quite a high initial investment. They're also still, at time of writing, classified as a “clothing” product – rather than a menstrual one – which means they're subject to 20% tax. Marks and Spencers' Say Pants To The Tax campaign aims to change that – and some retailers like TESCO now cover the tax for you.
Is it OK to wear period pants all day?
“This depends on how heavy your flow is,” Ruby said. “You can wear our pants for up to 12 hours but we always say, you know your flow best.” Take WUKA's High-Waisted Stretch Seamless Heavy Flow pants, for example. They are designed to hold three tampons' worth of blood, so consider how long it takes you to get through three tampons and go from there. Personally? I have a medium flow, and manage around eight hours in one pair of period pants before I start feeling uncomfortable.
How do you wash period pants?
“Caring for your period pants isn’t much different to looking after any other underwear,” Ruby said. First, rinse them in cold water, then “pop in the washing machine at 30 degrees with your usual laundry detergent and air dry. Try to avoid using fabric softener and tumble drying as, over time, this can impact the product’s absorbency.”
Elsewhere, shop the best period pants for teens, period swimwear and the best bras to accompany them. For more from GLAMOUR's Senior European Commerce Editor Sophie Cockett, follow her on Instagram @sophiecockettx.
FAQs completed, here are the best period pants of 2023 to add to your checkout.
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