Procter & Gamble is defending a false-advertising lawsuit over its Always menstrual pads, with plaintiffs alleging that marketing phrases like “100% leak-free protection” and “zero leaks” mislead consumers because the pads can and do leak in normal use. The case was reported in June 2026 and remains in its early stages.1KTAL News. Always Lawsuit Leak-Free Claims
What the Complaint Alleges
The lawsuit targets a range of Always menstrual pads and feminine hygiene products without singling out specific product lines. Plaintiffs argue that promising “100% leak-free” and “zero leaks” creates an expectation the products cannot meet, and that the pads do not deliver the protection the packaging advertises.2AOL. Lawsuit Targets Always Pads Over Leak-Free Claims
As of mid-2026, Procter & Gamble has not been found liable. The specific court, named plaintiffs, class definition, and requested relief have not appeared in public reporting on the case.1KTAL News. Always Lawsuit Leak-Free Claims
Other Pending Cases Against Procter & Gamble
The leak-free case is one of several suits Procter & Gamble is defending over its menstrual products, and they are worth keeping separate. In Barton v. The Procter & Gamble Company, filed in July 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, plaintiffs allege that Tampax Pearl tampons contain lead exceeding California’s Proposition 65 limits. The court dismissed the original fraud claims in February 2025 over the testing methodology described in the complaint, then denied a motion to dismiss the amended complaint in August 2025, letting most of the case move forward.3Law360. Barton v. The Procter & Gamble Company
Additional class actions have challenged Tampax marketing on other grounds, including “dye-free” claims that plaintiffs say ignore titanium dioxide in the products, and “pure cotton” labeling.4ClassAction.org. The Procter & Gamble Company None of these earlier cases involves the “leak-free” advertising claims at the heart of the 2026 Always lawsuit.
The Wider Wave of Menstrual Product Litigation
The Always case sits inside a broader wave of suits over menstrual product performance and chemical content. A 2023 study in BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health reported that most of 21 tested menstrual products held less liquid than their labels claimed when tested with blood, rather than the saline that has been the industry-standard testing fluid since the 1980s.5Iowa Journal of Gender, Race & Justice. The Big Lie of Feminine Hygiene Products Thinx was sued after that study over alleged overstatements of its period underwear’s absorbency and all-day protection claims; that case was voluntarily dismissed in September 2024, with no public explanation.6Truth in Advertising. Period Stigma and the Deceptive Marketing of Menstrual Products
Chemical suits have moved on a separate track. Thinx agreed in 2022 to pay up to $5 million to settle a class action alleging its period underwear contained PFAS despite being marketed as free of harmful chemicals. A federal court in the Southern District of New York granted final approval in June 2023, covering purchasers between November 2016 and November 2022, who were eligible for $7 per pair for up to three pairs or a 35% discount voucher. Thinx denied the allegations and said PFAS were never intentionally added.7NPR. Thinx Period Underwear Lawsuit Settlement8Thinx Underwear Settlement. Dickens, et al. v. Thinx Inc. Settlement
The environmental group Ecological Alliance sued Edgewell Personal Care in California superior court on September 30, 2024, alleging that Carefree menstrual pads contain PFOA and that Edgewell did not provide warnings required under Proposition 65. Testing cited in the complaint reported PFOA leaching at roughly 756 parts per trillion per hour.9The Guardian. Toxic PFAS Menstrual Pads Carefree Edgewell
Consumer Complaints About Always Infinity Pads
Separately from any lawsuit, Always faced consumer complaints on social media in October 2025. Users on TikTok described itching, rashes, and what they called “chemical burns” after using Always Infinity Pads with Flexfoam, with several longtime users speculating that the formula had changed. An Always spokesperson said the pads “are used safely by millions of women every day” and that the company “carefully evaluate[s] every component” to minimize irritation or allergic reactions.10FemTech World. Dozens of Women Report Suffering Painful Burns After Using Always Sanitary Towels No product recall or lawsuit has been reported over these complaints, and they are not part of the leak-free case.
State Laws Changing What Menstrual Products Can Contain
The FDA classifies menstrual products as medical devices but does not require manufacturers to test for or disclose harmful chemicals on their labels.11Environmental Working Group. States Lead Way to Make Menstrual Products Safer States have moved to fill that gap.
New York became the first state to require ingredient disclosure on menstrual product packaging when Governor Andrew Cuomo signed S.2387-B into law in October 2019.12New York State Senate. New York Senate Bill S1548 Governor Kathy Hochul signed S.1548 in 2025, banning the sale of menstrual products with intentionally added PFAS, lead, mercury, formaldehyde, parabens, phthalates, and other restricted substances. The ban takes effect December 19, 2026, and the state must set maximum thresholds for unintentionally present restricted substances by 2029.13NRDC. Advocates Applaud NYS New Nation-Leading Law Banning Toxics in Period Products
California’s T.A.M.P.O.N. Act (AB 2515), signed September 30, 2024, bans the manufacture and sale of menstrual products containing regulated PFAS, with minimum penalties of $10,000 per violation per day. The Department of Toxic Substances Control must publish accepted testing methods by January 2027, and manufacturers must register and certify compliance by July 2029.14Office of Assemblymember Diane Papan. Papan Legislation to Safeguard Women’s Health Signed by Governor Newsom11Environmental Working Group. States Lead Way to Make Menstrual Products Safer15National Center for Health Research. Tampon Safety
Those laws address what goes into the pad. The Always suit reported in 2026 addresses what the box says about it. Both threads are moving at the same time, and how Procter & Gamble responds to the leak-free claims will play out alongside the compliance deadlines already on the calendar.