Minty relief or potential irritant? We tried cooling sanitary pads and asked dermatologists to weigh in

When you’re located just a little north of the equator, it’s a given that you’ll be hot, sticky and bothered most of the time – especially when you’re having a gushing Red Sea situation down there. So, it’s understandable that you might be curious about the cooling sanitary napkins or pads that you see on supermarket shelves.

Pads have come a long way from their very primitive forms such as rags and sand-filled pouches. After giving them wings, slimming them down and infusing them with mint extracts, they are also literally cool, refreshing and minty these days. Or as per the manufacturers' claims.

Now, “cool” and “refreshing”, I can get behind. I can’t imagine many women not wanting to feel that way while sweating over their bowls of sliced fish soup at the hawker centre. Or the need to dispel that muggy feeling when you have a heavy-duty pad stuffed down skintight leggings in Pilates class. Who doesn’t want to feel cool and fresh all over? But minty? I got a pack of 14 pads to try.

Lest you think it was like dabbing Axe Brand oil to your lady parts, it was nowhere near that intensity. Thank goodness. It wasn’t unpleasant but it was confusing. 

My brain was befuddled to detect the spirit of menthol (the stuff that makes mint minty) in my crotch whenever I moved. “Erm, shouldn’t this sensation be felt in your mouth instead, like tooth-brushing?” it queried each time I got up, walked, sat down or crossed my legs.

Also, my brain often mistook the cooling sensation for an overflow accident. Coolness and dampness can feel very similar down there when you throw cramps and backache into the monthly mix.

But never mind all that. What in the Glacius spell was used in these pads?

“Cooling sanitary napkins usually incorporate active ingredients such as menthol essential oil to create a cooling sensation when it comes in contact with the skin,” said Dr Eileen Tan, a dermatologist with Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

I suppose seeing the word “hypoallergenic” on the packaging should be assuring, right? Nothing like an official-looking seal to stamp out the questioning voices in your head.

Until Dr Tricia Chong, a dermatologist from National Skin Centre, brought my attention to the Health Sciences Authority’s (HSA) website: A product that is "hypoallergenic", according to HSA, “does not mean that the product will not cause allergies”. It’s just “less likely to cause allergic reactions”. 

While I was still on the fence about these cooling pads, there are others who embrace them so wholeheartedly, they wore them for days on end.

“I have seen a few cases of young girls, who wore the same cooling sanitary pads for three to four days, presenting with candidiasis infection,” said Dr Tan. “Soiled pads carry an increased risk of bacterial and fungal infection. The daily change of sanitary napkins for hygiene purposes should still apply when using cooling ones.”

I don't know about these girls but I couldn't bear to keep mine on for more than five hours, which is the duration the cooling effect was supposed to last.  

Contact dermatitis is another possible adverse reaction that may occur, said Dr Chong. Contact dermatitis is doctor speak for the itchy, red rash that comes up after touching something you're allergic to.

If you're thinking, “Nah, I don’t have any allergies; I'll be fine”, there may still be a risk. “The absence of known allergies does not preclude you from developing contact dermatitis to new products applied on the skin,” said Dr Chong. 

I didn't get any skin irritation but if you do develop a mild case, try over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream and antihistamines to treat the redness and burning sensation, suggested Dr Tan.

“However, if there is no improvement after two to three days, seek help from a dermatologist. Bacterial and fungal cultures may be necessary to rule out a secondary infection," she said.

Did the pads work? I didn't feel like I was flying over an alpine meadow, minty wind beneath my pad's wings. You'll still be sweaty and hot but you'll have a mentholated crotch. 

I suppose the pads will do in a pinch when you can't access a facility to freshen up. But I'd rather look for a toilet with a bidet instead; I'd feel more refreshed knowing that I was clean.