Always, the renowned sanitary pad brand, asserts that customer safety remains their “top priority” following a wave of online claims from women reporting painful burns after using their products.

On TikTok, several women have shared their experiences, alleging adverse reactions from using the products owned by Procter & Gamble. These videos have quickly gained traction, amassing thousands of views over the past week.

One particularly striking video, viewed 45,000 times, features TikTok user @ratqueen910 who described experiencing “the worst chemical burns ever” in the area where her underwear meets her leg.

“When I examined the burn under a flashlight, it looked like my skin was melting! I was terrified,” she responded to viewers commenting on her post.

Initially, she attributed the irritation to “chafing” or a potential “allergic reaction to a specific type of Spandex” in her underwear. However, her perspective shifted after discovering similar accounts from other women online.

“I realized that many people have encountered issues with these pads in recent months,” she explained in her video. “And it’s not like I recently switched to Always pads; I’ve been using them since I was in sixth grade.”

‘So, they must have changed the formula, messed something up, put some extra chemicals in that sh**t because it messed me up. I had chemical burns. I had issues and I didn’t know what it was.’

While she said a doctor told her it was down to ‘something else’, she believes ‘it was definitely from the Always pads’ as she’d never been sensitive to scents, perfumes or had either urinary tract infections (UTIs) or yeast infections.

In one video, posted by @ratqueen910 a woman claimed the pads left her with chemical burns

The woman who posted the clip alleged the chemical burn was due to ‘Flexfoam’ Always pads

After posting the clip, hundreds of social media users left comments, with dozens claiming they’d had bad reactions to Always’ Flexfoam pads, with complaints ranging from itching and rashes to chemical burns.

One user commented, ‘the whole area that the pad touched gave me a chemical burn after only a few hours. It was the Flexfoam’, to which the woman who posted the video said ‘mine was Flexfoam as well’.

The women didn’t specify the exact type, but Always sell a daytime and night time product called ‘Inifinity Pads with Flexfoam’, which could be the ones they were referring to.

A second wrote: ‘I knew I wasn’t crazy bro. Just a FEW DAYS AGO I was on my period and using Always pads and I was f**king itching and it was burning bro. I never itch or have any type of pain down there. I took the pad off so quick.’

Meanwhile a third commented: ‘No seriously I switched to Honey Pot [a different brand] and had been using these for a year. When I asked my coworker for a pad she gave me an Always pad and I was hesitant to even use it but I HAD to and best believe I got a chemical burn.’

Similarly, a fourth said: ‘I use a different type and brand for the first half of my period and then for the last two days I was using Always pads and I’ve had this burn issue for three months in a row! And stopped using them last month and no issue.’

Others commented saying they’d had ‘irritation’ or a ‘rash’ after using the pads, such as one who wrote: ‘In real time I am itching and getting a rash I wore a Always pad earlier today.’

In response to the allegations, an Always spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘Our pads are used safely by millions of women every day around the world. Their safety is our top priority, and we carefully evaluate every component of our Always products to minimise the chances of skin irritation or allergic reactions.

Infinity Pads with Flexfoam claim to allow a ‘seemless’ fit for comfort in their marketing

They also said they encourage anyone with ‘any queries about our products’ to reach out to their dedicated consumer carelines which can be contacted via their website here.

While it hasn’t been confirmed which countries all the affected women live in, the Daily Mail understands that Always have received the Skin Health Alliance ‘Dermatologically Accredited’ approval in Europe.

Always also, as with any brands, always conduct tests before, after and during manufacturing.

It comes just days after Huel bosses issued a statement following claims their protein powder contains unsafe levels of lead, potentially putting consumers’ health at risk.

A report by US-based non-profit watchdog Consumer Reports Study said that Huel’s Black Edition protein powder had high levels of lead content, and shouldn’t be consumed at all. 

Of 23 protein powders tested, Consumer Reports found more than two thirds contained more lead in a single serving than it regards safe for daily consumption, citing its own safety standards. 

But speaking to the Daily Mail, William Patterson, Marketing Director at Huel UK, described the report as creating ‘unnecessary scaremongering’ as the researchers have used an ‘ultra conservative threshold’ for lead.

The consumer watchdog recommends that people consume no more than 0.5mcg of lead a day, while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says there is no known safe level of lead exposure.

According to the report, Huel’s Black Edition contained more than 6mcg of lead per serving.

However Patterson says the company are ‘extremely frustrated’ by these findings, stating that ‘Huel’s Black Edition is completely safe and meets all UK and EU food safety standards’.