Price of period products rises by 18% over five years
Inflation has seen prices of sanitary towel packs of 10 to 20 rise from about £2 a pack to £2.41 in October 2025
The price of period products has risen by 18 per cent over the five years following the scrapping of the so-called “tampon tax”, according to a study.
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Inflation has seen prices of sanitary towel packs of 10 to 20 rise from about £2 a pack to £2.41 in October 2025.
That was what the analysis of Office for National Statistics data – specifically the CPI Index for articles for personal hygiene and wellness between December 2020 and October 2025 – by women’s health company Hormona and period poverty enterprise, Hey Girls, found.
Further, annual costs vary by up to £28 depending on whether consumers can access budget supermarkets or are forced to shop at higher-priced retailers such as local convenience stores, the research found.
The higher prices imposed an average additional £9.58 cost each year on those using the products.
Karolina Lofqvist, chief executive and co-founder of Hormona, said: “Five years ago, abolishing the tampon tax was hailed as a victory for period equality.
“But our analysis shows the policy has failed to deliver any lasting savings to consumers.
“Prices have risen 18 per cent since the tax was removed, imposing an extra £9.58 annual burden per person. This is unacceptable when one in 10 people in the UK experience period poverty, reinforcing structural health inequality driven by financial barriers.”
Kate Smith, the co-founder of Hey Girls, said: “This data confirms what our community partners have been telling us: period poverty is getting worse, not better.
“As a social enterprise that has distributed over 42 million free period products since 2018, we see firsthand how rising costs and geographic inequality have created a perfect storm.
“The tampon tax abolishment was an important symbolic victory, but without ensuring savings reach consumers and addressing retail access barriers, it has failed to deliver genuine period equality.”
The study found differences in annual costs depending on shopping location, with prices ranging from £6 to £13 a year using own-brand products at budget supermarkets, with £6 representing heavily discounted promotional prices that were occasionally available.
The highest cost of £41 per year involved premium branded products at higher-priced retailers such as pharmacies of local convenience stores.
Most consumers with access to supermarkets spent between £13 and £26 a year, the research suggested.
The study said the pricing structure disproportionately affected low-income families in retail deserts: areas with no or difficult access to budget supermarkets, forcing dependence on higher-cost local shops or chemists.
Hormona and Hey Girls have called for “aggressive expansion” of free period product schemes in all public and educational settings to address geographic inequality in retail access and eliminate the postcode lottery.
The British Retail Consortium has been approached for comment.