Best panty liners after giving birth

After giving birth, sanitary protection is worn every day for weeks, right against the skin. According to the NHS, bleeding after the birth is quite heavy at first and calls for super-absorbent period pads; it then gradually turns brownish and decreases until it stops. This list covers panty liners only. This is not medical advice: what you need in the first days, and when a liner is enough, is a question for your midwife.

All four liners below are from Natracare, the only brand with public products in the postpartum adult pads category today. They differ in shape rather than in materials, so the list is ordered by shape and use.

How we chose

Every liner here passed the Standard, which lists "Undisclosed top layer, core or backsheet" and "Fragrance in diapers, pads & wipes" among the reasons a hygiene product is not listed. Each one passed on the same recorded evidence: Natracare declares the layers against the skin, an organic cotton cover and topsheet with a cellulose core, and the backsheet, a bioplastic made from plant starch, which sits outside the contact pathway. The brand declares each product free of fragrance, latex and intentionally added PFAS.

No certificate for these liners has been checked in a register, so every certificate named below is the brand's own statement, and the product pages show these properties as "Brand states".

The top list

Good to know

The four liners share one set of materials, and each product page lists them by contact zone with the brand's own wording. The core is recorded in Natracare's words as "Totally chlorine free wood pulp", while the separate chlorine-free bleaching attribute on the same pages shows "no information". The materials line is the brand's description; the attribute is what the page records as evidence for it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use tampons or a menstrual cup after giving birth?

The NHS advises against tampons until after the 6-week postnatal check, because internal period products could raise the risk of infection while the wound is still healing. Until then it recommends pads, changed regularly, washing your hands before and afterwards.

Are Natracare panty liners PFAS-free?

According to the brand, no PFAS or fluorinated substances are intentionally added to any Natracare product, a statement recorded on each product page. We have not seen a test report, so the pages show PFAS-free as "Brand states" rather than verified.

Are the liners compostable?

Natracare's certifications page states that its panty liners are compostable industrially and carry the Seedling logo, which covers industrial composting where facilities are available. We have not checked that certificate, so it is the brand's statement, not ours.

Are the liners vegan?

According to Natracare, all its products are certified vegan by the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom. The certificate is not one we have checked in a register.

Sources

• NHS, "Your body after the birth", last reviewed 25 April 2024: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/your-body/
• Natracare, "Awards and certifications": https://www.natracare.com/why-natracare/awards-certifications/
• Nontoxic Nest, the Standard: https://www.nontoxicnest.eu/standard
• Each product page lists the brand pages and certificate registers behind it.