As a menstrual health activist and entrepreneur, Sherie De Wet has consistently campaigned for safer, more transparent menstrual products in South Africa.
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When Sherie de Wet founded Palesa Pads, it was not simply to sell a product. It was to challenge a system she believes has long failed women.
As a menstrual health activist and entrepreneur, De Wet has consistently campaigned for safer, more transparent menstrual products in South Africa.
Her work has centred on sustainability, access, and chemical safety, long before the issue gained mainstream attention.
Now, a recent University of the Free State (UFS) study detecting hormone-disrupting chemicals in the country's menstrual products has intensified a conversation she says should have started years ago.
"My immediate reaction to the study was concern, but not surprise," she told IOL.
For her, the findings confirm what international researchers have been warning about for some time.
"The global scientific community has been detecting endocrine-disrupting chemicals in menstrual products for years."
Her issue isn't imaginary. Menstrual products are used month after month, often beginning in early adolescence and continuing for decades.
She said that this repeated exposure elevates the urgency of regulatory scrutiny, particularly when these chemicals are known to interfere with hormonal systems that regulate growth, development, metabolism and reproduction.
Transparency, she argued, remains a critical gap in the South African market.
"Transparency has been limited," De Wet added. "South Africa currently has no specific regulatory requirement for full chemical disclosure in menstrual products, which means consumers cannot make fully informed comparisons."
That alleged absence of mandatory disclosure is central to her activism.
For years, she has called for full ingredient labelling, standardised screening for endocrine disruptors, and clear migration testing requirements.
In her view, safety standards must extend beyond absorbency and physical performance to include rigorous chemical evaluation.
"We need mandatory full ingredient disclosure on packaging, including all chemicals used in manufacturing and any potential allergens."
As the chief executive of Palesa Pads, De Wet positions her company within this broader advocacy. She launched the reusable menstrual product brand with a clear mission rooted in health and sustainability.
"I started it to create a sustainable, chemical-free product that supports women’s health, protects the planet, and provides an affordable, long-term solution."
Reusable products, she said, can reduce repeated exposure to certain industrial processing chemicals associated with disposables.
However, she emphasised that safety ultimately depends on responsible material sourcing, transparent manufacturing practices and effective oversight across all product types.
The study, she said, has strengthened her resolve. "The focus must now shift from awareness to accountability and reform."
For her, the path forward requires coordinated action: enforceable government regulation, independent testing, scientific collaboration and empowered consumers who demand disclosure.
She added that meaningful reform will only come when science informs policy and when the menstrual health industry embraces accountability.
Democratic Alliance MP Angel Khanyile has also called the study's findings alarming, framing them as both a consumer protection issue and a public health concern.
"These findings represent not only a consumer protection issue, but a serious public health concern that demands urgent attention,” she said.
Khanyile has called for an urgent investigation by the National Consumer Commission, testing and public reporting by the South African Bureau of Standards, oversight engagement by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, and full chemical disclosure from manufacturers.
"Menstrual hygiene products are not luxury goods but essential items.
"They are used monthly by young girls in schools, working women, and vulnerable communities who rely on both retail purchases and government-supported sanitary dignity programmes."
Government-supported sanitary dignity programmes distribute products to learners across the country, raising questions about procurement standards and chemical safety oversight.
The World Health Organisation has warned that endocrine-disrupting chemicals may interfere with hormonal systems and are associated with reproductive, developmental and metabolic risks.
Khanyile argued that distribution cannot continue without certainty. "The dignity, health, and safety of women and girls must never be compromised for profit."
UFS scientists tested 16 sanitary pads and seven panty liners for 20 different endocrine-disrupting EDCs. These include:
These chemicals are known to interfere with hormones in the body. "Although daily doses may seem low, the long-term, repeated contact with sensitive tissues poses cumulative health risks, including reproductive toxicity and cancer," the researchers said.
The research team included PhD candidate Janine Blignaut, Dr Gabre Kemp from the Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, and Professors Elizabeth Erasmus, Deon Visser and Marietjie Schutte-Smith from the Department of Chemistry.
IOL reached out to the Department of Health for comment.
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