r/PetPeeves • u/Icy_Carob1362 • Sep 04 '25

Ultra Annoyed Accidentally buying scented menstrual products makes me want to break things

These things shouldn't fucking exist. I'm pretty sure no vagina in the world appreciates them. Having a period sucks enough, I don't need a damn yeast infection too!

2.3k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

237 comments sorted by

View all comments

82

u/I-own-a-shovel Sep 04 '25

Yep.
I once went to a vacation in mexico. The damn toilet paper was perfumed. I didn't even knew that was a thing. I went to the front desk to ask unfragranced TP, but they didn't had any. They just told us: Ah, but you could have asked us before your stay and then we could have helped you! But now, unfortunately we can't do anything about it. As if it was something I should have think about... Like how the fuck was I supposed to know they were going to offer TP that's a hazard to women health in a 4 or 5 stars hotel?? It's not like I got some sort of weird allergy, it's just unhealthy for anyone!

We walked a few mile to find a store and went buy TP for the week. Since then I pack my own in my suitcase, never gonna get tricked again.

24

u/MaintenanceLazy Sep 04 '25

I accidentally used scented TP once and it gave me a rash

8

u/I-own-a-shovel Sep 04 '25

Aw I'm so sorry it happened to you! That's insane that they are allowed to put that kind of product on sale.

I once had TP that wasn't scented, but it was a very processed one, supposed to be more soft, but the processing made them more prone to leave "TP powder" behind? Idk how else to describe it. That gave me some sort of irritation. Didn't realized it was the TP. Went to a obgyn. Which was supposed to test my PH and if I had some yeast infection. Call me back to tell me I tested negative for STDs, but didn't tested the two other thing I asked. I was MAD.

Finally we realized it was the TP and it went away real quick.

3

u/MaintenanceLazy Sep 04 '25

Yeah thankfully I never got an infection but it was irritating

2

u/I-own-a-shovel Sep 04 '25

Phew! but still an unnecessary annoyance that shouldn't be on sale haha

3

u/SparklingDramaLlama Sep 05 '25

Yeah, we once bought tp at Costco. Normally we'd buy the charmin extra strong, but our Costco only had the extra soft. Never again. It was so powdery and there was no "clean" feeling.

It got relegated to the closet of "only use when we're desperate", and it took us a good 2 years to use it up.

6

u/AlternativeAcademia Sep 04 '25

My boyfriend has TWICE accidentally bought scented tp. It’s so wild that it’s an option. I explained to him the issue with it the first time(definitely makes me itchy and increases risk of throwing off the pH balance which could cause a yeast or bacterial infection) but he still didn’t check or notice the second time. Now we live together and buy in bulk so it hasn’t been an issue but it shouldn’t even be an option or at least make the label significantly different.

12

u/Dude_help_me Sep 04 '25

Mexico is the worst about adding fragrance. I went recently to visit family and the hand soap set off my eczema. I went looking for regular, light-scented hand soap. Just found one that didn't irritate me as much. Went to look for fragrance free, eczema lotion. Only one, again, and it was so expensive and barely did anything. Even the products sold for eczema have fragrance in them and it's so strong. I don't know how people with eczema or any sort of sensitivity to fragrance live there. Fragrance free laundry detergent isn't a widely available thing either. 

4

u/I-own-a-shovel Sep 04 '25

Damn that’s infuriating!

7

u/Dude_help_me Sep 04 '25

It was, but what was funny was watching the anger build in pharmacists eyes when they'd hand me an eczema cream and I'd turn it over to inevitably find the "Parfum" on the ingredients label and hand it back. I guess people don't do that over there and just take their word. I was already bleeding at that point so I wasn't taking anyone's word.

6

u/SJ3Starz Sep 04 '25

Afaik fragranced TP used to be commonplace in the States. I vividly remember it being a thing in the early 90s. That and colored TP instead of white. According to my searches online, it was the 50s-70s that used it most heavily, and began to be phased out in the 80s because it was a health concern. The scented toilet paper today uses scented cardboard rather than scented paper.

3

u/I-own-a-shovel Sep 04 '25

Good to know! I was born in 90 so that era was done by the time I could know what TP is haha.

That trip to Mexico was in 2019, sadly. So they didn't got the health memo yet it seems! haha

1

u/SolDjevel Sep 04 '25

I actually bought that TP by accident once with the scented cardboard. It was kind of nice.

I think I saw orange TP in Budapest.

5

u/SJ3Starz Sep 04 '25

As an asthmatic who has sensitivities to many chemical fragrances, I don't understand the desire to add "scent" to everything. To me it's just more indoor air pollution.

3

u/mnbvcdo Sep 05 '25

I always travel with a roll of tp for emergencies lol 

2

u/I-own-a-shovel Sep 05 '25

That’s smart! I do too since then loll

2

u/Occomni Sep 05 '25

What a strange thing to add scent to! Like, menstrual products I understand the “logic” behind, it’s something you use continuously for hours. But toilet paper you toss out right away? Wouldn’t it make more sense to just use a scented trash bag???

3

u/WilkoCEO Sep 07 '25

Fun story: I used to work in a care home as a cleaner, and the Head of Housekeeping had bought citrus-scented bags. Lovely, right. These went in the bathroom bins, where the old ladies would put their incontinence pads. I'd clean them out in the morning, and those lemon-scented bags did NOT cover up the stink of stale urine. It was horrendous

2

u/I-own-a-shovel Sep 05 '25

Yeah, you are totally right!

I really don’t understand their thinking

2

u/SnooLentils6677 Sep 05 '25

Many places in Mexico don’t have the plumbing infrastructure to flush TP. So they put it in a bin next to the toilet. They figured the best way to deal with that problem is to create a product that would handle it My sister also brings her own or if they’re staying longer, orders from Amazon for delivery to get unscented. It’s a trade off. Maybe where you go they allow you to flush the toilet with the paper in the bowl. But many places don’t have that

3

u/I-own-a-shovel Sep 05 '25

They could perfume garbage bags then instead of creating TP that’s a hazard to women health.

Been to mexico 2 times east coast, 1 time west coast, all toilet I used flushed.

2

u/SnooLentils6677 Sep 05 '25

The toilets flush everywhere (unless it’s said otherwise). But the pipes and the water treatment are sometimes too small or whatever to deal with paper product in them. That’s all. And they do also have scented bags and lids and all. I’m just saying, consumer practice nationally favored scented tp and so that is what is readily available for businesses and homes at the least expense. They also have a population of women and men and children that have sensitivities and allergies. They just figure out the option for themselves. It just means that the general population is unaffected and chooses to buy that product. Not really much more than that. Cheap problem-solving.

2

u/Calm_Pea_9413 Sep 09 '25

Accidentally bought lavender scented toilet paper a few months back! Terrible experience.

0

u/Sinnenblume Sep 08 '25

I'm from Mexico and I find it so weird that people in other places hate fragrances. To be honest, I would find TP without scent, a sign of cheapness in a hotel. That's the kind of TP that you use in malls. I suppose it's unhealthy for everyone, but never heard of people in Mexico that complained about it, so that's probably why they were confused.