A lawsuit was filed in LA County Superior Court against Carefree, a feminine hygiene brand once owned by Johnson & Johnson and now owned by Essity.
According to the suit, the panty liners manufactured by the brand allegedly contained PFOA, a WHO classified carcinogen. The users claimed they suffered devastating health problems ranging from yeast infections to liver disease.
According to an October 14, 2026, report by IBTimes UK, hundreds of women are involved in the lawsuit. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the lawsuit does not establish that the products caused the reported illnesses.
The complaint alleges that the repeated use of the product over several years may have exposed consumers to PFOA hundreds or thousands of times, putting their health at risk.
According to the New York Post, the plaintiffs claimed they regularly wore Carefree panty liners in their underwear, with some women wearing the liners for 10 hours or more at a time. Their ‘vulvar and perineal tissue sustained contact’ with the liners during this time, making them prone to health issues.
The suit states that “The tissue is vascular, and permeable, and what it absorbs enters the bloodstream directly.”
The women in the suit claim they suffered a series of health issues, including breast, ovarian, and kidney cancer; thyroid disease; chronic inflammation; infections; high cholesterol, and immune disorders.
The allegations do not establish that the panty liners caused these conditions. The health risks associated with PFOA depend on the level and duration of exposure, and the available evidence does not establish that the alleged exposure from these products caused the reported illnesses.
The plaintiffs allege that the manufacturers failed to disclose the chemical's presence on product labels, packaging, or other consumer communications. The complaint further claims that the manufacturers were notified about the alleged contamination on February 6, 2024, but they neglected the concern and continued selling the products.
The lawsuit also raises questions about the alleged continued sale of the product in California even after changes in state restrictions prohibiting the certain PFAS-containing products. California's AB 2515, which took effect on January 1, 2025, prohibits the manufacture, distribution, sale or offering for sale of menstrual products containing regulated PFAS. From January 1, 2025, the law covers PFAS intentionally added to a product that have a functional or technical effect. Whether the law applies to the specific products at issue depends on the product and the alleged contamination.
The product manufacturers and Gelson's, a California grocery retailer, reportedly constitute the defendants in the trial.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages, including punitive damages. These are claims made in a legal proceeding, not established findings of liability.
The latest lawsuit follows an earlier legal challenge in September 2024, when environmental group Ecological Alliance sued Edgewell Personal Care Brands over alleged PFOA contamination in Carefree panty liners. According to IBTimes UK, that earlier case sought warnings and civil penalties rather than compensation for individual illnesses. The two legal actions should not be conflated.
PFOA is a ‘forever chemical’ resistant to degradation, and can persist in the environment for long periods, as the classification suggests.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of synthetic chemicals. PFOA is a part of this chemical group. Its potential health effects have been evaluated by international scientific organisations over the years.
In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which is part of the World Health Organization, classified PFOA as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1).
According to IARC, the classification was based on sufficient evidence of cancer in experimental animals, strong mechanistic evidence, and limited evidence of cancer in humans, specifically kidney and testicular cancer. The classification identifies a cancer hazard but does not determine the risk associated with a particular product or level of exposure. It also does not establish that Carefree panty liners caused the illnesses alleged in the lawsuit.
1. International Agency for Research on Cancer. “IARC Monographs Evaluate the Carcinogenicity of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS).” December 1, 2023. https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/iarc-monographs-evaluate-the-carcinogenicity-of-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa-and-perfluorooctanesulfonic-acid-pfos/.
3. California Legislature. “AB-2515 Menstrual Products: Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).” 2024. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2515.
4. California Department of Justice. “Attorney General Bonta Announces Lawsuit Against Edgewell Personal Care Brands for Failure to Warn Consumers of Toxic Chemicals in Carefree Panty Liners.” September 30, 2024. https://oag.ca.gov/node/580573.
(Rh/MF/MSM)