Hesta Organic is a newcomer to the menstrual management product field, founded in December 2015 in California. As such, they don’t yet have much in the way of certifications or awards, and their transparency about materials could use some work. But, their simple, well-made, reusable products are getting rave reviews, especially with folks who might otherwise stick with disposable pads.
Our Rating: 4 / 5 (See: How Leaf Score is calculated)
Table of Contents
Product Highlights
- Simple and comfortable to use
- Pads and pantyliners are made with 100 percent organic cotton
- Pads feature wings that can be fixed independently around underwear, meaning the pad stays where you want it
| Country of Origin: | Made in South Korea (head office in California) |
| Materials: | 100 percent organic cotton |
| Certifications: | ISO 9001 (workplace certified for safety) 100% Organic Content Standard (OCS) Certified Cotton GOTS (possibly, but unclear) |
Overview
Hesta uses 100 percent organic cotton for their pads and pantyliners, which come in one simple unbleached and white design. They also use their own production line, which only produces organic clothing, so they have complete control of the manufacturing process.
The recently updated pad design features wings that can be fixed independently around underwear, meaning that the pad stays where you want it. Their pads also feature a waterproof layer made of ‘coated pure cotton fabrics’. It isn’t clear what this means, so it may be a polyurethane layer like Lunapads use, or some other undisclosed material. This lack of transparency and clarity is why Hesta Organic Pads only get a 4 on our Leaf rating system. They could easily bump up to a 4.5 or even a 5 if they were clearer over materials and had more involvement in advocacy, education, and social initiatives like Lunapads.
As with all reusable organic cotton pads, it’s best to wash new pads before use to remove the natural cotton oils. This will help improve absorbency the first time you use them.
- Organic Reusable Pad (set of 3) with wings: White
- Organic Cotton Reusable Pantyliners (set of 3): Available in White and Brown
- Organic Cotton Reusable Pantyliners (set of 5): Available in White and Brown
Hesta vs. Lunapads vs. GladRags
Hesta products are simple, comfortable to use, made with organic cotton, and are getting great reviews from customers (many of whom are trying reusable pads for the first time). However, the company is new and hasn’t quite got its communications strategy in place, meaning that it’s hard to be certain of the materials and processes used to make these products. The company does display the GOTS certification on its website, but doesn’t mention this in the product descriptions or elsewhere, so it would be nice to see more clarity on this and other key certifications. All in all, Hesta is an exciting newcomer, but has a ways to go to reach the same eco-credentials as Lunapads (View Prices on Amazon), GladRags and others.