The Best Period Underwear of 2024

The Modibodi Sensual High-Waisted Brief earned perfect marks in water, blood meal, and towel-transfer tests. It also fared well—though not as well as tester favorite Thinx—in comfort and style. The external layer is made of bamboo and spandex, which provides a soft, stretchy feeling, and the inside is made of merino, spandex, and polyester, which provides absorption for heavy flow days without feeling scratchy. Testers said the Modibodi pair fit true to size, provided sufficient protection and, because of the style—a standard bikini with a subtle lace trim on the waist—look like something they’d pick out at a store whether they were period underwear or not.

The only caveat is the crotch area, which has noticeably thick padding—not quite as thick as a maxi pad, but thicker than a standard pair of underwear—that some people might find uncomfortable. Still, if you’re planning on wearing period underwear on heavy days or overnight, this Modibodi pair is your best bet.

Also, Modibodi ships out of Australia, so it can take a while to arrive—one order I placed took about two weeks, though another only took about a week.

The Modibodi Sensual High-Waist Bikini comes in women’s sizes XS to 6XL.

The Thinx Super Hiphugger claims to hold up to four tampons’ worth of blood—and, as far as I could tell, this is accurate. This pair scored third in our lab tests, right behind both Modibodi pairs. And when I wore this pair, I felt securely leak-free. It also looks nice, with a full-coverage bottom and lace trim around the waist.

The main drawback of this pair is that the outer shell is made of a slick fabric that looks and feels like a bathing suit. There isn’t anything wrong with this, but I didn’t love the way it felt when it rubbed against my clothes.

The pair also has extra thick padding in the crotch, even thicker than the Modibodi pair. Though this undoubtedly helps them maintain the four-tampon claim—and does a good job of absorbing liquid quickly and resisting sogginess—wearing it felt a little more diaper-y than I would have liked, just because the lining was so hefty. Still, leaking was never a concern when I wore the pair overnight, so it’s a great option for nights or heavier days.

The Thinx Super Hiphugger comes in women’s sizes XXS to 3XL.

The Dear Kates Nellie briefs, which claim to absorb up to two tampons’ worth of blood, placed fourth overall in our lab tests. They had the quickest absorption time of any we tested, soaking liquid up almost immediately in the crotch without dripping moisture through to the other side. They were easy to wash because the gusset is built into a wider area than most period panties, which means they have fewer seams (and fewer creases for menstrual fluid to get stuck in).

They also look pretty good, if not as stylish as the Thinx and Modibodi pairs—most testers were unimpressed, but not turned off by their aesthetics. “These were exactly fine in terms of looks,” one tester says. “They're not ugly, but they're more function than fashion.”

My main issue with them was the slippery material on the external shell of the underwear, which gave them a distinct look—and feel—from other pairs of underwear in my drawer, almost like wearing cheer briefs under my clothes. Also, this pair seemed true to size for me, but some testers complained theirs ran small, particularly around the legs.

Their absorption is great, though, so if that’s all you’re looking for, these briefs are worth a try.

Dear Kate Nellie Briefs come in women’s sizes XS to 3X.

The Modibodi seamfree bikini came in second place in our lab tests, right behind the high-waist bikini in our tests. This is significant, as the seamfree bikini is listed as having “moderate-heavy” absorption compared to the high-waist bikini’s “heavy-overnight” absorption.

The fabric it’s made of is nice—a silky elastane that feels close to a regular seamfree pair I have from ASOS—but because it’s thin (a byproduct of being seamfree), the padding in the crotch really stands out. It’s not prominent enough to see through clothes, but you definitely notice it when it’s on, and I felt a little weird putting it on at the gym. That said, I found it effective during my period—except for one thing. The crotch area, though absorbent, often crinkled up when I sat down. Because of this, I had to unfold it every time I went to the bathroom to prevent spillage. No leaks happened, so it wasn’t disastrous, but it wasn’t ideal.

The Modibodi Seamfree Bikini comes in women’s sizes 2XS to XL.

It’s common practice for period-havers to divide the underwear they own into at least two categories: Cute underwear, and underwear to wear when you’re on your period. Most absorbent period panties fall into the latter category—serviceable, but not exactly a pair you’d want to wear on an occasion when someone else could be seeing them. But the underwear from Saalt, a menstrual cup brand that recently branched into menstrual wear, is a rare exception. Saalt’s panties are made of a lightweight, silky material and have mesh or lace cutouts that make them look sleek and sophisticated. The absorbent gusset built into the crotch is also thinner than expected, so there’s almost no tell that it’s there at all, especially if you get a pair in a darker color. All in all, they’re comfortable, lightweight, and easy to forget you’re wearing period underwear.

On the downside: The pair we tested, the bikini, was advertised as having regular to high absorbency. But we found that it was not as absorbent as others in the same purported range and experienced a few leaks in lab tests, so it’s not a pair to wear alone on a moderate or heavy period day. I wore the pair on its own on a lighter day, which worked well, and expect it would work as a backup with a tampon or menstrual cup on heavier days—I wouldn’t expect to use these as a full-time free-bleeding solution, though. But if you want a pair of period underwear that doesn’t look like, well, period underwear, Saalt is your best bet.

Aisle’s boxer boasts the same four-tampon capacity as the bikini, with its absorbent gusset-pocket and additional absorbency booster. In our tests, it prevented liquid from leaking through the fabric and didn’t feel overly damp, even when worn for long periods of time on heavier days.

The extra coverage of the boxer cut—which fits snugly, like a men’s boxer brief—also provided more security, as the leg fabric made it feel less likely that the booster could slip out. This makes the boxer cut a dream for nighttime use, especially for people who tend to move around a lot in their sleep. That said, the boxer has a lot of fabric, which can make it feel uncomfortable and look noticeable—occasionally even “diaper-like,” in one tester’s words—under most items of clothing. For this reason, this is a pair of period underwear that we recommend wholeheartedly for mostly sedentary period pursuits—say, snoozing and snacking while watching TV—but not for more active days. In other words, if you don’t mind trading a lot of bulk for extra protection, Aisle’s boxer will serve you well.

The Aisle boxer comes in women’s sizes XXS to 5X.

The Thinx thong is... fine. It only claims to hold about half a tampons’ worth of fluid, so I didn’t expect too much from it in regard to period protection, and it met my mediocre expectations. It scored in the bottom-middle of lab tests, with some leaking but a decent liquid absorption speed.

I found the thong comfortable and cute enough, but it was nothing special. One reviewer noted that the lace started to separate from the underwear on one side after a wash, so it may not be as durable as some other pairs of underwear. The thong should work for a light day or as backup with a tampon or menstrual cup, but you shouldn’t plan on using it for much more.

The Thinx thong comes in women’s sizes XXS to 3XL.

Sustain Natural, a company that makes organic pads, tampons, and condoms, also makes period underwear. The underwear comes in one style, a black cotton bikini, which the brand says holds the equivalent of one tampon.

My experience with them wasn’t memorable. In fact, I forgot I'd tested them when I was putting this article together until the very last moment. I liked that they are made of cotton and don’t require a supplementary pad, which made them feel more breathable than some other pairs. On the other hand, they look and feel like a frumpy pair of cotton undies.

I wore them on a light day, which went fine. (I don’t remember any leaks, anyway.) In short, the Sustain underwear does pretty much exactly what it claims, but they don’t reach as high as some other brands and are by no means the best of the bunch.

Sustain Natural Period Panties come in women’s sizes XS to XL.

Bambody period panties, sold on Amazon, have good ratings—129 reviews and an average of 4.3 stars—but we found them to be just OK. In tests, they took a while to absorb liquid and had some minor leakage. I found that they ran small, and noticed that the gusset doesn’t extend to the back of the underwear, which could cause leaks if the underwear shifts forward during the day.

On its Amazon page, the brand advises pairing with a tampon, pad, or menstrual cup for best results—so, if you get them, do that, I guess. As a plus, they’re less expensive than most other brands—$14.90 for a pair or $29.90 for a three-pack—so if you test them out, you don’t have to sink as much money into them as you would for a pair of Thinx.

Bambody underwear comes in women’s sizes S to XL.

The Knix Leakproof Bikini scored second-lowest of our lab tests, beating out only the thong of the same brand. That seemed to check out during my own test, too—I tried wearing it on its own, then, about an hour in, I realized I needed tampon reinforcement.

That said, the underwear is comfy enough, so it’s something I can see wearing on light spotting days or in tandem with a tampon—but definitely not solo when I’m in the throes of my period.

The Knix Leakproof Bikini comes in women’s sizes S to XXL.

The Knix thong does one thing really well: staying invisible under clothes. Other than that, it doesn’t offer much—it had the lowest score in our lab tests, due to noticeable leakage and just so-so absorption. Stains also seemed to stick to them more than other pairs.

Wearing the thong wasn’t the most rewarding experience, either. I found that it gave me too much of a wedgie feeling, even for a thong, and the padded area didn’t quite line up with the area that needed it, which, if I’d been wearing it on a heavy day of my period, wouldn’t have been ideal.

I might suggest wearing these on super light days, or maybe under leggings during a workout as tampon backup, but not for anything other than that.

The Knix thong comes in women’s sizes S to XXL.

The RubyLove Hipster didn’t fare terribly in lab tests, placing about fourth to last when compared to other brands. But in my practical test, it was a massive flop. The pair has a thick gusset, and RubyLove’s site claims the underwear provides “100 percent leak-proof protection,” so I thought they would be OK to wear on a medium-heavy day of my period. This was not the case! I wore the underwear out on a Saturday, and within two hours I had bled through it and onto my shorts, causing me to run into a Starbucks bathroom and create an emergency middle school-style toilet paper bundle.

The RubyLove pair also has a movable mesh layer on the crotch that can be used to hold reusable pads sold by the brand (though the pads aren’t supposed to be necessary for period protection). Not only does this feel weird if you don’t have one of the pads, but it also makes it so that anything that comes out during a period is really hard to wash out. I’m sure the underwear does work better with a pad and would be fine on its own on a light day, but I can’t recommend them based on my experience.

The RubyLove Hipster comes in women’s sizes XS to 3XL.