Thinx
Thinx is a New York-based period-underwear brand known for reusable absorbent underwear and campaigns intended to reduce menstruation stigma.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Thinx is a United States period-underwear brand founded in 2011 by Antonia Saint Dunbar, Miki Agrawal, and Radha Agrawal. The company helped popularize reusable underwear designed to absorb menstrual flow and, in some products, light urinary leakage. Its core proposition combined garment design with absorbent, moisture-managing and leak-resistant construction, offering an alternative or supplement to disposable pads, tampons and liners. The brand developed in the direct-to-consumer era, when specialized menstrual products were increasingly marketed around sustainability, comfort and body confidence. Thinx positioned period underwear as an everyday apparel product rather than solely as a medical or hygienic device. Its assortment expanded across silhouettes including high-waisted styles, boyshorts, briefs and thongs, with products calibrated for different levels of flow. The company also introduced designs intended for teenagers and tweens under the (BTWN) line, and later added activewear formats such as leggings, cycle shorts, training shorts and leotards. These active products used a modified gusset intended to accommodate movement and exercise. Product development was accompanied by highly visible and sometimes confrontational advertising. Thinx campaigns used direct references to menstruation, food imagery, sexualized or suggestive language, and inclusive representations of people who menstruate. A 2015 subway advertising dispute brought national attention after Outfront Media initially rejected advertisements containing the word “period” and suggestive food visuals. The advertisements were later accepted following public criticism. In 2016, Thinx drew attention for featuring transgender male models. The brand also produced advertising connected to the 2016 Access Hollywood controversy, although San Francisco transit authorities rejected that version because of its use of explicit language. Later campaigns explored the idea of making menstruation visible by depicting men and boys in period-related scenarios; several television networks, including CBS, declined to air a 2019 campaign because they considered its imagery too graphic. Thinx’s leadership and ownership changed substantially during the 2010s and early 2020s. Miki Agrawal left the chief executive role in 2017 after a former employee alleged inappropriate workplace conduct. Maria Molland subsequently became chief executive and oversaw the expansion of the brand into Target and Walmart. Kimberly-Clark made a minority investment in Thinx in 2019 and acquired a majority stake in February 2022. Molland stepped down in May 2022, after which Meghan Davis became chief executive. The brand also faced legal and reputational challenges. Lawsuits filed in 2020 alleged that Thinx’s sustainability and non-toxicity marketing was misleading after independent testing reported PFAS in some products. The litigation was consolidated into a proposed class action in 2022. Thinx reached a settlement in November 2022, with settlement terms announced in January 2023; the company agreed to pay up to $5 million to consumers without admitting wrongdoing and stated that PFAS were not intentionally part of its product design. In January 2024, Davis announced a major workforce reduction, with reporting that most of Thinx’s 109 employees would lose their jobs and some roles would be transferred to Kimberly-Clark. Despite these challenges, Thinx remains an active brand within Kimberly-Clark’s portfolio and continues to operate in the reusable period-underwear category.
History
Thinx was established in 2011 by Antonia Saint Dunbar, Miki Agrawal and Radha Agrawal. The company entered a market in which reusable menstrual protection was still relatively specialized, and built its identity around underwear that could absorb menstrual flow while being worn as an ordinary garment. Its business model and communications emphasized product engineering, comfort, sustainability and the cultural normalization of menstruation. During its early growth, Thinx used direct, highly recognizable advertising to distinguish itself from conventional feminine-hygiene brands. In 2015, a proposed subway campaign became controversial when Outfront Media rejected advertisements that used the word “period” and included suggestive food imagery. Public criticism contributed to the advertisements being permitted. The episode established Thinx as a brand willing to discuss menstruation explicitly in mainstream spaces. In 2016, it attracted further attention by featuring transgender male models in period-underwear advertising. The brand also released an advertisement referencing the Access Hollywood tape; San Francisco’s subway system rejected that version because of explicit language. Agrawal left the chief executive position in 2017 after a former employee alleged inappropriate workplace behavior. Maria Molland became chief executive and led the brand through a retail-expansion phase. During her tenure, Thinx products reached Target and Walmart, increasing the brand’s exposure beyond its original direct-to-consumer base. In 2017, the company also operated a traveling “PMS truck” in three cities, combining retail activity with conversations about period health. Product expansion continued in 2018 with (BTWN), a line directed at teens and tweens. In June 2019, Thinx introduced Thinx Air, a quick-drying product. The company also launched Thinx Super, described as a higher-absorbency style capable of holding up to four tampons’ worth of flow. By 2021, the assortment included activewear such as leggings, cycle shorts, training shorts and leotards. These garments retained the brand’s absorbent construction but used a longer and differently shaped gusset intended for exercise and other active settings. Thinx also introduced a lower-priced pair at approximately $17 as competition increased from larger apparel and lingerie companies. Thinx’s public positioning was not without internal or external criticism. Its 2019 “What if we all had periods?” campaign used a young boy experiencing a first period and subsequent advertising included men in period-related situations. Several television networks, including CBS, declined to run the campaign because of its imagery. Employees later said that the brand’s marketing became less overtly focused on destigmatizing menstruation after 2019. A 2022 television advertisement centered on a mother beginning to explain tampon use to her daughter before another character introduces Thinx underwear; some employees viewed this as a retreat from the company’s earlier educational and stigma-reduction approach. In 2019, Thinx leaders also signed a public letter opposing abortion bans in the United States. The company faced a major legal challenge beginning in 2020. Lawsuits alleged that Thinx’s claims that its products were organic, sustainable and non-toxic were deceptive after independent testing reported PFAS, a class of chemicals associated with potential long-term health concerns. The cases were consolidated into a proposed class action in May 2022. Thinx reached a settlement in November of that year, and consumers received details in January 2023. The settlement provided for payments of up to $5 million without an admission of wrongdoing. Thinx stated that PFAS were not part of the products’ intended design and that it would take steps to ensure the chemicals were not added going forward. Kimberly-Clark first made a minority investment in Thinx in 2019 and acquired a majority stake in February 2022. Molland left the chief executive role in May 2022, and Meghan Davis was appointed to replace her. In January 2024, Davis announced a substantial staff reduction. Initial reporting said that 95 of 109 employees would lose their jobs on May 1, although later reporting indicated that 32 employees were integrated into Kimberly-Clark rather than the smaller number initially described. Thinx therefore continued as an active brand, but with a substantially closer relationship to its majority owner and a reduced standalone workforce.
- 2024
Major workforce reduction announced
[1]Thinx announces that most of its standalone staff will be laid off or moved into roles connected with Kimberly-Clark.
- 2023
PFAS settlement terms announced
[1]Consumers receive details of a settlement providing for up to $5 million in payments without an admission of wrongdoing.
- 2022
Kimberly-Clark takes majority control
[1]Kimberly-Clark acquires a majority stake in Thinx; Maria Molland leaves as CEO and Meghan Davis becomes CEO.
- 2021
Activewear expansion
[1]Thinx expands into absorbent activewear, including leggings, cycle shorts, training shorts and leotards.
- 2019
Thinx Air and Kimberly-Clark investment
[1]Thinx releases its quick-drying Air line, while Kimberly-Clark takes a minority investment in the company.
- 2018
Launch of (BTWN)
[1]Thinx introduces period underwear designed for teens and tweens.
- 2017
Leadership transition and PMS truck
[1]Miki Agrawal leaves the CEO role, Maria Molland succeeds her, and Thinx operates a traveling period-health and retail activation.
- 2015
Subway advertising dispute
[1]A proposed Thinx subway campaign is initially rejected over explicit menstrual language and suggestive food imagery, then permitted after public criticism.
- 2011
Thinx is founded
[1]Antonia Saint Dunbar, Miki Agrawal and Radha Agrawal establish Thinx as a period-underwear company.
Products and positioning
Reusable, absorbent period underwear positioned around comfort, leak protection, sustainability, inclusive period education and reduced menstrual stigma.
Period underwear · 2011
Thinx period underwear
The core Thinx range consists of reusable underwear in silhouettes including briefs, boyshorts, high-waisted designs and thongs. Product construction is intended to combine absorbency with moisture management and leak resistance. The range is offered at different absorbency levels and is designed to function as a replacement for, or complement to, disposable menstrual products.
High-absorbency period underwear · 2019
Thinx Super
Thinx Super is a higher-absorbency style marketed for heavier menstrual flow. The product was described as holding up to four tampons’ worth of flow, making it one of the brand’s more protective options for consumers seeking extended wear or stronger leak protection.
Quick-drying period underwear · 2019
Thinx Air
Thinx Air is a quick-drying version of the brand’s absorbent underwear. Its principal product distinction is faster moisture evaporation, intended to make the garment feel lighter and more comfortable during and after use.
Teen and tween period underwear · 2018
(BTWN)
(BTWN) was introduced as a Thinx line for teens and tweens. It extended the brand’s period-underwear proposition to younger consumers while presenting reusable absorbent underwear as an accessible alternative to conventional menstrual products.
Absorbent activewear · 2021
Thinx activewear
Thinx activewear includes leggings, cycle shorts, training shorts and leotards. The garments use absorbent construction adapted for movement, including a longer and differently shaped gusset intended to support exercise and active lifestyles.
Controversies
2024
Workforce reduction and integration into Kimberly-Clark
Thinx announced that most of its standalone employees would lose their jobs, while some roles were moved or offered through Kimberly-Clark. The restructuring raised questions about the brand’s operational independence.
2020
PFAS marketing litigation
Lawsuits alleged that Thinx’s claims describing its products as organic, sustainable and non-toxic were misleading after independent testing reported PFAS. The litigation was later consolidated and settled.
2017
Allegations concerning former CEO Miki Agrawal
A former employee alleged that Miki Agrawal engaged in inappropriate workplace behavior. Agrawal stepped down as CEO, and Maria Molland became her successor.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019What if we all had periods?
United States
A national campaign imagined a young boy getting his first period and used men in subsequent period-related creative to question social discomfort around menstruation.
Outcome. Several television networks, including CBS, declined to air the advertisements because they considered the imagery too graphic.
- 2017PMS truck
United States
Thinx sent a branded truck to three cities, where visitors could shop for products and speak with representatives about period health.
Outcome. The activation combined experiential retail with period education.
- 2016Trans-inclusive period-underwear advertising
United States
Thinx featured transgender male models in advertising, challenging the assumption that all period-product users identify as women.
Outcome. The campaign generated significant attention and strengthened the brand’s association with inclusive period marketing.
- 2016Access Hollywood-referencing advertisement
United States
Thinx created an advertisement referencing the Access Hollywood tape. San Francisco’s subway system rejected the advertisement because it used the word “pussy.”
Outcome. The rejection became another example of the brand’s use of provocative language and the limits placed on menstrual advertising in public transit.
- 2015Subway period campaign
United States
Thinx proposed subway advertisements that directly used menstrual language and suggestive food imagery. The advertisements were initially rejected by Outfront Media but were later allowed after public reaction.
Outcome. The dispute increased national awareness of the brand and reinforced its deliberately direct advertising style.
Brand decisions
2023
Settle PFAS class-action litigationOtherBackground
Consumers challenged Thinx’s non-toxic and sustainability-related marketing after testing reported PFAS in products.
Action taken
Thinx agreed to a settlement providing for payments of up to $5 million, without admitting wrongdoing, and said it would ensure PFAS were not intentionally added to future products.
Aftermath
The settlement resolved the consumer litigation while leaving the brand’s product-safety and environmental claims under heightened scrutiny.
Maximum consumer settlement amount. Up to US$5 million (Settlement terms announced January 2023)
2022
Kimberly-Clark acquires majority stakeM&ABackground
Kimberly-Clark had already invested in Thinx as the reusable period-product category gained visibility.
Action taken
Kimberly-Clark acquired a majority stake in Thinx.
Aftermath
Thinx remained a distinct active brand but operated under majority ownership by Kimberly-Clark. Maria Molland left the CEO role and Meghan Davis was appointed.
2019
Accept minority investment from Kimberly-ClarkM&ABackground
Thinx was operating in a growing period-product market increasingly contested by established apparel and consumer-goods companies.
Action taken
Kimberly-Clark made a minority investment in Thinx.
Aftermath
The investment preceded Kimberly-Clark’s acquisition of a majority stake in 2022 and connected Thinx more closely to a large global consumer-products company.
2019
Launch Thinx SuperProduct launchBackground
Consumers seeking reusable protection for heavier menstrual flow represented an important product segment.
Action taken
Thinx introduced a double-absorbency product marketed as holding up to four tampons’ worth of flow.
Aftermath
The launch broadened the brand’s absorbency range and strengthened its positioning as an alternative to disposable products.
Recent events
Reported
Kimberly-Clark completes acquisition of majority stake in Thinx[2]
Kimberly-Clark announced that it had completed its acquisition of a majority stake in Thinx, Inc.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Thinx launches “MEN-struation” campaign[3]
Thinx launched its first national US advertising campaign, depicting a world in which men get periods. The campaign advertises Thinx leak-resistant period underwear and was intended to spark conversation about menstruation.
Sources3 sources
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