Major sanitary pad makers in China are apologising after being accused of selling pads that are shorter than advertised.

It comes amid a storm of rage after viral social media videos showed Chinese women measuring the lengths of sanitary pads from popular brands – showing that most of them fell short of what was stated on their packaging.

The uproar has extended into broader grievances about women being short-changed by feminine hygiene products, which have a history of safety scandals in China.

Chinese women have taken it upon themselves to call out standard concerns in sanitary pads, the most commonly used feminine hygiene product in the country.

In one of the earliest videos, posted on 3 November, a user on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu examined nine brands of sanitary pads with a measuring tape, showing that they all fell short of the length stated on their packaging.

“Will cutting a few centimetres assist you strike it wealthy?” the user wrote in her video.

The revelations soon ignited widespread criticism, with consumers accusing sanitary pad makers of being deceitful.

“The inflated sanitary pad length is just like the insoles under men’s feet,” reads one popular Weibo post.

Amid the uproar, an investigation of over 20 different sanitary pads by Chinese information outlet The document found that nearly 90% of the products were “shrunken”, measuring at least 10mm shorter than claimed on their packaging. Tucked within most of them were even shorter absorbent layers, which are meant to soak up menstrual flow.

The document also reported that while national standards for sanitary pads specific that the products can assess within 4% of advertised lengths, they do not specific the length of the absorbent layer in sanitary pads.

Following a torrent of complaints, authorities said they were revising the current national standard on sanitary pads, according to local media.

Met with enquiries and complaints from customers about the discrepancy in its sanitary pad lengths, the popular Chinese brand ABC further stoked outrage after its customer service reportedly responded to a complaint by saying “if you cannot receive [the length difference] then you can choose not to buy it”.

ABC said in a statement in mid-November that it was “deeply sorry” for the “inappropriate” response, and promised to enhance its products to achieve “zero deviation”. Other companies including Shecare and Beishute have also issued apologies.

Chinese state media has also weighed in on the controversy, criticising manufacturers for cutting corners.

“As a daily necessity for women, standard of sanitary pads is directly related to the health and comfort of the user,” reads a Xinhua piece. “The problems existing in some products on the economy cannot be ignored.”

Sanitary pads are the most commonly used feminine hygiene product in China, where the economy is valued at $13bn (£10bn). However, the products have also made headlines over the years for safety issues.

In 2016, police busted a massive “fake sanitary towel” operation in southeast China, where millions of sanitary pads were manufactured in a factory without proper hygiene measures and packaged as popular brands. In 2021, popular feminine hygiene brand Space 7 apologised and vowed an investigation after a woman claimed she found a needle in one of its sanitary pads.

The wave of rage also reflects broader grievances felt by women over the standard of products meant for them.

“Is it that challenging for sanitary pads to tackle women’s needs?” reads a trending hashtag on Weibo.

Another trending phrase that has caught on amid the blowback encapsulates the outrage: “Sanitary pads yield a centimetre; women yield for a lifetime.”