While the elastic bands used in sanitary pads do not have a standalone national standard of their own, their production and application must adhere to a range of related national and industry standards to ensure safety, environmental compliance, and reliable performance.
《GB 33372-2020 Limits of Harmful Substances in Adhesives》
This serves as the core safety standard that elastic adhesives must strictly adhere to. It stipulates the maximum permissible limits for harmful substances within adhesives-such as formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, xylene, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), and migratable heavy metals-thereby ensuring that the products are non-toxic, low-odor, and suitable for direct contact with the human body.
《GB/T 8939-2018 Sanitary Napkins (Panty Liners)》 and the upcoming 《GB/T 8939-2025》
Although this standard does not directly specify the chemical composition of "elastic adhesives," it establishes requirements for the overall structural performance of sanitary napkins-including parameters such as tensile strength, peel strength, and leak resistance-thereby indirectly imposing constraints on the bonding strength and durability of the elastic adhesives used. The new national standard (2025 edition) further elevates these physical performance requirements, compelling manufacturers to select higher-performance adhesive materials in order to achieve compliance with the standard.
《GB 15979-2024 Hygienic Requirements for Disposable Sanitary Products》
As a mandatory hygiene standard, this regulation requires that all sanitary products and their constituent components (including adhesives) that come into contact with the human body must be sterile, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing, while also meeting specific microbial control indicators. During the manufacturing process, the production of elastic adhesives must be conducted in a manner that prevents the introduction of contaminants, and the finished products are required to successfully pass microbial testing.
Industry-wide Technical Specifications and Internal Corporate Standards
Leading sanitary pad brands typically establish internal adhesive standards that exceed national benchmarks. They conduct specialized testing on elastic adhesives-evaluating properties such as creep resistance, holding power, flexibility, and thermal stability-to ensure reliability across high-speed production lines and under complex usage scenarios.
