Starting Oct. 13, CVS Health will mark down prices on its brand of tampons, menstrual pads, liners and cups by 25 percent, the retail pharmacy said on a livestreamed Facebook Live panel.
In early October, CVS began paying the sales tax on menstrual products — sometimes referred to as the "tampon tax" — in 12 states: Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Other states don't allow companies to pay customers' taxes, according to its website.
The price markdowns aim to combat the "pink tax" — a term coined to describe higher prices for products geared toward women compared to the same "male" item, such as shaving cream or razors.
"We're committed to price equity on men and women's products," CVS' website says. "After all, a woman's razor… is just a razor."
CVS lined up announcing the initiatives to combat "period poverty" and the "tampon taxes" on Oct. 11, the International Day of the Girl.