How charities are tackling hygiene poverty

Latest figures around hygiene poverty are shocking, with millions of people unable to afford basic items to keep themselves clean, such as shower gel and toothpaste.

 

More than a million children are impacted and girls living in poverty are hit harder by period poverty, as they are unable to afford sanitary products. To support and advocate for those affected, a raft of charities are putting in place measures to ensure people can have access to the hygiene products most people take for granted. They are also taking part in extensive lobbying so that items can be more affordable.

 

Here we look at the extent of the problem and how charities are acting.

 

 

Hygiene poverty in the UK

 

There are an estimated 9.9 million adults in the UK impacted by hygiene poverty, according to figures for 2024 released by the charity In Kind Direct, which works with companies to distribute hygiene products.

 

It also found that one in four households with children are living in hygiene poverty. Stigma of not being able to afford to keep clean is a major problem faced by those affected.

 

An estimated 8.7 million adults missed work or a job interview because they are impacted by hygiene poverty, according to figures released in 2025 by In Kind Direct, along with another charity tackling the issue The Hygiene Bank.

 

This highlights how many of those impacted are in work, with around two in five in full time employment.

 

They also warn that one in ten children are missing school through fear of bullying over poor hygiene and one in five avoid playing with others for fear of being judged. Also, one in four children suffer from low self-confidence and one in six feel embarrassed and ashamed.

 

It is a problem that is increasing, with around half of those in hygiene poverty experiencing the issue for the first time in the lives during 2025. 

 

 

Charity’s tackling hygiene poverty

 

In 2025 In Kind Direct and The Hygiene Bank launched a joint campaign among the public and policy makers with the aim of eradicating hygiene poverty by 2030.

 

This includes creating a roadmap to end hygiene poverty based on evidence of the extent of the problem, using the voices of those with lived experience of the issue and working closer with government, businesses, and communities.

 

Through this work it aims to identify barriers to solving the problem and develop solutions for policy makers to adopt.

 

“Hygiene poverty is the smoke before the fire. Before people go to a food bank, before they go hungry, they have often gone without many basics – toothpaste, shampoo, washing powder,” says In Kind Direct Chief Executive Michael Gidney. “No parent should have to send their child to school without brushing their teeth, and no-one should miss out on opportunities because they can’t afford soap or period products.”

 

The Hygiene Bank Chief Executive Ruth Brock says that every day its volunteers “see the impact on families who are forced to choose between eating and keeping clean”. 

 

“No one should be in hygiene poverty in the UK today. It undermines people’s health and holds back children and adults to reaching their potential,” she adds.  

 

 

Corporate partnerships

 

Work by In Kind Direct to improve access to hygiene products includes its link up with supermarket Tesco and manufacturers of products, including Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, Essity, Haleon, Kimberly-Clark, and Edgewell.

 

In the latest campaign through the partnership, which was staged in 2025, the manufacturers donated one product to families in need for every two brought at the retailer.

 

One of those involved, Unliver, said in 2025 that it had donated more than two million hygiene products and aimed to reach three million that year.

 

 

Period poverty

 

There are a raft of charities working to tackle period poverty, which is a growing problem in the UK.

 

A survey from 2020 by Plan International found that one in ten people in the country cannot afford sanitary products.

 

But a further poll three years later by ActionAid, which supports communities globally impacted by period poverty, found that the issue had doubled in the UK, rising to one in five people.

 

Among those affected two in five are being forced to keep sanitary pads or tampons in for longer and one in 12 are having to reuse disposable pads. More than a third said they had used tissues or cotton wool instead and just under one in ten had used paper or newspaper, Action Aid warns.

 

Other charities working to address the issue include Period Poverty, which donates sanitary pads to women who are homeless, in refugee camps and low-income jobs. It runs an app which directs users to where they can access free period products in their local area.