BELOW THE BELT
FROM PUBIC OILS TO “LIP” MASKS – SELF-CARE HAS GONE SOUTH. BUT SHOULD WE CELEBRATE OR BE SCEPTICAL?
Self-care gets intimate.
“A multi-step SKINCARE REGIMEN for YOUR VULVA could do MORE HARM than GOOD”
ALTHOUGH MANY WOMEN consider feminine hygiene products to be a bathroom essential, they’re rarely displayed proudly on a vanity or styled for social media. Instead, a few choice items are stowed away at the back of a cupboard with the labels facing inward and concealed by several bottles of strategically-placed self-tanner. But intimate-care products are breaking ground and moving beyond the pharmacy aisles, claiming a larger – and prouder – place in the increasingly crowded wellness space.
V-CARE 2.0
It’s 2019: wellness has truly infiltrated almost every aspect of our existence. We’re stirring powdered mushrooms into our matcha lattes, using jade rollers to apply plant-powered face serums and now we’re extending self-care to our nether regions. Once strictly the domain of mass supermarket brands, personal care and grooming is experiencing a rebrand as the new frontier in wellbeing. Recent research suggests that sales in the category have been on the rise and the items are being purchased by younger consumers who expect more than just a problemsolving product; they want results and they want it packaged in a way that speaks to them (not their grandmother).
A new crop of indie beauty brands are catering to this burgeoning trend, offering premium products formulated specifically for the vagina. Fashion and beauty juggernaut Revolve, which turned over more than $1 billion last year, was one of the first major ecommerce sites to embrace luxury products for genitalia, creating an entire category within their beauty edit. The section showcases everything from illuminating creams for a “glow down below” to all-natural balms that soothe and nourish the delicate skin post-hair removal – each priced beyond the $30 mark. “We’ve been seeing a continuous movement of women starting to really dedicate time to themselves and investing in things that affect their overall wellness,” says Katie Groover, Revolve’s beauty specialist. “This type of product wasn’t considered the norm for so long, but our offering makes it much easier for our customer to explore and we saw interest right out of the gate.”
What began as a niche category has grown rapidly in popularity, and luxury e-tailers like Net-a-porter have taken note. When a pubichair product popped up on the site’s virtual shelves intermixed with the likes of luxe face creams from Natura Bissé and Augustinus Bader, it appeared to signal a significant shift in high-end views on the category. The item in question, Fur Oil, is a blend of tea tree, grape seed and jojoba oils, and is said to help soften and condition, while preventing ingrowns. Even actor Emma Watson has sung its praises – and its popularity suggests that our attitudes towards hair down there are evolving too. The Brazilian wax may have reigned supreme over the past decade or two, but the bush has been making a steady comeback in recent years, with a number of celebrities spouting about their downstairs grooming habits (or lack thereof). Gwyneth Paltrow has spoken openly about working a “‘70s vibe” below the belt, Cameron Diaz dedicated a considerable section of The Body Book to her pubic hair and Amber Rose even posted her perfectly groomed privates on Instagram (followed by a swift removal by content moderators) in 2017 – so it was only a matter of time before brands started betting big on the bush again.
HELPFUL OR HARMFUL?
While women choosing to spend more time on themselves as an act of self-love is irrefutably positive, it does beg the question – is it all just one big marketing ploy, designed to make women believe that yet another area of their body needs to be improved upon? After all, our attitudes towards female private parts have long been shaped by a societal stigma that vaginas, and anything related to them, should be shamed and excluded from public discourse. Consider all of the times you’ve conducted a stealthy trip to the bathroom, a fresh tampon stowed in your shirt sleeve, just to avoid the humiliation associated with a perfectly normal bodily function. Surely the more pervasive female sanitary products are in our everyday lives, the better it will be for subsequent generations of women?
Siobhan Lonergan, chief brand officer for Thinx, tends to agree. The “period positive” company, known for reusable sanitary underwear and activewear (better known as period undies), is a vocal advocate for moving the conversation around feminine hygiene out of the proverbial closet. “Half the world’s 7.6 billion people will menstruate in their lifetime and the global market for menstrual hygiene is slated to cross $42 billion by 2022,” says Lonergan. “We need to continue smashing taboos and speak openly about these topics.”
Period undies might have their place, but is an infrared activated charcoal mask really healthy, let alone necessary, for your vulva? According to Us-based brand Two L(i)ps, it’s the key to a “detoxified” vagina, but experts are quick to dispute this notion. “Personal hygiene products can affect the vagina’s naturally healthy ecosystem,” says Dr Jill Forer, a GP and women’s health specialist. “Sheet masks disturb the natural skin barriers of the vulva and may result in easier transmission of STDS.” Put simply, a multi-step skincare regimen for your vulva could be doing more harm than good.
Other products, such as intimate washes and wipes, claim to support the vagina’s healthy ph balance. But according to Dr Raewyn Teirney, a leading Australian fertility specialist and gynaecologist, using feminine hygiene products is unnecessary. “The vagina is self-cleaning, so there’s no need to buy anything – a little soap and water daily is all you need,” she says. “You can keep your ph balanced by eating a healthy diet, avoiding too much alcohol and drinking lots of water.”
THE TOPIC OF TOXINS
Even sanitary products aren’t immune to the wellness wave, with a significant number of women now opting for organic pads and tampons as a “clean” alternative to other offerings. While most supermarket sanitary products are manufactured with rayon or cotton, a new group of feminine hygiene brands are using more conscious, sustainable materials. But are organic tampons essential or just another scare tactic?
Local social enterprise Tsuno uses natural bamboo fibre in their sanitary pads and organic cotton in their tampons. After seeing the manufacturing options available, founder Roz Campbell chose to use organic cotton, which is free of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. “More chemical pesticides are used for conventional cotton than any other crop,” she says.
For Aimee Marks, a high-school project caused her concern about just what was in the average tampon. She created TOM Organic to give women an organic, all-natural alternative to mainstream brands. “The vagina is one of the most absorbent body parts, so we need to be mindful of what we’re taking in,” explains Marks. “Conventional sanitary products can contain chemicals and synthetic materials that irritate a woman’s body.” Model Lauren Wasser has also been vocal about the hazards of mainstream tampons. You might recall her harrowing story where she lost her right leg to gangrene and almost died after experiencing Toxic Shock Syndrome while using a tampon. In 2018, the infection forced Wasser to have her left leg amputated too. She continues to campaign for industry players to disclose what’s in their vaginal health products. “It is time that we, as consumers, demand safer products and more transparency about what is going into our bodies,” she said prior to her second procedure.
While they might tick the boxes for sustainability, Dr Tierney says there’s little proof to suggest natural sanitary items are a must. “There’s no evidence that organic tampons are a healthier option,” she says. Among gynaecologists, the general consensus seems to be that unless the products contain added fragrance (which may disrupt the vagina’s ph balance), most supermarket sanitary brands are no less safe than their organic counterparts.
Campbell is keen to distance her brand from the debate around the health benefits of organic tampons, saying it comes down to personal choice. “Everyone has different preferences,” she says. “Governing health bodies ensure all tampons are tested for safety and adhere to strict guidelines. For Tsuno, we choose organic cotton for the environmental impacts of the material.”
Ultimately, it’s your body and it’s your decision. If giving your intimate area the same attention you afford your face, hair or hands (it’s no less worthy, after all) is an extension of self-care for you, so be it. Just keep the sheet masks to a minimum.