Feminine product line comes under fire for problematic marketing

There are some societal conceptions surrounding women’s natural bodies that may lead people to believe that any discharge and odour is undesirable and abnormal, which is not the case. CREDIT: PEXELS

TASHA FALCONER

Recently, Vagisil has come under scrutiny for their newest line of personal products, OMV!, which is targeted towards teens.

The line includes a wash, wipes, and a bikini soothing serum. However, gynecologists have noted how this line of products, which are advertised on Vagisil’s Instagram account as leaving adolescents “feeling clean and confident anytime, anywhere,” is problematic.

On Feb. 4, Dr. Jennifer Gunter, a Canadian gynecologist and author of The Vagina Bible (2019), tweeted “Hey @Vagisil going to call you out here for this predatory line of products aimed at teen girls. Why do you think teen vulvas need special cleaning?” Gunter further tweeted, “You are literally marketing it as vaginal health. This will damage lactobacilli and mucus and increase the risk of STIs.”

Many gynecologists were concerned that Vagisil’s marketing of OMV! would insinuate that vulvas were dirty, when in fact they are not. On Feb. 5, Vagisil responded to this critique on social media stating that they wanted to clarify that “OMV! [wasn’t] developed because there is something wrong with teens or that vulvas/vaginas are inherently dirty.” They went on to note that their wash was an all over body wash that is also safe for the vulvar area.

They also stated that teens and their moms “shared with us that they get sweaty, [and] worry about period hygiene and odors.”

However, instead of educating teens that these things are normal, they took the opportunity to create and sell a product.

Vagisil’s OMV! marketing is just one example of a larger problem around the way the feminine hygiene industry markets unnecessary and problematic products to people who have not been given adequate sex education.

According to a Global Industry report, feminine intimate care was a $1.19 billion USD industry in 2019, most of which came from washes and wipes. Dr. Staci Tanouye, a gynecologist and TikTok sex educator, stated in a TikTok video that “this industry prays on insecurities of women” and that “no one needs to be fresher or smoother.”

American gynecologist Dr. Heather Irobunda furthered this conversation on Instagram, noting that this predatory advertising particularly affects those in the BIPOC community.

According to Irobunda, “cultural difference and less access to medical care may cause people to self-treat any vaginal issues they develop. This may cause them to be more susceptible to fall victim to predatory marketing by some of these ‘feminine care’ brands.”

Irobunda also said that these companies seem like an authority, particularly when there is no information coming from home or school regarding genital hygiene.

Additionally, the OMV! products are advertised as being gynecologist-tested, which makes it seem like they are good products, but gynecologist-tested does not mean gynecologist approved, and these types of feminine products are not regulated. They are considered cosmetics by the FDA, and therefore do not have a regulation or approval process.

This advertising problem is not new.

In a 2009 publication in the academic journal Women & Health, Michelle Ferranti discusses how even in the mid-1800s douching was seen as something conducive to cleanliness as well as a birth control. The idea of ‘feminine hygiene’ was invented by advertisers in the 1920s, during which time there were many advertisements for douching products.

Ferranti notes that by the 1940s advertisers needed to switch tactics and began using a technique known as demand creation, which is essentially when companies create a problem so their product can solve it. In this case, new products such as powders, washes, and wipes were created to deodorize genitals.

A 2018 study by Sara Crann and colleagues at the University of Guelph found that 95 per cent of participants with vulvas had used at least one hygiene product in the genital area in the last three months, and many reported using these products at least once a day.

Crann and colleagues also found that people who used these products were more likely to have been diagnosed with a yeast infection, bacterial vaginosis (BV), or a urinary tract infection (UTI). For example, those who used feminine washes were 3.5 times more likely to have had BV and 2.5 times more likely to have had a UTI. Instead of helping, these products may actually be causing problems.

A 2017 Sex Roles article details a study on reasons why people with vulvas use these products. The authors found that the most common was to be “clean and fresh.” Specifically, participants of the study said that discharge and odour were undesirable and abnormal. The authors noted that this shows the societal expectations around the unacceptability of women’s natural bodies.

The participants in the study did note that advertising played a large role in the belief that the products would help them achieve cleanliness and freshness, which is the exact problem gynecologists see with OMV!

The Canadian Women’s Health Network notes that it is normal for vulvas to have a smell and discharge, which may stain underwear. They recommend seeking medical advice if there is a change from your typical smell and discharge. Additionally, they do not recommend using vaginal sprays, vaginal deodorants, or douching.

The vagina is self-cleaning and therefore does not need additional cleaning. However, for washing a vulva, Tanouye recommends letting soap run down your body, but not applying soap directly to the vulva. Further, Tanouye notes that cleaning the vulva should involve cleaning the folds on the outside of the labia minora and the clitoral hood with just water.

As a final takeaway, when it comes to sexual health it's important to get your information from reputable sources, such as science and doctors — not from advertisements.