“Vaginal cleansers and the associated risks have gotten such little attention over the years, and it has a lot to do with social taboos around talking about vaginal health,” says Alex Scranton, director of science and research at Women’s Voices for the Earth, an environmental organization. I thought, if vaginal wipes, powders and cleansers are really that bad, why aren’t more people – especially the women in my life – talking about it? I struggled to reconcile messages from my own online research and guidance from my OB-GYN, who advised against the use of vaginal cleansers, as I surveyed this new wave of products seemingly designed for people just like me. I never thought I needed to use such products, but the Honey Pot’s marketing made them seem additive to my self-care, not harmful. Here was a Black entrepreneur promising “ plant-derived” cleansers that balance vaginal pH and “ minimize odor”. The Honey Pot makes it clear that it does not advocate for douching, but it certainly encourages “cleansing” as part of vaginal wellness. The Honey Pot’s branding is laden with diverse images of Black, trans and queer folks happily using their vaginal washes and wipes. In college, it wasn’t unusual to see vaginal wipes next to the free menstrual products offered on campus, and I remember the early buzz around The Honey Pot, a new intimate care company, when it launched in 2014 with something I hadn’t seen before.īeatrice Dixon, a Black woman and founder of the company, has talked openly about using natural ingredients to treat her case of bacterial vaginosis, inspiring her to bring plant-based hygiene products to the masses. Growing up, no one in my household used vaginal deodorants, but once I became aware of them, it seemed like they were everywhere. When we start adding antibacterial soaps, you kill off the bacteria that creates the ecosystem for the vagina, and controls the acidity,” Dr Jacqueline Walters told Essence magazine in 2020. “The vagina is a self-cleaning oven with its own pH level. The chief concern with vaginal cleaners is how they affect the vagina’s microbiome. But a growing body of research has also begun to examine the effects of vaginal wipes and washes – which, unlike douching, are designed to cleanse the exterior vulva, rather than inside the vagina itself. Specifically, much has been said about the health risks that come with douching.
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