” Feminine care. Feminine hygiene. Personal cleansing products. Intimate care. No matter what you call them, these consumer products are manufactured for and marketed exclusively to women. The purpose of feminine care products is to clean, moisturize, absorb discharge or otherwise treat the sensitive skin and tissues of the vaginal area. Women are told they are necessary for personal hygiene, a “fresher feeling,” or “greater confidence,” and the companies marketing these products imply that this improved cleanliness will promote good health and increase sex appeal.
A closer look at the impacts of these products, and the chemicals they contain, tell a much different story. Products intended for use on or in an incredibly absorbent part of a woman’s body are marketed and sold with little to no data assuring the ingredients they contain are safe. Ingredients are determined “safe,” operating under the premise that they are used on ordinary skin just like other cosmetic products. That means chemicals of concern such as carcinogens, reproductive toxins, endocrine disruptors, and allergens are being used on, or even in, the extremely permeable mucus membranes of the vaginal area. ”
- Introduction
- what are feminine care Products?
- feminine care Products: what makes them special?
- who uses feminine care?
- How feminine care Products are regulated
- Potential HealtH Hazards associated with chemicals found in feminine care Products
- secret toxic chemicals in fragrance
- tampons
- menstrual pads
- feminine wipes
- feminine wash
- douche
- feminine deodorant
- over-the-counter anti-itch creams
- Solutions
- Personal alternatives
- recommended federal and corporate Policy changes
- Appendix : chemicals of concern in feminine care Products
Read the Women’s Voices for the Earth
November 2013 Chem Fatale report