On the surface, the growth of feminine care products among K-beauty brands may look like an indicator of the blossoming of sex positivity and celebration of the female body. But Jiwon suspects there is something more sinister behind the big brands entering the market. The fact that feminine washes are so commonly present shows that the K-beauty industry employs “shame marketing.”
Melissa Mauskar, MD, associate professor of dermatology, obstetrics and gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, couldn’t agree more. she says. “And if you clean it, you can eliminate itching and pain.”
the vagina doesn’t have to be cleaned, but. A doctor I interviewed made a statement you may have heard before: The vagina is a self-cleaning oven. , protects against bacterial and yeast overgrowth, says Jill Krapf, MD, a board-certified OB/GYN who specializes in vulvar pain conditions at the Center for Vulvovaginal Disorders in Washington, DC.
It goes without saying that washing your vaginal area with cleansers and other products will rob it of its natural pH, leading to vaginitis, vaginal infections, discharge, skin irritation, and all the other things you’re trying to avoid by using them. can cause that. It can worsen underlying skin conditions and even rob your vagina of its natural moisturizers. We need to,” adds Dr. Mauskar.
At a dinner party in South Korea in 2017, Jiwon learned that some K-beauty brands were planning to break through market saturation with shameful marketing. It’s a whole new area of the market,” says Jiwon. The man dyed his vulva pink to look younger, citing products that men like as examples.
A feminine wash was just the beginning. Currently, the market is beginning to overflow with “inner perfumes.” It’s a fragrance meant to be added to underwear to make the vagina smell better and reduce itching and discomfort.Their ads are all over her social media, says Jiwon. .
When I told Dr. Mouseker about these perfumes, she immediately said “hmm” and revealed that perfumes are some of the most common causes of vulvar allergic reactions. In addition, inner perfumes can also aggravate serious underlying skin conditions such as psoriasis, lichen sclerosis, and atopic dermatitis, making diagnosis difficult. Also, if vaginal odor really bothers you, rather than trying to drown it out with harmful, irritating scents, you should consult your gynecologist to find out if you have bacterial vaginosis or any type of bacterial vaginosis that may need treatment. We recommend ruling out other vaginal infections,” Clapp adds.
Commitment to Wellness
Yanghee also attributes the rise of K-beauty’s sexual wellness sector to Koreans’ obsession with health and wellness. She believes women, in particular, take steps they believe protect their reproductive function. That means using feminine cleansers, lubricants and condoms to maintain pH balance, or in Rael’s case, using organic sanitary products. A healthy uterus and vagina,” she explains.
