FDA Citizen Petition: Safety Guidance for Companies Making Intimate Care Products!

In our research over the years, we have frequently found toxic ingredients present in intimate care products, like douches, wipes, washes, and sprays.   We have found ingredients specifically harmful to vaginal tissue and potentially detrimental to the delicate balance of healthy bacteria known as the vaginal microbiome.  Our current campaign against boric acid-containing washes made by Summer’s Eve is just one example.  It just doesn’t seem like manufacturers of these products truly understand how to make their products safe for vaginal and vulvar exposure. Unfortunately, there are very few regulations restricting what kinds of ingredients can be used in these products. 

We should be able to trust that products designed for the most sensitive parts of our body won’t harm us. That’s why WVE has filed a Citizen Petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), asking them to create official guidance for manufacturers on how to make these products safely.  (Seventeen other organizations from around the country joined us in signing our petition.)   

 Although they’re regulated as cosmetics, intimate care products are different and need special care in their formulation.  Unlike cosmetics applied to the outer skin, specific attention is needed to ensure the vaginal microbiome is not harmed.  The vaginal microbiome is entirely unique to this part of the body and plays a major role in the vagina’s defense system.  When the vaginal microbiome is disrupted, also known as vaginal dysbiosis, the risks of disease and reproductive harm increase significantly.  Vaginal dysbiosis is associated with an increased risk of yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, preterm birth, reduced fertility, and potentially some reproductive cancers.   

The choice to use intimate care products should never put users’ health at risk.  Intimate care product manufacturers have the responsibility of making products as safe as possible for the vaginal microbiome to protect their customers. 

You can read our FDA petition by clicking the button below

Take action!

Our citizen petition is open for public comment. We need your voice to demonstrate that this is a critical issue deserving of the FDA’s immediate attention. Join us in making a powerful impact—your support is vital in pushing for the changes we urgently need. Let’s stand together and demand safer intimate care products!  

Talking points: 

• Tell the FDA you support the petition!   
• Tell the FDA that you are concerned about the toxic ingredients showing up in intimate care products.  
• Tell the FDA you want them to issue guidance to manufacturers on how to make their products safer. 
• Tell the FDA if you have had any adverse reactions to intimate care products that you are concerned might be linked to a product’s ingredients. 

 Thank you for using your voice for safer products!