‘The vagina is self-cleaning’ – so why do companies push hygiene products on Black women?

Racist advertising practices marketed vaginal cleansing products to Black women. Years later, they deal with the fallout

As someone who suffers from chronic hives and has a hormonally driven health condition, I have been on a mission to remove risky chemicals from my hygiene regimen. Phasing out toxic chemicals from my hair and beauty routine was fairly straightforward, as clean beauty" products abound in the makeup aisle these days. But recently, I started assessing another category of products that left me with more questions than answers: the so-called world of feminine hygiene".

This broad swath of products marketed towards women includes everything from menstrual products like pads and tampons - to cosmetic products aimed at reducing vaginal odors, like scented wipes, powders and douches. The latter category can still be found on drugstore shelves, even though researchers have documented adverse health effects from the use of vaginal cleansing products since the 1980s.