Intimate skin care is coming to the beauty isle, thanks to women-led personal care startups and legacy brands

07-Mar-2018 - Last updated on 08-Mar-2018 at 21:24 GMT

image courtesy of the Vagisil brand

Brand leaders like Avonda Urben and Keech Combe Shetty believe there ought to be specialized skin care products for the bikini area and vagina—in much the same way that women have specialized skin care for the face, the eye area, the décolleté; oral care products formulated for gum and mouth care; and a raft of body care options.

The next big new category in beauty will be intimate skin care—that is if brands like The Perfect V and Vagisil have anything to say about it.

For some time now, startups like The Honey Pot Company have been showing washes, wipes, and other intimate care products at beauty tradeshows. And, several other women-led brands are building businesses around intimate skin care too, e.g. Sweet Spot Labs, SASS intimate skin care, and DeoDoc.

And women’s media sites known for beauty content like Refinery29, Stylecaster, and Shape have all included intimate skin care articles or product mentions in recent weeks.

Already this year, Cosmetics Design has met with representatives from both The Perfect V and Vagisil brands to find out how this next beauty category is taking shape.

Updating a legacy brand

Keech Combe Shetty, CEO of Combe (a family-run personal care company founded in 1949), sits on the Personal Care Products Council board of directors. She spoke with Cosmetics Design at that organization’s annual meeting last month to discuss why the Vagisil brand should be moved out of the intimate health isle and into the skin care and beauty section.

Vagisil launched in 1974 and may be best known for products that help address the symptoms of health issues—symptoms like itch—in the same way that an antihistamine addresses the symptoms of an allergy.

The brand portfolio of skin care products now includes not only anti-itch products but also external washes, cleansing wipes, powders, and internal skin moisturizers that address the dryness that coincides with stress, caffeine intake, the use of some medications, and hormonal fluctuations, as Combe Shetty tells Cosmetics Design.

Vagisil products are formulated with functional and on-trend ingredients skin care lovers already know, like hyaluronic acid and probiotics. “All of our products are formulates to protect your microbiome and not disrupt it,” Combe Shetty tells this publication.

And Combe Shetty says her company has ramped up R&D significantly over the past 6 years, investing money to hire credentialed professionals with PhDs and to build new laboratory facilities.

Founding a classy brand

The Perfect V made its debut in 2017 and has been operating as a direct brand ever since. Founded by Avonda Urben, the brand is all about Nordic beauty for the bikini area. It’s a tasteful, sophisticated brand she developed after years of marketing work with beauty giants, including Revlon and L’Oréal (according to the about-the-founder page on the brand’s site).

“Women all around the globe, are removing hair by waxing, lasering, shaving, and other methods and are left with no skincare products to take care of the delicate skin of the ‘V’. Avonda decided to let go of her own inhibitions and indulge in Skandi-liberation, by developing a luxury line of beauty skincare,” explains the page.

Cosmetics Design caught up with Natalie Ackerman, who works with the brand on communications and PR, at this month’s CEW Beauty Awards product demonstration event, to learn about The Perfect V’s product line and how the brand is fairing in the marketplace.

The brand product portfolio comprises a wash, a gentle exfoliator, a hydrating cream, beauty sheets (cleansing wipes), serum, a refreshing mist, a luminizer (for a beachy glow), and more.

Ackerman describes intimate skin care as “a new category of skin care…a revolution for women’s beauty…[and] a luxury way to take care of this area.” The brand’s product, she says, are for “everyday maintenance.” And, Ackerman points out that intimate skin care “isn’t a taboo topic,” that women today “aren’t afraid to talk about taking care of themselves.”

This article was updated on 8-Mar-2018 to include the correct launch year for The Perfect V.

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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.