Me Time: The Market for Women’s Wellness

Everyone’s dance card has been less full these days. The pandemic has meant social distancing and less opportunity to be out and about at large concerts, sports games, crowded bars and restaurants, and other places where one typically wants to be fresh and clean from head to toe. But that doesn’t mean consumers are forgoing deodorant, toothbrushing and other intimate hygienic tasks altogether.

In fact, through 2020, existing brands continued to launch new products across the spectrum of personal hygiene products and startups have diving into the category, even during the pandemic.

Women’s Rites

The market for women’s wellness products is expanding with both indies and multinational brands innovating by way of supplements, salves and other self-care products for personal hygiene.

According to Kline’s just published Intimate Beauty Care: US Market Assessment and Opportunities Report, the US intimate beauty care retail market is expected to reach $845 million in 2020 and will rise to more than $1.2 billion by 2025. In a recent webinar on Happi.com, Senior Analyst Dana Kreutzer noted that growth in this marketplace hasn’t been slowed by the pandemic.

Kaylyn Easton, founder and CEO of Chiavaye, a women’s care line based in Denver, would agree.

Chiavaye is an all-natural, vegan personal moisturizer and lubricant that the firm says helps women find pleasure through all stages of life. During this pandemic, Easton expanded her business by building a manufacturing facility in Colorado, and Chiavaye debuted in 4,500 Walmart stores last month. According to Easton, the “pandemic has made people realize what’s important and essential to have.”

Reaching out to all age groups is another way to success right now in women’s wellness. Combe’s Vagisil brand, for example, has launched a line for teens. OMV! by Vagisil includes intimate and body wash, wipettes and anti-itch serum designed to meet the cleansing and care needs of young women and help them feel comfortable and confident in their vaginal health. The products come in a Vanilla Clementine scent that is designed for sensitive intimate areas, said the company. The collection is free of dyes, parabens and MIT preservatives.

New at Summer’s Eve is a fragrance-free line designed to remove odor-causing bacteria. It includes a gentle cleansing wash said to be ideal for the shower and individually-wrapped cleansing cloths for on-the-go usage. Both are dye- and paraben-free, and balanced to a woman’s natural pH.

Another personal hygiene care brand on the rise is pH-D Feminine Health. The firm expanded earlier this year with pH-D Instant Vaginal Odor Rinse and pH-D Holistic Feminine Deodorant Spray. The pH-D Instant Vaginal Rinse is billed as the first boric acid rinse on the market. Also, pH-D Holistic Feminine Deodorant Spray is said to be the first functional feminine deodorant spray, and the first on the market to use boric acid and amezol, a mix of natural peptide and amino acid derivatives that safely eliminates odors, according to the Nashville, TN firm.

“Women today want to know that the products they’re purchasing are natural and resolve their issues. Wellness products on the market that are truly effective are seeing great success as a result,” said Founder and CEO Deeannah Seymour.

Meanwhile, Cora’s One Wash is a pH-balanced cleanser for the entire body, including its most intimate areas. It features a tri-oil blend to assist with skin barrier function, according to the San Francisco-based company. Hemp, sunflower and shea work together to leave skin soft and nourished. The formula includes red raspberry and B vitamins. 

According to Molly Hayward, founder and chief brand officer of Cora, there’s growth opportunities in women’s wellness.

“Consumers with female bodies experience significant hormonal shifts throughout their lives and often suffer through symptoms without awareness or support,” she said. “We think we’ll see increased attention and innovation around products and education that support hormonal health support.”

Good Clean Love, founded by Wendy Strgar, has been actively promoting women’s intimate health through organic products that are rooted in science and safety. This Certified B Corp, founded in 2003, offers a range of “Bio Match” products that were formulated under the guidance of independent scientific research led by a Johns Hopkins biophysicist. Formulations are all designed to reinforce the protective actions of healthy vaginal secretions, according to the brand. (You can learn more about Good Clean Love in “Women’s Wellness: Getting Personal About Intimate Care,” a recent webinar now available on demand on Happi.com.)

Inspiration for Perspiration

Taos, NM is the inspiration for indie personal care brand Taos Aer, available now on Target.com. The clean beauty company previously was stocked at Credo and Anthropologie, to name a few retailers. According to Co-Founder Kristine Keheley, the deodorants are available in three scents—Palo Santo Blood Orange, Lavender Myrrh and Ginger Grapefruit—and are crafted from 100% naturally-derived ingredients and are housed in 100% curbside-recyclable packaging. According to Keheley, the 100% waterless deo is the first and only gel-to-powder clean deodorant in the category.

“Our goal is to create elevated essentials, like deodorants, that are staple products for daily usage but also with a more beautiful sensory experience,” Keheley said.

Also new in the space is a line from Thayers. The new spray deodorants contain the brand’s exclusive witch hazel aloe vera extract, which is grown on its family farm in Connecticut.

Grin and Bear It

During the pandemic, many consumers cancelled medical appointments, including routine dental cleanings. But like rust, plaque never sleeps—and dental professionals have been concerned about postponing treatment.

In fact, the American Dental Association (ADA) in August said it “respectfully yet strongly” disagreed with the World Health Organization’s recommendation to delay “routine” dental care in certain situations due to COVID-19.

“Oral health is integral to overall health,”  ADA President Chad P. Gehani, DDS, said in a statement.

While the makers of the largest brands (Crest/P&G and Colgate) command the lion’s share of the US market (see p.52), indie brands are proving to be influencers and start-ups continue to enter the sector with their own take on oral care formulation and packaging. For example, look out for Better & Better, which was set to launch in late October with unique ingredients and sustainable packaging.

A Bright Outlook

Keeping fresh won’t go out of style anytime soon. Mintel contends wellness is one trend that will shape intimate care and other categories for the next decade.

According to Gabrielle Lieberman, director of Mintel trends and social media research, Americas, “Wellbeing is no longer about simply wanting to look after oneself in broad terms, nor is it about the extremes of a total lifestyle change. Instead, a holistic approach is becoming a key motivator of consumer behavior, underpinned by convenience, transparency and value.”