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Formulating for the Vagina
I need to make 2 products for the vagina. Both should have natural or green raw materials, etc. The product(s) will be applied on to the vaginal skin area. there is a good chance it will enter the body cavity.
Project 1- Some type of vaginal product (balm,serum, thin gel,lite cream, could be any of these) for post-menopausal women to help with vaginal dryness and irritation, for daily use.
Project 2 - A natural arousal product (balm,serum, thin gel,lite cream, could be any of these) -for post menopausal. They want to us L-arginine. What is the treat rate for this?
Any suggestions or formulations? How do I check for osmolality?
Thanks! -
87 Replies
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Vaginal products are outside the definition of a cosmetic.
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Vaginal lubricants are regulated (in the US) as 510K Medical Devices and the required testing is the same as for lubricated condoms … it can be an expensive undertaking.
Arousal products that are designed to be applied to the clitoris to enhance stimulation, interestingly enough, are regulated as cosmetics.
If the product enters the body cavity, be prepared for a 510K classification.
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@MarkBroussard- thanks for the heads up! Do you have any suggestions for a female arousal stimulant? The customer said they do not want to use L-Arginine?
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You can try Menthol, Menthyl Lactate, Capsacin, Niacin, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Extract, Ginger Extract, Methyl Nicotinate, Vanillyl Butyl Ether or some combination of the above.
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Menthol? Ouch!
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LOL! … I agree, Perry … I would not put it on my skin, but there are some products in this category that do contain menthol.
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I hope you have a lot of product liability insurance and make sure all your vendors do also.
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Thanks for the suggestions! Menthol doesn’t sound that great either.
This is an adult toy company! As for a vagina balm with natural ingredients… Is there any rule of thumb of what “natural oils” that could be used in the vaginal area? What to avoid? This product is suppose to help with dryness and be a daily use product for post menopausal females.
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Oils around a vagina … you’re asking for lots of trouble, imo. Lots of women get infections when oils are introduced into the vaginal area.
No offense, but it sounds like you have not done nearly enough research on the vaginal environment to formulate the products you’re asking about.
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Check with United Guardian about their Lubrajel products. For cosmetics it needs to go through Ashland, but I think they sell medical products directly.
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@MarkBroussard no offense taken. I know I haven’t done alot of research yet and I am not getting alot of help from work left by the previous chemists either. I was just given this project and learning the about complexities of it now. If you have any suggested reading sources I am happy to research them.
Can any body tell me how do you test for Osmolality? what is the magic range for a health vagina?
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@bobzchemist thanks!
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What I would suggest you do as a first pass of research is study the competitive products on the market. You’re going to want to stick with aqueous-based products on both, avoid oils.
On the lubricant side, take a look at Yes! Yes! Yes! as a development model.
For the clitoral stimulation gel, I would strongly consider just taking your lubricant formulation and adding some Menthyl Lactate (cooling agent) and a warming agent (see post above) to create this product.
When formulating for the vaginal area, pH is very important (4.2 to 4.5) as is your preservative choice as the natural-flora bacteria are very important to maintaining good vaginal health.
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@MarkBroussard thanks i have all weekend to do more homework!
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anecdote time, related to @MarkBroussard‘s list above: I once got a sample of vanillyl butyl ether, and put a drop on the back of my hand to test it out; five minutes later, my hand felt like it was on fire, and stayed like that for several hours
needless to say, were I formulating a product for use on the genitals, it would not contain vanillyl butyl ether
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LOL! @Bill_Toge … there are people who do some crazy things … I personally don’t understand the “need” to put stimulating cooling/warming substances on a clitoris … I certainly would not put it on my genitals.
Now. let’s be objective … you put straight 100% Vanillyl butyl either on the back of your hand … a vaginal stimulation product might contain 0.1% or less.
Your analogy is like warning people not to eat Tabasco Sauce because you poured the entire bottle on your steak.
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@MarkBroussard Putting some type of stimulant on the clitoris is the same as for a man with Viagra to a degree. Through health issues or old the clitoris becomes desensitized. More like what ever works… Question is does it really work? Who knows. This could a “bill of goods” or a “hope and prayer”.
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Viagra and Clitoral Stimulants … not exactly a direct correlation … in one case you’re increasing blood flow through internal (via a drug) vasodilation … in the other case you’re trying to increase vasodilation by putting known skin irritants on the clitoris and tricking the nerve endings into thinking they’re feeling something … the warming/cooling agents.
I’m curious if any women have tried taking Viagra to see if they observe any enhanced stimulation?
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@MarkBroussard Male or female want to have more stimulation to have a better sexual experience. I looked at the article and would be curious about the test population.
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Nothing beats a fertile imagination and an agile tongue.
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@MarkBroussard that is why I think I am going to love working in the sex biz right now. I have both! :p
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LOL! @Chemist5000! … Have you ever tasted Vanillyl Butyl Ether? … LOL!
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@MarkBroussard no i haven’t I will see if we have any in stock….is it safe to put on nipples?
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I’d say it’s probably safer to put on a nipple than on a clitoris … but, heed @Bill_Toge‘s warning, and dilute it to 0.1% … don’t put it on neat for godsakes.
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