Barbara Obermayer
Head of RAHN-Cosmetic ActivesRAHN AG
Intimate hygiene is entering a new phase. Usage is already mainstream, but the category is becoming more selective and more educated. According to Mintel, US usage of any intimate hygiene product increased strongly from 2022 to 2025 before softening slightly in 2026, while UK usage remains substantial. At the same time, consumers place growing importance on vaginal health, pH, microbiome, product choice and ingredient quality.
This creates an opportunity for brands to move beyond “freshness” and “cleansing” toward a more sophisticated promise: comfort, balance and barrier respect for delicate skin.
What consumers are telling us about intimate care
- They connect intimate health with overall wellbeing.
- They believe product choice can influence intimate comfort and vaginal health.
- They pay more attention to ingredients and materials.
- They respond to education, especially through social media. They want products that feel gentle, safe, natural and credible.
Implication for formulators: intimate care should be developed with the same care principles as sensitive skin care: mildness, hydration, barrier support, microbiome respect and proof.
The skin microbiota plays an important role in maintaining skin balance. External influences can disturb this ecological system, leaving skin more vulnerable and prone to irritation. DEFENSIL®-PURE ECO combines the beneficial properties of golden millet with fermentation products of lactobacilli. This postbiotic active ingredient with prebiotic properties and is produced through controlled fermentation.
For rinse-off and intimate care concepts, DEFENSIL®-PURE ECO offers a highly relevant benefit profile:
- Hydrates the skin in rinse-off applications.
- Relieves the feeling of itching in the intimate area.
- Supports sensitive and delicate skin-area positioning.
In a rinse-off study, DEFENSIL®-PURE ECO significantly improved skin hydration by 59.7% after 30 minutes and 24.2% after one day. In an intimate-care study, DEFENSIL®-PURE ECO showed significant itching relief versus placebo starting at day 3; at day 8, 100% of the DEFENSIL®-PURE ECO group were free of itching
Postbiotic comfort care for the intimate area
Supporting claims:
- Supports gentle intimate cleansing concepts
- Helps maintain skin hydration in rinse-off applications
- Relieves the feeling of itching in the intimate area
- Supports sensitive and delicate skin areas
- Microbiome-aware care for modern feminine hygiene Inspired by fermentation, designed for comfort