In a world where “you are what you eat” has been drilled into our heads, shouldn’t the world now shift its focus on “you are what you put on your body?” According to the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, the vagina has evolved to become “a self-cleaning sex organ” that can process fluids much quicker than any other skin areas on your body. Due to the sensitivity and rapid absorbency of the vagina, we think you should bump up your feminine hygiene practices to the top of your “Self-Care” and “Treat Yo’self” to-do lists.
We, at The Pill Club, believe in introducing wholesome companies and organizations in each of your care package deliveries in order to enhance your lifestyle and healthcare decisions. So for the month of May and June (products so nice, we had to deliver ’em twice!), we have decided to partner with Good Clean Love to bring you some good, clean truth on how you can treat your body like the queen that you are. Stay tuned below to hear what our friends over at Good Clean Love have to say!
We had a lovely chat with Mackie Swan, Good Clean Love’s Director of Sales and Marketing. Her favorite part about working at GCL? How dedicated the company is to their mission and how the entire team goes above and beyond to improving women’s healthcare.
For the month of May, care package deliveries included the Bio-Match™ Restore™ Moisturizing Personal Lubricant. June deliveries included one of the following items: the Bio-Match™ Balance™ Moisturizing Personal Wash, the Almost Naked Organic Personal Lubricant, or the Rebalance™ Wipes.
So what’s the new news over at Good Clean Love since we last partnered in January of 2017?
Where do we start?! This year has been a busy one at Good Clean Love. We recently launched a new line of Bio-Match™ feminine hygiene products that are designed to help women maintain a stable feminine ecosystem. We’ve partnered with a biophysicist to formulate these products — they’re inspired by human biology and based on the scientific model of biomimicry, which studies nature’s models and uses these processes and designs to solve human problems.
The latest addition to the Bio-Match line is our newest personal lubricant, BioNude. Not only does it use the same Bio-Match™ technology (more on this later!) but it is totally unflavored and unscented, making it ideal for sensitive skin types.
A couple of other fun updates are that our flagship product, Almost Naked, became the world’s first Carbon Neutral lubricant — meaning all carbon emissions from production are offset by a sustainable agriculture project in Alabama. Pretty cool!
And, last July we were honored with the Compassionate Business Award from our friends at PETA, for our work promoting the use of human tissue testing in place of animal tests for lubricant safety data.
Needless to say, we’ve been a little busy around here! ;)
Tell us everything we need to know in a nutshell about why we should use organic products on our most valuable assets. Go!
We all know the importance of choosing organic when it comes to food choices, and it’s great to see that this shift is starting to happen in personal care products as well. It is important to pay attention to what you’re putting on the most sensitive tissue in your body! Choosing organic ingredients is a great start, and looking for nontoxic products is key. When your most valuable assets are exposed to toxic chemicals, it can lead to nasty side effects like itching and burning… no thank you!
Not sure where to start when it comes to looking for nontoxic ingredients? Check out the work from the folks at MADE SAFE, who put together this handy hazard list. They do the work for you in finding safe ingredients and products.
If you could say one thing to the companies that produce all our feminine hygiene products with all those unwanted chemicals, what would you say (passionate yelling is acceptable!!)?
Beyond passionate yelling, I’d say: It’s 2018, people, and time to make women’s health a priority! We all know that historically women have been given the short end of the stick with healthcare — everything from disparity in healthcare costs, to lack of scientific research, and the growing costs of drugs that treat painful sex for women… we are long overdue for a change. Making non-toxic products is often more expensive for the manufacturer, of course, but with women’s health on the line, we don’t see any other option.
What are some good beginner steps to practice when deciding to go organic with feminine hygiene products?
This is a great question, because it is super easy to get overwhelmed when you decide to make the shift to organic and non-toxic hygiene products. Here are a few places to start:
- Practice reading labels, and be on the lookout for things like parabens, petrochemicals and synthetic ingredients.
- Do your research! There are many online tools that will help you gauge the safety of any given product or ingredient, like the MADE SAFE list we mentioned above. Women’s Voices For The Earth is another great resource.
- Take baby steps. Don’t try to revamp your entire bathroom cabinet all at once. Instead, start looking for natural and organic alternatives as you run out of a specific product. This way you can replace your hygiene products in a manageable way.
We noticed that some of your products are certified “Bio-Matched.” Tell us more about that and what the vagina world is missing without this certification!
We’d LOVE to talk more about Bio-Match! The short answer is that our products are Bio-Matched to ideal vaginal conditions, meaning they mimic an optimal feminine ecosystem.
The long answer is that Bio-Match products have calibrated pH levels, salt balance, and the same type of beneficial lactic acid produced by good lactobacilli in healthy vaginas. This combination leads to a lubricating response and may promote strong feminine hygiene and helps address vaginal dryness, itching, odor or discomfort.
Good Clean Love engages in socially responsible and sustainable practices and serves as a model for other businesses in this light. We admire you for supporting the Change for Women Collective and donating 10% of your web proceeds to organizations that the collective supports. What inspired you to select this organization as the agent of change? How do they relate to your story/mission?
The Change for Women Collective is supported by an incredible group of business leaders, and we’re honored to be a part of it! It was an easy decision to make since Change For Women works to support the protection of health, human rights, and equality for women and girls everywhere. Their mission is perfectly aligned with our efforts to empower women and educate customers about their health and feminine hygiene.
Good Clean Love is “certified safe,” “organic,” AND vegan?! What is your ultimate goal in taking the route of being animal friendly?
To us, taking an animal-friendly approach is part of being an ethical business. That’s why our products don’t use any animal byproducts, and why we’ve partnered with PETA to work for regulatory change with animal testing on personal lubricants. Ultimately, our goal is to change the regulation so that all animal tests for lubricants are replaced with human tissue testing. Not only is this more humane, but it is also more accurate since animal tests don’t always accurately show whether a product is toxic on human tissue. Go figure!
Who’s your current femme crush?
Stephanie Beatriz, for sure. Between her crazy funny character on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, her advocacy for the LGBTQ community, and her candor sharing her own journey with sexuality — she is totally killing it right now. Plus, I’m a huge fan of the show and the way they mix all things representation with a healthy dose of humor!
Anything in the works you want to tell our members about?
We have some exciting new products in the works, but we have to keep quiet on the details for now. :) What we can say is that these projects will further our goal of helping women take control of their own health and bodies. It’s time to make feminine hygiene a priority!
A huge round of applause to Mackie and Good Clean Love for taking the time to ease our curious souls! How about 50 claps? 👏
We’re also quite social, and you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube.
By Melani Facundo, Social Media Manager & Partnerships Coordinator at The Pill Club.
