Videos on TikTok feature a 1950s-style housewife posing next to tubs of ‘self-care melts’ from intimate care brand Juice. Priced at £45 each, these suppository-like products insert like tampons and dissolve to infuse the vagina with scents of strawberry, cherry, or peach.

Why Fruit Scents for Intimate Areas?

The brand promotes the idea that fruit fragrances beat natural odors, using phrases like ‘everyone would choose cherries over fish’ in social media clips. This approach taps into a growing market for intimate care products. The UK sector projects 5.39% growth through 2030, driven by over 70% of consumers feeling self-conscious about body odor, according to Unilever research.

Similar launches include Sure’s 2025 ‘whole body deo’ for 72-hour freshness in genital areas and Kourtney Kardashian’s 2023 Lemme Purr gummies aimed at enhancing vaginal freshness and taste.

Experts: Vaginas Are Self-Cleaning

Dr. Aziza Sesay, a women’s health specialist, states: ‘Vaginas are not supposed to smell like berries, roses, and flowers – they’re supposed to smell of vagina. These products encourage stigma and embarrassment around vulvovaginal health.’

Dr. Shirin Lakhani, an intimate health expert, explains: ‘A healthy vulva has a natural scent that changes throughout the menstrual cycle, with hormones, exercise, or diet. That’s biology, not a problem needing a fix. The vagina is self-cleaning, maintaining its bacterial balance. Fragranced products can disrupt this and raise infection risks.’

Marketing’s Impact on Women

Dr. Lakhani notes these products prey on discomfort with intimate health discussions, fostering insecurity. ‘Women rarely hear alternative views, making the topic feel isolating. Marketing pushes scents as the norm, implying something’s wrong otherwise.’

The brand frames its melts as ‘a little indulgence for an area left out of the beauty conversation.’ Dr. Lakhani observes a shift: ‘Modern campaigns pose as empowerment with terms like “feel fresh” or “boost confidence,” but tie it to desirability for others.’ The 1950s housewife imagery evokes eras of constant polish and appeal.

Potential Health Dangers

Women’s health advocate Valentina Milanova, founder of gynaecological care brand Daye, warns of ingredients like coconut oil, which can degrade condoms and heighten pregnancy or STI risks—a fact noted on the brand’s FAQ. Other components, including cacao butter, jojoba, flaxseed, almond and coconut oils, vanilla, stevia, vitamin E, and peach extract, may upset the vaginal microbiome, leading to irritation, infections, BV, candida, or UTIs.

Dr. Lakhani advises avoiding feminine hygiene products entirely. She recommends hydration, balanced diet, and GP visits for perimenopause, menopause, discomfort, itching, or discharge changes.

‘Our culture obsesses over optimization—from skin to sleep,’ Lakhani says. ‘Vulvas now join that trend. Framing normal as imperfect creates demand for solutions.’