International Women’s Day: Hygiene gets ayurvedic touch

Boosted by initiatives of the Ministry of MSME, ayurveda researchers and indigenous industry players have worked around the use of strong chemicals in personal hygiene products for women and developed a formulation using natural ingredients like turmeric and green tea, an achievement that promises to add sheen to Indian herbal products’ global appeal.

Instead of sulphate, silicon and petroleum products that are commonly used in hygiene wash for women, researchers have relied upon ayurvedic medicines in the new formulation whose development comes as good news for millions of women ahead of the International Women’s Day, observed every year on March 8.

As per conservative estimates, 8 out of every 10 women in the country are vulnerable to infection. About 80 percent women, fail to attend to their own personal hygiene needs and tend to underestimate the fallout of such negligence.

Researchers involved in developing Ayouthveda Vagitone intimate hygiene wash, relied heavily on ayurvedic medicinal ingredients to replace chemicals used in conventional cleaners and recommended the use aloe vera, amla, butea and haridra for washing off infections without killing healthy bacteria.

Sanchit Sharma, executive director of AIMIL Pharma, said, “Ayouthveda Vagitone uses time-tested ayurvedic and anti-bacterial properties of herbs to replace chemicals like silicon and artificial colours used in hygiene products for internal organs of women.”

Apart from the use of ayurvedic medicinal elements in vaginal hygiene wash, researchers have supplemented the Vagitone formulation with natural fragrances and employed refining techniques endorsed by the Fragrance & Flavour Development Centre (FFDC), Kannauj, an institution set up by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) ministry.

Delhi-based ayurveda hospital’s director R P Parashar said, “Chemical-based personal hygiene products need to be used with care as these carry a risk of side-effects. In this context, hygiene products with natural ingredients and ayurvedic medicinal elements are a big boon for women.”

Through its R&D the Central government-run FFDC recently prepared the natural face serum and fragrance, and transferred the technology to pharma manufacturers, giving impetus to use of natural ingredients in place of chemicals in healthcare products.