Lume Deodorant | Outrageously Effective Whole Body Deodorant

Feminine hygiene has a dark story to tell that began in the late 1800s when Lysol began promoting itself as a douching agent. Yes, you read that right—Lysol, the household cleaner.

Historically, women have tortured themselves with all kinds of vaginal cleansing methods from steaming and toweling to actually placing herbs internally.

Lysol was the first company to market itself commercially as a douching agent. The companies that followed—like Summer’s Eve and Massengill, for instance—made them portable. “Drive through douching” on the go, so to speak.

This is all garbage. The vagina is not to blame.

The odors women notice are external the vast majority of the time, and these are the same odor reactions that men experience, too. It’s all about how bacteria digest sweat and other funky junk on our skin. All humans have body odor, there is no such thing as “feminine” odor. It’s just odor.

By 1911, Lysol had been linked to five deaths and 193 poisonings. In response, the company advised women to dilute the product before use. What are the odds this “solution” came from a man?

The Lysol marketing message voiced concerns over a woman neglecting her feminine hygiene and causing marital discord.

Then other companies followed suit and one even thoughtfully marketed apricot flavored douches.

During the 1970’s, a lot happened.

Massengill came out with a disposable douche that was premixed for any time of the month. This was a significant advancement, considering women had to use some kind of hose system that looked like a torture device prior to that.

Vaginal douches are like cigarettes. Even though doctors say don’t do it, people do it anyway.

Vaginal deodorant pellets called Norforms that literally smell like room deodorizers hit the market next. They are a glycerin solid at room temperature, and when these little “Glade” pellets are placed into the vagina, they melt. It’s like a Tic Tac for your hoo-hoo.

Deodorant tampons are the same thing. A fragrance is added to the tampons themselves, and they smell a bit like carpet cleaner or air freshener. Gynecologists do not recommend these, but they are not necessarily harmful.

Vagisil was a voice against vaginal shaming. It was proudly invented during the peak of the feminist movement (but before effective yeast remedies). Two women developed it for a common issue experienced by women at the time—external vulvar itching.

It’s a numbing cream. It was a step in the right direction. The focus was not internal, but it’s called Vagisil. It should be called "Vulvasil" since it is meant for external use.

Also in the ’70s, the inventor of Lume Deodorant was born

Dr. Shannon Klingman was inspired to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN by her mom, a nurse who told great stories around the dinner table.

As a gynecologist, seeing patients in the office who voiced concerns about odor was common, and Dr. Klingman wasn’t satisfied with the options for women:

1) Women can attempt to cover up odor at home with products that are ineffective at best and can often make the problem worse. (See all the examples above.)

2) Women go to the doctor and are sent home with an antibiotic that is most often not necessary. A study conducted in 2007 showed that providers overdiagnose BV 61% of the time and yeast vaginitis 73% of the time.

3) Women are told to use soap and water. High quality soap and water do a good job of eliminating the grime, sweat, and bodily fluids that build up, for the time being. But our skin is actually able to absorb odors, so soap and water can only fix one part of the problem.

For day to day odors anywhere but our armpits, there wasn’t an effective solution.

Nearly 50 years had passed since the introduction of Vagisil, highlighting a need for a more innovative approach to hygiene. Lume Deodorant was born from a desire for a scientifically backed solution that prioritized body positivity and confidence, rather than creating insecurities.

Please do not douche!

You do not need suppositories inserted into the vagina to control odor. If you have internal vaginal odor, you need to see your doctor.

You do not need deodorant tampons.

Lume has boldly changed the narrative on feminine hygiene by proving through clinical testing that the real culprit of most body odor is actually the bacteria on the skin digesting bodily fluids. The same reaction in our underarms happens EVERYWHERE on our body—pits, underboobs, tummy folds, thigh creases, vulvas, balls, butt cheeks, feet, and more.

By taking the science in a whole new innovative direction, Lume solved ALL body odor.

If you want to get one step ahead of odor right out of the shower, check out Lume Acidified Body Wash and Cleansing Bar. They are both pH optimized to control odor and clinically proven to remove odor better than soap. So you only have to decide if you like to use a gel or a solid bar better.

Lume Acidified Deodorant Wipes are also clinically proven to control odor for 24 hours. They're great to keep in your car, handbag, or pocket for those times when you're caught in the middle of something and need a quick refresher between showers.

Odor: We all have it. With Lume, it's optional.

Did you Lume today?