Nowadays, due to the growing awareness of women about the importance of proper hygiene of the body and intimate areas, there is an increasing demand for cosmetic products for cleansing and nourishing the intimate areas on the Slovenian market. These are designed to alleviate and eliminate the most common problems of the intimate area faced by the female population - dryness and itching, unpleasant odour, burning sensation, and vaginal or fungal infections. Cosmetic products for intimate care must respect the complex anatomy of the external genitalia and vagina, as well as the higher sensitivity and permeability of the mucous membranes in this area, by selecting the appropriate technological formulation and ingredients. In this thesis, we have selected 50 cosmetic products for female intimate care that are available in pharmacies, drugstores and on their websites. The selected cosmetic products have been classified into 3 groups according to their purpose - cleansing and nourishing cosmetic products and medical devices. Within these 3 groups, the individual products were then analysed further in terms of their technological form as well as their cosmetic active and inactive ingredients. After reviewing the cleansing cosmetic products for the intimate area, we concluded that the most commonly used technological form was liquid soap. In terms of composition, these differed from other cleansing cosmetic products in terms of the amount of surfactants, pH value, amount of foam etc. Of the surfactants, non-ionic surfactants were the most predominant (e.g. PEG-7-glyceryl cocoate, coco-glucoside etc.) due to their mildness and low potential for skin irritation. The most common technological forms for intimate area care were hydrogels and hydrophilic creams, which offer immediate moisturisation and refreshment to the user, without a greasy feeling. The most commonly used group of cosmetically active ingredients in both cleansing and skincare cosmetic products were moisturisers, mainly glycerol. Lactic acid was also a common choice, as its low pH value respects and maintains the natural acidity of the vagina. Plant extracts were also frequently used, mostly those with moisturising, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, e.g. aloe vera extract. In group 3, we classified products that are also intended for use on intimate areas but are regulated under a different regulation, i.e. medical devices. We found that most of them were intended for the complementary treatment of vaginal fungal or bacterial infections. The main differences that distinguish medical devices from cosmetic products are the purpose of use and the claims made on the products, the place of application, and the regulation, which is stricter for medical devices compared to cosmetic products.
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