Our mission at Good Clean Love and our sister biotechnology company, Vaginal Biome Science, is to pioneer a new understanding of the critical role of the vaginal microbiome in addressing the recurrent and chronic conditions that women face in their vulvo-vaginal health by developing and delivering effective Bio-Match solutions to support the vaginal microbiome. Applying the science of biomimicry, our BioMatch product solutions are designed to help protect and maintain the optimal healthy state of the vaginal microbiome.
Decades of gut biome research has taught us both the high costs of antibiotic resistance from overuse and the need to develop a new understanding of how to support and strengthen the microbiome. What we are now coming to learn is that the microbiome is the leading immune protector throughout the body beginning with the sinus and oral microbiome, traveling through the gut and ending at the vaginal and rectal biomes. And yet, this awareness remains largely unknown as women’s health practice is still dominated by the overuse of antibiotic treatment for many common women’s health conditions.
The foundational principle behind the science of bio-mimicry and our patented Bio-Match solutions is to design and formulate products with the same physical and chemical characteristics as the body part the product is applied to. Giving the body what it is naturally accustomed to helps our body systems to recalibrate to their optimal, normal condition.
This common-sense approach to product formulation is largely ignored by manufacturers of vaginal products. Research has shown that use of many commercially available lubricants and vaginal washes are associated with development of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and susceptibility to viral and bacterial infections, in addition to the initial sloughing of layers of vaginal epithelial cells, the vagina’s first immune defense barrier. (1)
Good Clean Love's Bio-Match products avoid these problems by adhering to three foundational principles:
Osmolaltiy
It cannot be overstated how important it is for all vaginal products to be formulated as iso-osmotic with vaginal fluid. This means that the product will not disrupt the vaginal cells and impact the immune function of the vaginal epithelium, which is the first layer of cells that provide a barrier against bacteria.
Vaginal pH
Although many products claim to support normal vaginal pH, which is one of the most acidic pH levels in the body at 3.7 interior and 4.0 on the external labia, the pH cannot be controlled when the vaginal environment has already been disrupted. A healthy microbiome which maintains a bio-matched vaginal pH helps suppress harmful bacteria that compete for resources in vaginal fluid.
Lactic Acid
To match the type of lactic acid which is produced by healthy lactobacilli, the beneficial bacterial found in the vaginal microbiome, our Bio-Match products contain lactic acid as the primary pH adjuster. Not only does it lower pH of a product to match vaginal fluid, lactic acid suppresses pathogens better than other acids, such as acetic acid. This enables it to act as a natural preservative in the product without altering the vaginal microbiome upon use.
Together, these three attributes of Bio-Match products allow lactobacilli to flourish and support tissue health, creating an optimal vaginal microbiome. Essentially, they mimic what a healthy, functional vaginal ecosystem would normally do. Bio-Match Technology is a natural mechanism to support what the body knows how to do best: heal.
1. Ayehunie S, Wang, Y-Y, Landry T, Bogojevic S, Cone, RA. Hyperosmolal vaginal lubricants markedly reduce epithelial barrier properties in a three-dimensional vaginal epithelium model. Toxicological Reports. 2018; 5:134-140.
Wolf LK. Studies Raise Questions About Safety Of Personal Lubricants. C&EN 90(50):46-47. 10 December 2012.
