Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to genital health and sexually transmitted infections.
FemiClear is a homeopathic medicine brand sold by a company called OrganiCare. It's used for a number of vaginal conditions, including bacterial vaginosis (BV), yeast infection and genital herpes, and the brand describes their products as “Powered by Nature, Proven by Science.”
But does FemiClear contain ingredients proven to be effective for symptom relief? Does it contain any unhealthy additives? Is homeopathy proven to be ineffective? And is FemiClear better or worse than popular women's health brands like URO?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we share our concerns about homeopathy and compare FemiClear to other popular women's vaginal health brands.
We’ll also analyze the ingredients in FemiClear’s genital herpes ointment, which is the brand’s most popular product, to give our take on whether or not it’s likely to be effective.
Key takeaways:
- Research has proven homeopathy to be ineffective
- Inactive ingredients in FemiClear may relieve vaginal irritation
- We do not currently recommend FemiClear
What is Homeopathy and Does it Work?
Homeopathy is a practice that involves using extremely small quantities of active ingredients to treat a condition.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) documents how homeopathic practitioners claim that the lower the dose of the medication, the more effective it is, which defies basic logic.
A meta-study published in the Medical Journal of Australia analyzed data from tens of clinical trials on homeopathy.
The study authors concluded that homeopathy is ineffective for all health conditions: "The findings of currently available Cochrane reviews of studies of homeopathy do not show that homeopathic medicines have effects beyond placebo."
As we discussed in our review on another homeopathic product called AZO Yeast Plus, we have not come across any convincing evidence that homeopathic treatments (whether oral or topical) are effective.
An animated YouTube video on homeopathy has over 10 million views and discusses how the treatment is supposed to work, as well as whether or not it’s effective:
FemiClear Herpes Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in FemiClear Multi-Symptom Ointment for genital herpes symptoms are shown below:
While we would typically analyze the active ingredients, in the case of a homeopathic product, these ingredients are dosed so low as to be inherently ineffective, so there's no need to do so.
Some of the inactive ingredients in this formulation may help with symptom relief however.
Beeswax may help to repair skin barrier function according to a 2017 clinical trial.
Colloidal oatmeal is a highly effective choice for an ointment used to reduce skin irritation.
As we documented in our Dermalogica review article, this compound has been clinically shown to improve skin hydration and repair the skin barrier.
Oxygenated olive oil was shown in a medical review published in the Medical Gas Research journal to be highly effective for wound healing, and genital herpes can sometimes cause open sores.
Essential oil seems like a strange ingredient for a genital cream.
Not only are some essential oils shown in clinical studies to be irritating to skin, but we don’t understand the purpose of a fragrance ingredient in an ointment used to reduce symptoms related to a genital herpes outbreak.
Overall, we consider FemiClear Multi-Symptom Relief ointment to be potentially effective for the reduction of irritation and other symptoms caused by genital herpes.
We actually consider the inactive ingredients likely to be effective rather than the active ingredients, which is highly uncommon, but in the case of a homeopathic remedy, the inactive ingredients are included at a significantly higher dose than the active ingredients.
FemiClear vs. Popular Vaginal Health Products
Here's how FemiClear compares to other popular vaginal health products in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Uqora
Contains some research-backed active ingredients for urinary tract infection (UTI) prevention and is not a homeopathic remedy, making it the clear winner from a potential effectiveness standpoint.
Winner: Uqora
URO
Contains probiotic species which are clinically shown to successfully treat BV, as we documented in our URO review.
Huge advantage in potential efficacy.
Winner: URO
AZO Yeast Plus
Contains an active ingredient that's clinically shown to cause yeast infections.
Also a homeopathic remedy.
Winner: FemiClear
Interview With FemiClear Founder
A local news channel based in Maryland interviewed the founder of FemiClear whose name is Caroline Goodner.
She discussed the product, the testing that the brand has conducted, how COVID impacted their business, and the stigma around herpes:
Our Clean Vaginal Health Picks
MBG Omega-3 Potency+ is our top vaginal moisture pick.
Oral supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids has been clinically shown to relieve vaginal dryness in some individuals.
MBG Vitamin D3 Potency+ is our top vaginal health pick.
A 2015 meta-analysis reported that treatment of vitamin D deficiency "is an effective method in the treatment of asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis."
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
FemiClear Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Effective inactive ingredients
- Mostly positive Amazon reviews
- Highly positive Google reviews
- Cost on brand's website has dropped significantly
- Free shipping from brand's website
Cons:
- Homeopathic treatment
- Extremely low doses of active ingredients
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
