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 used to provide symptom relief for a number of vaginal conditions, including bacterial vaginosis (BV), yeast infection and genital herpes. The brand describes their products as “Powered by Nature, Proven by Science.”
But do FemiClear products contain ingredients proven to be effective for symptom relief, or are these just marketing claims? Do they contain any unhealthy additive ingredients? How do real users rate and describe their effects? And does homeopathy even work?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review clinical research explaining what homeopathy is and whether or not it’s effective. We’ll also review 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.
We’ll share real, unsponsored user reviews of FemiClear and explain what online retailer sells the product for the best price.
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 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 explains how the treatment is supposed to work as well as whether or not it’s effective:
FemiClear Herpes Ingredient Analysis
The above ingredient list is from FemiClear’s “Multi-Symptom” ointment for genital herpes symptoms.
While we would typically spend most of our time analyzing the active ingredients in a health product, in the case of a homeopathic product these ingredients will be dosed so low as to be inherently ineffective in our opinion, as discussed in the previous section.
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 ingredient 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 for 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.
Real FemiClear User Reviews
A TikTok user named “traumadumping69420” claims that FemiClear’s Multi-Symptom product is effective but has a bad smell:
@traumadumping69420 #greenscreen it really works! but it’s expensive and pungent AF. but still worth it! #herpestok #herpesgang #herpestok #femiclear #femiclearreview ♬ original sound - traumadumping69420
Another TikTok creator named “suzbub” reviewed FemiClear and claims that their products are effective:
@suzbub If you carry your own stigma around herpes, whether you know you have it or don’t, it’s time to unpack it 🧳! Get 20% off @FemiClear Vaginal Healthcare herpes relief products with promo code: herpesawarenessday20. Join me live tonight to own our status & slay the stigma. #HerpesAwarenessDay #FemiClear #ad #herpes #hsv #herpessupport ♬ original sound - suzbub
Where to Buy FemiClear for the Best Price
FemiClear is sold at a variety of online retailers. Below are the prices for the brand’s Multi-Symptom ointment:
Brand website: $59.99
CVS: $59.99
Walgreens: $59.99
Walmart: $26.75
Amazon: $24.75 (link to official product listing)
This is one of the larger price discrepancies we’ve seen in an Illuminate Health review. FemiClear is currently more than 50% cheaper on Amazon than on the official brand’s website.
Both the Amazon and Walmart listings are by third-party sellers, which may increase the risk of counterfeit items, so consumers that are more risk-averse may wish to purchase from the brand directly.
FemiClear Real Customer Reviews
Amazon reviews are a more objective source of information than a brand’s website in our opinion.
FemiClear Multi-Symptom Relief ointment has been reviewed over 1,000 times on Amazon with an average review rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review is written by a user named “Kara Shea” who claims the product was highly effective, but also notes that they used FemiClear in combination with another product:
“Using Femiclear I did get relief from the pain and the sores shrank significantly in ONE DAY. I probably should credit some of that to the valtrex as well, but this most definitely helped also. I’m on my second day and my sores have shrank in size and some have disappeared.”
The top negative review comes from a user named “JumpingFrog” who claims that the product smells bad and caused side effects:
“Do not buy this awful smelling crap! The burn, smell and itching that happened after I applied this was worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. Do yourself a favor and use some non toxic smelling vag cream, ice packs and hydrocortizone. Absolutely terrible.”
Interview With FemiClear Founder
A local news channel based in Maryland interviewed the founder of FemiClear whose name is Caroline Goodner.
She discusses the product, the testing that the brand has conducted, how COVID impacted their business and the stigma around herpes:
