'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABkAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABggQAAEEAgIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQRABMGEgUHIVIBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGEQABAwQDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMRAAQiQhQhMUH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/ALPjfq8cohyYsnygFyVaHDFSVsuuxd2wEKF0UAV+cwRMYVFlyGFr2KadWgrrr2KTV19q8YxZp5znXmU5o970FVziRcXS0OSUoSYAMbEfK//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kourtney Kardashian recently landed in hot waters after launching a brand-new pineapple gummy under her vitamin and supplement line called Lemme Purr. As per the reality star, the gummies have been curated to promote probiotic health and boost pH level by increasing the freshness and taste of v*ginas.
The KUWTK alum took to Instagram to share a promotional video for the gummies. She shared that her company has combined “real pineapple and vitamin C with the power of clinically-studied SNZ 1969™ probiotics to target vaginal health and pH levels that support freshness and taste.”
In the video, Kardashian can be seen lying on the floor, circled by CGI cats, while eating a yellow-colored pineapple gummy. Shortly after the launch of the product, several social media users called out the media personality over her latest endeavor.
Twitter user @/GrammaToody slammed Kourtney Kardashian for allegedly promoting the idea that natural woman “aren’t good enough” and dubbed the Kardashians as “nitwits with money”:
Kourtney Kardashian began establishing her career in the wellness industry after launching her blog Poosh in 2019 and eventually creating a line of health supplements called Lemme last year.
The controversial gummies are the latest addition to her vitamin supplement line and is set to release around Valentine’s Day.
Experts slam Kourtney Kardashian over new gummies launch
Kourtney Kardashian’s wellness gummies sparked immediate backlash on social media, and several women’s health experts came forward to advise against its usage.
Dr Melanie Bone, an OBGYN and member of Daye’s medical board, a gynecological health research and development company, told The Independent that artificial products pertaining to women’s health should be used with caution:
“Brands should not try to advance artificial insecurities forced upon women and AFAB [assigned female at birth] individuals.”
She added that while the Lemme Purr gummies contain probiotics which help support the health of the microbiome already present in the organ, ingredients like pineapple extract are “less credible”:
“There is no validated clinical data that suggests you can, or should, alter the way your va*ina tastes.”
The doctor also said that using perfumed antibacterial sprays and douches is unnecessary, as the female organ is already capable of “self-cleaning”:
“The pH balance of your v*gina – whether it’s acidic or basic – plays an important part in determining whether it’s healthy. These scented products can upset the normal pH level of around 4.5 in the v*gina, which in turn, can increase the risk of infections, so it’s best to avoid them.”
London-based Dr. Anita Mitra, a gynecologist and scientist with a PhD in the v*ginal microbiome, also took to social media to explain why she would not spend money on celebrity-endorsed probiotic products.
She said that probiotics are “not a panacea for health” and the terms probiotic” and “microbiome” are more than “great marketing buzzwords.”
Dr Mitra further shared that there is no scientific evidence showing that everyone needs a probiotic:
“If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it.”
She continued that even though there are many types of probiotics, she would not recommend the type launched by Kourtney Kardashian’s brand:
“The marketing for this gummy states it has been ‘clinically studied.’ Spoiler alert: this specific probiotic has not been particularly well-researched with regards to v*ginal healtho. There are many other types that have been more extensively studied.”
The doctor also advised women to seek advice from a healthcare professional regarding their concerns instead of taking advice from a celebrity. Mitra also shared that she felt Kardashian’s product was was “anti-feminist” in nature:
“This is anti-feminist. Anyone who tells you that you need to change the taste or smell of your vulva or v*gina is working with the patriarchy. And while we are at it, let’s stop using the cat emoji to refer to our anatomy.”
Dr Mitra also spoke about the gummies during an interview with the Daily Mail and dubbed the product “problematic”:
“It’s incredibly problematic. I understand that the celebrity in question does not understand the science behind v*ginal health and probiotics. However, in 2023, it’s disappointing to see a woman shaming other women into buying a product by suggesting that they need to change the smell and taste of their v*gina.”
Dr. Brooke Vandermole, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist known for sharing her insights on women’s health on her social media, also told the publication that there is “no merit” to Kardashian’s suggestion that the gummies “target” wellness.
“In a healthy person – one who doesn’t suffer with recurrent infections – there is no reliable scientific evidence that taking probiotics have any beneficial effect”
She said that probiotics can contain “any number of different bacteria” and we people are not aware if the ones on Kourtney Kardashian’s supplement “have been tested and show any benefit or that when taken orally, they will even reach the v*gina.”
Dr. Vandermole also dismissed the claim that the pineapple gummies can help with “freshness, odor and taste”:
“All v*ginas have an individual smell and taste which will vary according to your menstrual cycle, exercise patterns and your diet. The odor of discharge is important for the function of the v*gina because it means a healthy balance of bacteria are present in the v*ginal microbiome.”
Dr. Vandermole also claimed that Kardashian’s product is “misogynistic and anti-feminist”:
“It is purely misogynistic and anti-feminist to suggest that v*ginas are somehow unclean or unhygienic because their natural smell doesn’t fit in with the ideal provided in mainstream media and p*rn.”
She also said that Kourtney Kardashian’s promotional advertising for the gummies was “crude and vulgar,” and showed that the creator was concerned “about the opinion of the person interacting with the v*gina-owner” rather than the consumer.
The doctor added that the advertisement contributed to “the objectification of women” and reduced them to “s*xual objects” by “depersonalizing them from their genitalia.”
Vandermole also said that celebrity endorsements are a “risky area” as there is “little regulation” around the contents of the products and what they claim to be able to do for the customer.
“Some parts of the industry are not subject to the same levels of scrutiny as a medication would be, so it is difficult to know how much research has gone into the ingredients that supplements and probiotics contain. Celebrities will often have no idea what value the products may have in real life, and align themselves with a product because they like the marketing.”
In addition to experts, social media users also criticized Kardashian’s product on Instagram:
As reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if Kourtney Kardashian will address the reception of her product and the ongoing criticism in the days to come.
