Womenyeast infections UTIsWomen

Sweet Peach Probiotics Will Target Yeast Infections And UTIs, Not Vaginal Odor (UPDATE)

Sweet Peach Actually Does Not Want Your Vagina To Smell Like Ripe Fruit
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By 

Deputy Editor, HuffPost Women

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If you've ever suffered from yeast infections or UTIs, Sweet Peach could help you. But if you're hoping this probiotic will make your nether regions smell like ripe fruit, you're out of luck.

It was previously reported, by this outlet among many others including Inc., Business Insider, BuzzFeed and ValleyWag, that "Sweet Peach" was designed by two men -- Austen Heinz and Gilad Gome -- and would make a woman's vagina smell like ripe fruit.

In reality, Sweet Peach is a personalized probiotic designed by 20-year-old student Audrey Hutchinson, that was created to help women manage UTIs and yeast infections. Heinz is a minority stakeholder in the Sweet Peach company, owning 10 percent. Gome is not involved with Sweet Peach at all, but works on another personalized probiotic. Heinz and Gome's presentations at this week's DEMO conference, along with Heinz's subsequent interviews with various media outlets, including this one, caused confusion about the product's purpose.

Hutchinson became interested in probiotics -- orally-administered pills that introduce beneficial bacteria into the body -- after her own recurring experiences with yeast infections and UTIs, caused by imbalances in bacteria. Hutchinson told HuffPost that most probiotics currently on the market offer "a one-size-fits-all" approach -- something she says is often ineffective.

According to Hutchinson, Sweet Peach will provide women with kits allowing them to swab their vaginas at home, then mail the swab into a lab which will sequence the genomes of their vaginal bacteria. Sweet Peach will then create a personalized probiotic -- targeting UTIs and yeast infections -- based on each woman's swab. Women will be able to purchase a monthly regimen or a longer "subscription" based on their needs. More information will be available when the company launches their crowdfunding campaign this coming week.

"It's nothing about scent," Hutchinson told The Huffington Post in a phone interview. "A vagina should smell like a vagina, and anyone who doesn't think that doesn't deserve to be near one."

Heinz told The Huffington Post in a phone interview that his involvement with the company is that of a stakeholder, and that he fully supports Hutchinson's work and regrets not mentioning her in his presentation this week. He also clarified that while he thinks it's scientifically possible to make a vagina smell like a peach, that is not the goal behind Sweet Peach.

"I never said anything about making vaginas smell like peaches," Heinz told HuffPost. "The commercial product is not scented. [The goal is] to restore normal, healthy scent -- as a byproduct of being healthy and not having these infections."

Hutchinson also hopes that the product will empower women by giving them more information about their bodies, and offering targeted solutions to often embarrassing problems.

"This way people don't have to go to clinics, or pay to see a doctor," Hutchinson told HuffPost. "It's an affordable way for women to have agency in their reproductive health."

This article was updated and revised from its originally published version to address misinformation and omissions regarding Sweet Peach and its product, and with regard to Heinz and Gome's relationship to the company.

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Before You Go

6 Ridiculous Products That Make Women Less "Gross"
#1: Vaginal Douches (01 of06)
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Here's the thing: In addition to having the power to usher actual human beings into the world, vaginas also have their own distinct scent. "A healthy vagina will usually have some sort of smell, but the scent may vary day-to-day depending on how active you are," Cosmopolitan explains. Vaginal douches are generally marketed to women as means of reducing that perfectly healthy and natural odor, fueling totally unnecessary insecurities. Added bonus: They're not safe! "Repetitive douching disrupts the normal organisms that reside in the vagina and can actually increase your risk of vaginal infection," explains the Mayo Clinic. In other words, douching puts women at risk for certain infections that can actually lead to unwanted odors and discharge. Just say no. (credit:Getty)
#2: Anti-Cellulite Products(02 of06)
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The manufacturers of anti-cellulite devices and creams have made millions upon millions of dollars convincing women they hold the secret to getting rid of dimpled skin on the backs of women's thighs. But as Dr. Molly Wanner, a professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School who wrote a 2008 review of the existing options told The New York Times: "There is no outstanding treatment for cellulite." So let's all agree not to buy into the idea that there's anything wrong with some uneven skin and, therefore, agree to stop spending money on products that are backed by very little evidence. Or, if your cellulite really rankles you, remember that "weight loss -- through healthy diet and regular exercise -- is probably the most beneficial cellulite treatment," the Mayo Clinic says. (credit:Getty)
#3: Pubic Hair Dye(03 of06)
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Yes, it's a thing. And no, we can't even begin to wrap our heads around this one. Though manufacturers say pubic hair dyes are designed to be safe and can help with pressing questions about identity ("Are you a true blonde? Of course you are!" says pubic hair dye maker Betty's website) the bigger question is ... huh? Or, as O Magazine put it,"Who cares if the drapes don't match the rug (or whatever)? Who cares if you're going gray?" (credit:Shutterstock)
#4: The Camel Toe Guard(04 of06)
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Yes, this too, is a thing that exists. The Cuchini, an adhesive pad you place in the front of your underwear, solves a total non-problem -- the abject horror that supposedly ensues when your spandex or jeans creep up and give you camel toe, thereby blinding every human being who looks upon your groin for the rest of his or her days. (credit:Getty)
#5: Scented Pads And Tampons(05 of06)
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Yes, most women have a "menstrual scent" as Livestrong puts it, but once again it is, in most cases, perfectly natural and can be easily managed with basic hygiene, i.e., showering regularly and changing your feminine product. According to the Mayo Clinic, scented pads and tampons are yet more products that can lead to infections, like vaginitis (which can lead to itching, discharge and pain), because they're potential irritants. (credit:Getty)
#6: "Poo-Pourri"(06 of06)
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As the famous book tells us, "Everybody Poops," but going to the bathroom apparently causes grown women all kinds of agida. (To wit: The Cut's awesome battle-cry urging women to "Lean in and poop at the office already.") Poo-pourri takes those "bathroom fears" and runs with them. The secret to a good relationship? Leaving the bathroom smelling better than you found it. Which, we suppose, means that the rest of us who think it's perfectly ok to go, flush and not give it a second thought are what, exactly? Condemned to a life of eternal spinsterhood? (credit:Getty)
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