Vulval Oil vs. Vaginal Moisturiser: Which is Best for Vaginal Hydration?

January 16, 2025

Women's bodies go through a lot, day to day and throughout life. A lot of life’s ups and downs impact on vaginal health and as health and hormones fluctuate, so does the dryness of vaginas.

Over time it is becoming less taboo to talk about vaginal health and being open about the symptoms many ladies are suffering from. In turn, more products are entering the market to help with all manner of conditions, but how do you know which is the right one for you?

We want to make sure women make informed decisions and feel empowered when it comes to managing their vaginal health so, in this article, we are going to explore two product types: Vulval Oils and Vaginal Moisturisers to look at how they impact vaginal hydration and depending on your symptoms, how to know which is the best for you.

Understanding Vaginal Hydration

Vaginal hydration is a key component of vaginal health and for the comfort of women in day-to-day life. There are a whole host of vaginal dryness symptoms from general discomfort to itching and burning in and around the vagina. Dryness can also cause painful sex and an increase in UTIs, all of which can impact quality of life and relationships.

The walls of the vagina are made up of different layers of tissue, topped with a layer of mucous membranes that produces natural lubrication for the vagina. When having spells of vaginal dryness, the natural moisture is lost and these membranes become thin, dry, and less elastic. When the mucous membranes become dry, they are more sensitive and prone to injury so rehydrating these tissues will help keep the vagina healthy and happy, as well as the lady who owns it. Restoring the moisture in the vagina will then help with the elasticity of the vagina, encourage natural lubrication and be more comfortable.

Hormonal fluctuations are the main cause of vaginal dryness. Menopause, pregnancy, and menstruation are all times when women's hormones are changing and can cause vaginal dryness. But medications, cancer treatments and lifestyle factors such as diet or using soaps and fragrances not meant for the genitals can also play a role.

Nowadays there are a host of products that claim they will rehydrate the vaginal tissue, let us look at two types, oils and moisturisers and see which is best suited if you are suffering from vaginal dryness.

Vulval Oil – Will it hydrate the skin?

Vulval oils are designed to soothe dry vulval tissue, which can provide relief from vulval dryness. Sometimes they can be called Vaginal Oil, however many state they are not for internal use, this typically means they do not meet compliance requirements for Vaginal use and should not be applied within the vagina. We recommend you always check this to make sure by looking for a CE or CA mark on the packaging.

Many vulval oils made for your intimate area are made from natural ingredients such as sweet almond oil, coconut oil and vitamin E, which will help calm and provide comfort to dry skin. Vulval tissues are not normal skin, they are a hybrid of vaginal mucosa and skin, more sensitive than skin and more robust than vaginal mucosa.

Oils soothe skin but cannot moisturise as they contain no water. Many oils are emollients, they help ‘lock in’ moisture by creating a film on the skin, which helps make it softer but cannot rehydrate it.

Pros and Cons of using Vulval Oils:

Pros:

- Easy application

- Creates protective layer

- Soothes Vulval tissue

Cons:

- Many are not suitable for internal vaginal use

- Can feel greasy/oily

- Cannot rehydrate Vulval tissues

- Do not contain water

- Cannot influence tissue pH

Vaginal Moisturisers for vaginal dryness

Vaginal moisturisers are designed to add moisture back into the sensitive vaginal and vulval tissues which will aid with elasticity and promote the natural lubrication of your vagina.

Choosing a product that is going to support the natural balance of the vagina and vulva will deliver the best results. One key indicator is Osmolality:

What is osmolality?

Your body is made up of more than 50% water which contains a mixture of salts, sugars, and other substances. Osmolality is the measurement of how these substances are dissolved in the water.

When it comes to a vaginal moisturiser, osmolality is important because it tell us how similar the moisturiser is to our natural bodily fluids. The moisturiser needs to be the right osmolality to keep things balanced and prevent irritation. If it’s too different from your body's fluids (too high or too low), it could potentially pull moisture out of your tissues or make things feel uncomfortable.

A vaginal moisturiser that is iso-osmotic, meaning that it will only rehydrate the tissues that need it, is the best suited for your intimate area. This will gently rehydrate dry tissues or rehydrate as needed, over 1 to 3 days, perfect for long-lasting hydration.

Dry vaginal or vulval tissues usually have an elevated pH, this occurs because the Vaginal or Vulval microbiome (the good microbes that fight the bad ones) cannot keep the tissues at the correct pH. Only using a vaginal moisturiser that states it is matched to Vaginal pH/acidity can support the natural balance of Vaginal and Vulval tissues.

When looking at the ingredients of a product to use in your intimate area we recommend keeping it natural as it will minimise the risk of allergies and reactions. Also, as most Vaginal moisturisers have a water-based formulation they can rehydrate the mucosal membranes within the Vagina and the Vulval tissues.

Pros and Cons of using a Vaginal Moisturiser:

Pros:

- Can be used within the vagina & vulva

- Long-lasting hydration

- Rapid relief

- Supports vaginal and vulval pH

Cons:

- Doesn’t provide oily layer

Our recommendations:

When choosing any product for your vagina we would recommend choosing natural and certified organic products that don’t contain irritants or chemicals that may damage your sensitive intimate tissues.

Look out for Glycerine. Often found in old-school intimacy products, it is a mucosal irritant which in higher concentrations can damage the vaginal tissues and is a nutrient for thrush in very small amounts.

We also recommend that if a product doesn’t say ‘pH matched to the vagina’ and it contains water, it may not be suitable for Vulval or Vaginal application.

Equally if it is a Vulval oil and it DOES say it matched vaginal pH, this is fantasy. An oil cannot influence pH as it has no water.

Most oils or moisturisers are hormone-free and can therefore be using alongside vaginally administered hormones if they are not applied at the same time, therefore be sure to spread out applications by a couple of hours if you are using both.

Lastly, if you want to check if the product you are buying has been approved for Vaginal or Vulval use, look for CE or CA on the packaging, there should be a 4-digit number next to CA or CE. This is your confirmation that the product has been approved and is safe to use.

To Conclude

A product that is most similar to the Vaginal pH and osmolality is going to provide optimum hydration and work in harmony with your intimate health. As it will keep your vaginal pH in the correct range and reduce the chances of irritation or side effects.