Passion Dust: Glitter for Your Vagina? No.

CYBERSPACE—There’s a seemingly never-ending list of oddball items designed to be placed into various orifices, and now there’s one more thing to add to the list for vaginas. Passion Dust Intimacy Capsules are “sparkalized” capsules meant to be inserted into the vagina at least one hour before sexual intercourse. “As the capsule becomes increasingly warmed and moistened by the natural vaginal fluids it will begin to dissolve releasing the sparkling, candy flavored Passion Dust inside of the capsule,” the product’s website description reads. But not surprisingly, sexual wellness experts are asserting that glitter in the vagina might not be the brightest idea. According to Dr. Jen Gunter, a Canadian gynecologist, inserting foreign objects of this type might lead to a nasty infection, or even increase chances of getting a sexually transmitted disease because the glitter could throw off the balance of the vagina’s bacteria. “Just because something is safe for your lips, for example glitter lip gloss, doesn't mean it is safe for the vagina,” Dr. Gunter writes on her blog in a post titled “Don’t Glitter Bomb Your Vagina.” To be fair, the Passion Dust website does have a Q&A section and posts a disclaimer of sorts, warning the “small particles of glitter could trigger an attack for people who suffer from asthma if ingested during oral sex,” and notes, “Any gynecologist would tell you that NOTHING should go in your vagina!” but then follows that up with this statement: “If you've ever had vaginal issues you had them before you used Passion Dust anyway. If you've ever had a yeast infection i'm sure it wasn't caused by glitter, it just happens sometimes.” The ingredients listed for Passion Glitter are gelatin capsules, starch-based edible glitter, acacia (gum arabic) powder, Zea Mays starch and vegetable stearate. Dr. Gunter addressed some of the safety concerns on her blog: “Could the plastic be a nidus for bacteria? Sure. I’ve seen a nasty inflammatory vaginal discharge from sand so this could be a similar set up. “Might the little flakes of plastic produce vaginal wall granulomas? (A granuloma is walled off inflammatory mass produced by tissue in response to a foreign body). They could. “If it isn’t plastic and it’s sugar, well, depositing sugar in the vagina lets the bad bacteria go wild. Studies looking at treating bacteria vaginitis with vaginas probiotics were halted because the glucose keeping the probiotics alive madecthe bad bacteria go wild.  “Could the vehicle be an irritant and cause a vaginal contact dermatitis? Yes and ouch. Think vaginal sunburn! “Is it possible the goo might damage the good vaginal bacteria leading to infections as well as in increased risk of STIs? You bet. Given how tacky it looks it is unlikely an intimate lubricant (or a safe one anyway). “What impact will this have on vaginal pH? Unknown.” Medical and pleasure product experts warn that just as items without a flared base should never be put in the butt, items that can change the pH or bacterial levels should not be put in the vagina. Besides, notes "sex toy unicorn" Lucy Vonne of Evolved Novelties, "Vaginas don't need glitter—they are fabulous on their own." And it’s not just Passion Dust that probably shouldn’t be crammed up your hoo-ha. Self.com published an article in 2016 titled “18 Things You Should Never Put In Your Vagina.” There's still room to add No. 19.