 Personal care or toiletries is the industry which manufactures consumer products used for beautification and in personal hygiene.
Subsectors
Subsectors of personal care include cosmetics and feminine hygiene.
There is some small distinction between personal hygienic items and cosmetics, which are luxury goods solely used for beautification, but in practice such sundries are most often intermixed in retail store aisles.
Products
Personal care includes products as diverse as chapstick, colognes, cotton swabs, deodorant, eye liner, facial tissue, hair clippers, lipstick, lotion, makeup, nail files, perfumes, razors, shampoo, shaving cream, skin cream, toilet paper, toothbrushes, and toothpaste, to give a few examples.
Corporations
A few examples of the major corporations in the personal care industry, illustrating the great diversity in the industry, include:- Band-Aid
- Clairol
- Global Gillette
- Johnson & Johnson
- Lancome
- Maybelline
- Proctor & Gamble
- Remington Products
Other corporations, such as pharmacies (e.g. CVS/pharmacy, Walgreens) primarily retail in personal care rather than manufacturing personal care products themselves.
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to practices associated with ensuring good health and cleanliness. The scientific term "hygiene" refers to the maintenance of health and healthy living. The term appears in phrases such as personal hygiene, domestic hygiene, dental hygiene, and occupational hygiene and is frequently used in connection with public health. The term "hygiene" is derived from Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation. Hygiene is also a science that deals with the promotion and preservation of health. Also called hygienics.
Feminine hygiene
Feminine hygiene is a general term used to describe personal care products used by women during menstruation, vaginal discharge, and other bodily functions related to the vulva. Sanitary Towels (also known as maxi-pads or napkins), pantiliners, tampons, menstrual cups, and feminine wipes are the major categories of feminine hygiene products.
In the 1930s it was used in the United States as a euphemism for birth control.
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