“Let’s be honest, people just don’t really talk about butts,” Katie Sturino, the founder of Megababe, tells me. It’s true—from the day we pass through the elementary school doors, we’re told to (literally) cut the crap and stop blabbing about our behinds.
The don't-talk-about-our-tushies narrative is ironic. Interest around butts is a societal constant—lest we forget Australian Fitness Trainer Kayla Itsines' viral butt workouts circa 2016 or the rapidly growing global buttock augmentation market, which is projected to reach $11.2 million by 2030. Yet, how we treat our rear ends has historically remained fairly sterile and a bit taboo. Preparation H, Balneol, and Cottonelle Flushable Wipes, with their sans serif typeface and medicalize, have long been relegated to the bottom corner shelf in the drugstore. And despite the fact that we all go number two, carrying an eight-pack of Charmin down the street sans a brown bag feels incredibly bold.
“For many years, the butt has been a deeply shameful part of the body. But just like any part of the body, the butt warrants a spotlight and products to address it. It’s time to get the conversation started, and it’s long overdue,” says Sturino. The beauty industry has been slowly inching toward shifting the conversation. We’ve had butt facials and booty sheet masks and even been butt firming creams from brands like Maely’s, LAPCOS, and Carpe. They’re adorably kitschy in their marketing, with bubble letters and “booty firming” jargon.
But within the past year, the beauty industry has expanded to a full-fledged butt care boom that’s determined to actually change how we care for our behind. “Consumers are paying more attention to the often-neglected areas, like butts, with the same dedication and care they previously reserved for their faces,” says Eleonora Mazzilli, a Trend Localization and Business Development Director at BEAUTYSTREAMS. “Brands are normalizing the discussion around buttocks and offering targeted products that tackle the full spectrum of butt skin and wellness concerns.”
Just like the rest of the skin, the butt region can be affected by concerns such as aging, acne (or rather, buttne), roughness and dryness, uneven texture and pigmentation, keratosis pilaris, stretch marks, and cellulite. There can be anal itchiness and irritation or hemorrhoids—something 75 percent of Americans will deal with at some point in their lives. Said concerns shouldn’t be treated in secret or shrouded in shame. Keeping the area down there in a healthy state should be as casual as talking about acne or eczema.
With the dedication of a select few brands and butt care influencers (it’s a thing), it’s becoming not only normal but encouraged to have a daily butt routine. “I recommend washing your butt with a salicylic acid body wash to prevent acne and folliculitis,” says Chris Bustamante, DNP, NP-C and founder of Lushful Aesthetics, an NYC-based practice dedicated to non-invasive butt aesthetics. “This will prevent fungal growth that can also contribute to breakouts, discoloration, and other skin concerns like jock itch and athlete's foot.” You should also moisturize your butt to prevent dryness and, according to board-certified colo-recto surgeon Evan Goldstein, M.D., regularly shower or use a bidet to quickly, easily, and thoroughly clean the area after you poop.
“This need is clearly resonating with the masses, and you can see that people are yearning for not only for products that support butt care (whether or not that involves anal sexual health), but it’s also spawned an untapped market,” says Dr. Goldstein.
In the past year alone, his brand FutureMethod launched a prebiotic supplement because “butt health is gut health,” as well as a Body and Butt Scrub specifically formulated for the sensitive area around the anus. Sturino’s Megababe sold out of Butt Stuff, their first-to-market hemorrhoid cream, and Bidet Bar, a cleansing alternative. New butt care brands, like My Bum, Coco Fesse (which has gone viral for its cheeky debut product, Twerk Cremé), and searches for GoodWipes, a toilet paper alternative, have increased 25 percent over the past three months, according to GoogleTrends.
The butt care universe is ramping up—and per Mazzilli, it’s only going to continue to expand. “Brands are shedding the stigma and normalizing booty care, aesthetic, health, and wellness needs,” she says. Butt care is poised to get the same stigma-shedding treatment that period care, vaginal health, and sexual wellness have received over the past five years. No ifs, ands, or butts (sorry, I had to) about it.
