Most vaginal odor comes from hormones, normal bacteria, pH, sweat, and discharge—not last night’s dinner or whether you shaved, and many “quick-fix” products like baby or makeup wipes can actually irritate your vulva instead of helping. Diet, grooming, and birth control can tweak things a bit, but sudden strong or foul odor—especially with unusual discharge—deserves a medical check, not more scented products.

Most “pH balancing” feminine products are marketing, not medicine: your vagina already manages its own slightly acidic pH, and constantly “correcting” it with washes, suppositories, and random probiotics can backfire and trigger BV or yeast. The safest routine is simple—rinse the vulva with warm water, optional gentle unscented wash on the outside only, breathable underwear, no douching—and reserve things like boric acid or vaginal probiotics for clinician‑guided treatment of real, diagnosed issues.

Stronger odor after sex, your period, or the gym is usually normal and tied to pH shifts from semen, blood, and sweat; it should fade within a day and not come with pain, itching, or unusual discharge. Persistent fishy or rotten smells, colored or cottage-cheese discharge, or burning are reasons to get checked—and scented wipes, sprays, and douches can actually increase your risk of BV and yeast.

You do not need vaginal deodorant to be clean, sexy, or acceptable. A light musky or slightly sour smell that shifts with your cycle, sex, or the gym is normal; sprays, perfumes, and douches are more likely to disrupt your pH and cause BV or yeast than to “fix” your natural scent.