new products

Foaming bottom soap: An eco-friendly alternative to wet wipes

6 Comments
By Oona McGee, SoraNews24

Japan is well known around the world for being at the forefront of rear-cleaning technology. From the ever-popular Japanese toilet, with its washlet bidet system, to the toilet paper dispenser that neatly folds the end of the paper for you, companies in Japan are continually searching for better ways to look after your bottom, and now one manufacturer is attracting attention with a new method that’s environmentally friendly too.

Called Momo Awawa, which translates to “foaming peach“, this new product is an “oshiri awa soap“, or “bottom foaming soap“, and it’s designed to be used either on its own or in conjunction with the Japanese washlet cleaning system.

It’s easy to use – simply spray it on a sheet of toilet paper and then wipe it on your butt after doing your business.

momo-awawa-bottom-soap-eco-friendly-wet-wipes-fatberg-sewers-sewerage-japanese-toilet-2.jpg

As this image shows, the product works to clear away the excrement entirely, while the toilet-paper-only method ends up smearing it on your skin, leaving it there to cause problems like itching throughout the day.

Given that many Japanese homes have a washlet toilet at home, it’s suggested that the soap be used on your butt immediately after pooping, followed by a rinse of water from the washlet to give you a refreshingly satisfying clean. However, research suggests that many people avoid using the washlet, especially when away from home, due to concerns about who’s used it before and fears that the nozzle may be dirty.

That’s where this handy travel-sized bottle comes in handy, so you can give your butt that just-washed feel without the use of a washlet, and more importantly, without using wet-wipes, which are wreaking havoc on the world’s sewerage systems.

momo-awawa-bottom-soap-eco-friendly-wet-wipes-fatberg-sewers-sewerage-japanese-toilet-4.jpg

The problem of fatbergs in sewers is an increasing concern at the moment, as these congealed lumps, which form when grease mixes with non-biodegradbale solids like wet wipes, creates an enormous amount of waste which sewerage systems can’t handle, increasing the likelihood of damage and flooding. Australian water and sewerage corporation TasWater, for example, asks that people never flush flushable wipes and only flush the four Ps: Pee, poo, puke and paper. A bottom soap like Momo Awawa is a simple way to abide by these recommendations while helping to solve the growing environmental problem of non-biodegradable waste at the same time.

Not only can the soap be used by adults, but it’s also handy for babies and the elderly too.

Unlike regular soaps, which can disrupt the normal PH balance of your skin and make it more alkaline, the Momo Awawa contains natural ingredients like blueberries, wild thyme, persimmon tannins and rooibos, which have a slight acidity to better match the natural condition of the skin. This makes it suitable for all skin types, and particularly those with haemorrhoids and sensitive skin.

It’s also ideal for those times when skin conditions can flare up, like during the heat of summer and on camping trips.

Created by a Japanese duo who are billing the product as a “world first”, the Momo Awawa has been developed in conjunction with two Japanese corporations, who are aiming to mass produce the bottom soap with the help of a crowdfunding campaign on Greenfunding.

Demand for the Momo Awawa has been overwhelming, as they’ve already smashed their crowdfunding goal of 300,000 yen, raising a whopping 4.415 million yen, 1,471 percent of its target total, with 66 days remaining on the campaign.

There are still a number of support tiers available for patrons to choose from, ranging from a 3,500 yen pledge, which gets you one 50-milliliter and one 300-millilter bottle at a 30-percent discount, up to a 13,500-yen pledge, which gets you five bottles in each size at a 38-percent discount.

Given the huge demand for the product, and the vision of its creators, who hope to herald in a “new era of washing your bottom with foam”, it’s highly likely that we’ll see the Momo Awawa go into mass production soon.

Source: Greenfunding/(株)Hundred Innovation (株)リミットエイト via Net Lab

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- $11,000 luxury Japanese toilet will probably give you the best poop experience of your life

-- Everything you think you know about your washlet toilet is wrong

-- She just popped up from your toilet paper to say hello!

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

6 Comments
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Well that's an interesting article to have read during breakfast.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Finally! Toilet paper by itself which just smears feces on and across your skin isn't enough and it's disgusting and bizarre that people are happy with just toilet paper and a product like this hasn't been released sooner

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Nobody noticed that the containers say 'sorp' instead of 'soap'?!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Further to Merryanne's point, I read once that one of the big US companies prototyped a flushable (degradable) wetwipe that was more hygenic than regular toilet paper in the 1970s. They stopped its release because they said people were too embarrassed to talk about the product so it would not sell. Flushable wetwipe type toilet paper already exists and can be bought in big shops in Japan, but its for people with piles, another thing people are usually too embarrassed to talk about.

Japan does have certain kinds of embarrassment about going to the toilet, some prim mothers tell their daughters to keep flushing to drown out any unladylike noises. You can even buy a machine that will make this noise to save the water used by such wasteful behaviour. However, Japan does not have the kind of embarrassment that would obstruct the development of washlet toilets, and now this product here. This is one area where culture and psychology have a big effect on what sells.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Did the article need to get so graphic?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Sounds like a good invention, although it does seem that flushable wipes would also be inventable.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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