Sephora and Bloomingdale’s Start Promoting Sexual Health

While Dame is more focused on devices, it also carries a $30 “stimulating serum,” an $18 aloe-based lubricant and an adult pillow called $95, fitting for the beginner phrase, “Pillo”.

Companies tend to emphasize their products with clean and natural ingredients. Descriptions such as “infused with aloe” and “contains jojoba oil” are common.

The styling of the products surprised some retailers. For example, Mr. Aldridge said that Madewell, a clothing retailer, wasn’t initially supportive of the idea of ​​putting Maude products on its website. But then a buyer actually saw those items on a colleague’s desk, was surprised that they “looked like a beauty brand” and decided to add them to the company’s online marketplace.

Cristina Nuñez, co-founder of True Beauty Ventures, a venture firm that invests in Maude, says the products are crafted in a “ridiculous” way, meaning people can feel proud and comfortable. when showcasing products in a photo on social media.

“We often joke that vibe is something you can leave on your nightly counter and not feel embarrassed when you have a vibrator on your nightly counter,” she says. “There won’t be a stigma around it because it’s not rude.”

It’s difficult to estimate the size of the sexual wellness industry, especially since the industry is increasingly entrenched in beauty products. Many of the key players are private companies, and neither Maude nor Dame are keen to share their sales figures. But Ms. Nuñez, who researched seven or eight similar brands before investing in Maude, said many of the companies her firm reviewed had “single-digit low” millions of dollars in sales. She says she’s optimistic about her path to tens of millions of dollars in revenue and beyond.

“Opening up retail to these brands will help them get there,” says Nuñez, “because historically they have really only been able to get there through direct-to-consumer. consumers and now they have many stores, from mass channels, reputation to luxury department store channels. ”