Maude Band
$52 at Maude.com, Nordstrom.com
Maude is expanding its sexual wellness device offering with Band, a vibrating ring that can be used on the penis. The water-resistant device features five speeds and is 100 percent platinum-grade silicone.
According to brand founder Éva Goicochea, this launch is indicative of two pillars of Maude’s overall ethos. It rounds out an essential sexual wellness offering and lends itself to Maude’s mission to reach all humans.
Related Articles
“We have a strong male audience,” said Goicochea. “The success of the product lends itself to that notion that our audience really is mixed.”
While the brand declined to share sales estimates, it noted the product, which launched direct-to-consumer in September, is its most successful to date, outpacing the record set by the Spot device by 15 percent. Industry sources estimate first-year retail sales will be under $1 million.
Playground Mood Maker
$29 at HelloPlayground.com, Nordstrom.com
Playground is expanding its topical offering with a pleasure-enhancing intimacy oil called Mood Maker, which launched on the brand’s site in October. The formula includes a proprietary adaptogen and mushroom complex, botanical aphrodisiacs and plant oils to moisturize skin, provide a glide-like texture and enhance intimacy.
“To be called a personal lubricant, by law, a product has to be latex- and condom-safe, but not all women and couples need to use latex: if you’re trying to get pregnant, if you are postpartum, if you’re going through menopause or you’re just in a committed relationship,” said Playground cofounder and chief executive officer Catherine Magee. “We wanted to be able to create a product that was not dependent on being latex-safe. That opens us up the floodgates for innovation.”
In March when Christina Aguilera joined Playground as a cofounder and chief brand advisor, WWD reported that the brand would reach $5 million in retail sales this year.
Wisp Mist Toy Cleaning Spray
$15 at HelloWisp.com
Wisp, a sexual and reproductive telehealth platform, is expanding its non-prescription products. The Wisp Mist, which launched direct-to-consumer this month, is a spray cleaner for devices to remove bacteria that can lead to infections.
“We chose to launch this product after discovering that only about 22 percent of people clean their vibrator after use,” said Wisp’s interim CEO and chief marketing officer Monica Cepak.
To promote the launch, Wisp is partnering with sexual wellness brand Dame on the Playtime Bundle, $103, that includes the cleaner, Wisp’s Toy-Safe Harmonizing Lube, $15, and Dame’s best-selling Pom Flexible Vibrator, $99.
In the topicals category, the brand also recently launched a hormonal and non-hormonal vaginal moisturizer. “We are looking to expand beyond telehealth…to become that hybrid care leader in sexual and reproductive health,” said Cepak.
The Wisp Mist Toy Cleaning Spray is expected to reach $25,000 in sales.
HeadSouth
Starting at $18 at HeadSouth.world
Head South is a new sexual wellness brand founded by Cat Meyer, the host of sex education podcast Head South Radio. The brand is launching with three topicals: Slip Serum, $22; Oasis Oil, $24, and Slide Serum, $24. All products also come in refills.
Meyer, who has been passionate about sex education since she was a child, was inspired to create the collection after working with Michael Gordon, founder of Hairstory and Bumble and bumble, for several years and learning how he built his brands.
“The philosophy about product development came from learning from Michael,” she said. “Whatever it is, it has to be an upgrade. It can’t be just a dupe of a brand or another product.”
For Meyer and Head South, this means simple, distilled formulas that rank low on the Environmental Working Group’s chemical exposure scale to ensure they are clean for humans.
Industry sources estimate the brand will reach $200,000 in retail sales its first year.
Jems 100% Silicone Lube
$16 at JemsForAll.com
Jems, founded by Yasemin Emory and Whitney Geller, launched its second stock keeping unit, a 100 percent silicone lubricant, online in October. The brand, which is available at Target, launched in 2021 with natural latex condoms.
“It was a natural extension,” said Emory. “It wasn’t until we heard from our community about what kind of product they would be looking for from Jems [that] we really started to dig deeper.”
To differentiate the product from others on the market, the Jems team opted for a 100 percent silicone formula. Some competitors feature hybrid formulas that mix silicone with additional preserving ingredients. The team expects this launch to expand Jems’ current audience.
“If you’re not a condom user, lube is a whole other offering that opens up who we can serve as our target customer,” said Emory.
While the brand declined to share sales figures, industry sources estimate this launch will garner under $1 million. The lubricant will launch at retail in 2024.