The latest sex toys are design-driven luxury pieces of art
The sexual wellness category is thriving thanks to luxurious new design-driven products that are jumping out of the bottom drawer and into the spotlight.
Gwyneth Paltrow is many things: she is an Academy-Award-winning actor, the patron saint of the “quiet luxury” fashion trend, the initiator of the still-radical idea of “conscious uncoupling” and the founder of the aspirational, and occasionally outrage-sparking wellness company, goop.
But perhaps Paltrow’s greatest achievement is getting people to talk more openly about sex (yes, putting aside the controversial jade eggs she spruiks on goop). Paltrow is, as one British newspaper noted, “a genius sex-preneur”.
For indeed, a sexual wellness boom is here. The category – which encompasses pharmaceutical products, such as capsules and sprays to treat issues including low libido and vaginal dryness, non-pharmaceutical products, such as sex toys and lubricants, and sextech, with apps such as Coral offering couples intimacy exercises – is predicted to grow to $US81.4 billion by 2028, up from $US51.9 billion in 2021.
Paltrow, with her Netflix series on sexual intimacy (Sex, Love & Goop), the astonishing variety of sex toys, potions, oils, pillows and pills available to shop on goop, the goopsex Instagram account and her candid bon mots about her own sex life, was prescient on its potential.
As Jaimee Holmes, vice-president of beauty and wellness at goop, puts it, the category is resonating with the website’s well-heeled audience.
“The sexual wellness category at goop has been our highest growth category within wellness and the appetite for the category and all formats continues to strongly resonate with our customer,” Holmes says.
In July, goop launched a selection of its sexual wellness products into Mecca as part of the major beauty retailer’s further expansion into the category this year.
For Kate Blythe, chief marketing officer at Mecca, the foray into sexual wellness, beginning with luxury sex toys from Kiki de Montparnasse and Coco de Mer, was centred on demystifying the category, and tapping into a cultural shift around pleasure.
She says the category is performing well and Mecca will continue to expand its product offering, as well as offering “holistic” events featuring the expertise of brand founders.
“The continuing creation of the new sexual culture, devoid of any stigma attached to the concept of sex, has really laid ground for personal and intimate care products to transition from taboo to necessity,” she says.
Blythe notes that the growth of the category was expedited by the global pandemic – online retailers reported spikes in sales of sex toys during this period as people looked for ways to alleviate boredom and general malaise – as well as a shift in cultural attitudes.
This includes on social media where sex-positive social media influencers such as American Vogue columnist Karley Sciortino and Australian psycho-sexologist and author Chantelle Otten have created platforms to share shame-free advice, answer questions and offer musings on sex, sexuality and relationships.
“We are experiencing an unprecedented, intergenerational increase in female stories in culture, across all forms of traditional and new media,” says Blythe.
Otten says the expansion of the sexual wellness category has been fascinating to watch unfold.
“It’s representative of the current societal shifts towards openness and acceptance when it comes to discussing and acknowledging sexual health and pleasure. Retailers are moving into this space because they’ve noticed that the taboo surrounding sexual wellness is gradually fading away,” she says.
“The implications on the public’s perception of sexual wellness and pleasure are largely positive, as it encourages more open discussions and acceptance, which in turn leads to healthier attitudes and understanding of one’s own sexuality.”
That said, Otten says there’s still room for improvement. “We need to continue these conversations, increase education, and address the stigma and misconceptions surrounding sexual pleasure and wellness. It’s not just about products, but about ensuring every individual has the knowledge and confidence to explore their own sexual health and wellbeing,” she says.
Still, as Blythe notes, there is serious growth opportunity here. While being sensitive to personal preferences (online customers choose to opt in to see the category) the continuing cultural shift around the category will only see it expand, she says.
“The potential of this new category is still relatively untapped and moderately fragmented. As the customer matures and expectations increase, we expect to see the customer look for elevated, quality products they feel proud to own,” she says.
Along with the increased visibility of the category – Sephora also made a foray into it this year, joining local beauty retailer Adore Beauty which introduced it in 2019 – there’s been a shift in the kinds of products sold, and how they’re marketed.
A recent report into the category by PWC noted that the accelerated growth of the category, predicted at 7 per cent per annum to 2026, is partly being driven by premium products.
Examples of this abound, and includes aesthetically pleasing independent brands with an appealing social media presence, such as Lovers, a luxe Australian lubricant co-founded by Dr Raelia Lew, a gynaecologist and fertility expert who launched the brand because “patients who needed lubricant [were] let down by available products”; Dame, a purveyor of chic sex toys in an array of gelati colours; and the smart and stylish magazine Par Femme.
Chelsea Healey, head of brand at Adore Beauty, says the luxury sexual wellness boom, from sex toys that will set you back several hundred dollars and resemble avant-garde objets to lubricants formulated with native Australian extracts, shows the evolution of the category.
“I think it’s a correction to the category that was previously seen as cheap and maybe, dare I say it, a bit ‘flammable’. The luxury spin put on the sexual wellness category has allowed us to see it in a new light – beautiful design, quality materials and pleasurable brand experiences are essential to this reframing.
As more and more consumers become familiar and comfortable with sexual wellness, the category offering will continue to expand to offer choice in design, function, quality – with sustainability and health considerations a key differentiator for many brands,” she says.
In May this year, the retailer surveyed 2000 customers and found out that more than half own a sex toy, 17 per cent are interested in owning one and 80 per cent consider sexual wellness and experiences to be part of self-care. Chantelle Otten believes the improved aesthetics of the category is helping to broaden the demographic, too.
“The influx of luxury products within this category has certainly made it more appealing to a wider audience. It’s not just about function anymore, but also about form and aesthetics. This opens up the category to individuals who might not have previously considered such products. In the future, I definitely believe we’ll continue to see a rise in luxury products in this category,” she says.
Otten’s hope for the category is that it goes well beyond sex toys that look good on a bedside table.
“The ultimate goal of this industry should be to educate, empower, and make people feel comfortable with their own sexuality and pleasure. It’s not just about selling products, but about sparking conversations and promoting a healthier, more open dialogue around sexual wellness,” she says.
“It’s about bridging the gap between sexuality and overall wellbeing. This is not a niche market, but an essential aspect of human health and happiness that needs to be addressed and embraced.”
