PLUSONE: GOOD VIBRATIONS

- by Elisabeth King

Sexual wellness has been tapped as one of the top 10 leading health trends of 2023. But the category has enjoyed explosive growth in recent years in Australia and overseas. An internet search for vibrators shows that many leading Australian retailers are strongly backing sexual wellness as a huge opportunity from leading pharmacy chains to specialist beauty companies.

David Jones also entered the sector in 2021 and hosted a popup in Sydney for Valentine’s Day in February. The Iconic, one of Australia’s biggest online fashion and sports retailers, debuted its wellness portal in 2020. Adore Beauty premiered its sexual wellness offering in 2019 and has been promoting it over the past three years. While Priceline has also been stocking vibrators since 2016 and has been increasing its commitment to the sexual wellness category.

Pharmacy has long been the go-to destination for sexual health products such as lubricants and condoms. This strong positioning was one of the main reasons we launched the plusOne brand at the APP 2023 conference on the Gold Coast in March, says Jodie Phillips, Managing Director of Chemcorp. “The sexual wellness category bridges the gap between physical pleasure and the therapeutic and vibrators have also become integral to pelvic floor health. There has been an influx of Kegel-based products to support women in this area which offers retailers and pharmacies expanded opportunities for sales and education.”

PlusOne is a pioneering US brand designed and developed by beauty and personal care company, Beacon Wellness Brands. “The range of beautifully-designed, high performance, safe and affordable products has made strides in the industry toward breaking down barriers and outdated taboos associated with self-pleasure,” says Phillips. “While much of its initial growth was via online channels, plusOne is now ranged in leading mass retailers and drugstores in the US, including Target, Walgreens and CVS, and now holds a 70 per cent market share and is also available in other international markets. The brand is excited to be working towards similar positioning in Australia where the sexual wellness category has continued to grow over the past several years, following an increase during the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of sex-positive movements that have helped to remove stereotypes relating to gender, sexuality and social constructs.

Estimates of the future growth of the global sexual wellness market vary, but all of them predict spectacular CAGRs through to the end of the decade. According to leading analysis firm, Market Research Future, the worldwide sexual wellness market was valued at US$84.89 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach US$115.93 billion by 2030. North America is the largest market in the world, followed by Europe, and the Asia/Pacific region is also expected to see significant growth.

Sexual wellness is defined by the World Health Organization as a blend of physical state, mental state and social wellbeing connected with sexuality. A definition corroborated by clinical studies conducted by plusOne, which discovered a host of health benefits associated with improved sexual health.

In a four-week depression and anxiety study, researchers found that 64 per cent of women felt less bothered by anxiety, 64 per cent felt less bothered by feeling tired and having little energy and 82 per cent were able to relax and enjoy more alone time.

A good night’s sleep is crucial to overall health and wellness. A four-week sleep quality study by plusOne found that 71 per cent of women reported an improvement in sleep quality, 62 per cent felt more cheerful and energetic during the day and 62 per cent were better able to concentrate on their daily tasks.

Skin also benefits from boosting sexual wellness. In an eight-week skin condition clinical study, plusOne found that 56 per cent of women reported an improvement in skin texture, 59 per cent said their skin felt tighter and firmer and 66 per cent reported and overall improvement in their skin.

Many vibrators have cheeky and suggestive names and they are a great way to spice up the sex lives of couples or when alone. But doctors and pelvic floor specialists are also recommending them to restore the sex lives of menopausal and postmenopausal women.

Nearly 25 per cent of Australians are aged 50 and over and this potential market is huge. With the onset of menopause and the accompanying decrease in hormones, vaginal tissue gets thinner and drier. Vaginal muscles atrophy and can lead to painful sex - the so-called use it or lose it effect.

Vibrators help to stimulate pelvic blood flow with or without a partner and help to increase vaginal moisture, according to US health studies. Many older women find themselves in situations where they are not as sexually active as they used to be - single, divorced and widowed to no longer having regular sex with long-term partners. Women of all ages can also suffer symptoms of pelvic prolapse after giving birth and others are looking to strengthen their pelvic floor through Kegel exercises.

“A key area that really showcases the connection between physical and sexual wellness is the rise in education around pelvic floor health,” says Phillips. “PlusOne offers a Kegel trainer to incorporate this element of physical/sexual health together with vibrators. The brand has also launched into the men’s sexual health space with a product designed for couples, the Vibrating Ring and a pipeline of innovation to tap into this market, as it reemerges following the swing to female-led sexual wellness”.

Another key product in the plusOne range includes the Fluttering Arouser, designed to mimic the sensations of oral pleasure form a partner with a fluttering tongue which creates a tantalising experience with settings from low to “o”.

It’s been 20 years since the popular US comedy-drama, Sex and the City, took vibrators out of the shadows and the famous Vibrator episode created a lasting buzz. “The current interest in sexual wellness is here to stay and more important than ever,” says Phillips. “Whether women are looking to increase their sexual pleasure or want to reap the many benefits showcased by plusOne’s clinical studies, incorporating vibrators into their lives has become normalised for many women as we can see in the huge market growth rates.”

With more and more retailers offering sexual and intimate wellness products, old-fashioned ideas and beliefs are becoming a thing of the past. The plusOne brand is stocked by leading big box retailers in the US because they realise that the retail environment and their online businesses are important to redefining the category and consumer shopping behaviour as the sexual wellness market continues to go from strength-to-strength. As more affordable models of vibrators that don’t cost $200plus enter the market, the category is also on track to becoming more accessible with wider appeal.

https://www.chemcorp.com.au/ collections/plusone