So What’s Next in Sexual Wellness for Women?
Image Credit: CultBeauty
One thing remains clear as we’ve spent time living in and out of various lockdowns throughout the pandemic - our prior ways of doing and living life have evaporated into thin air. Many of us, specifically women, have made significant lifestyle resets at both an individual and collective level around the world. Some of these changes have included how women are seeking, experiencing and demanding better sex in their day-to-day lives.
The traditional beauty & wellness industry has done a poor job addressing and meeting the full needs of a woman throughout her various stages in life. Many key segments of women’s health & wellness have been neglected or placed in a land of stigma and shame for years.
However, we are continuing to see prior ‘taboo topics’ around female sexual care and language embraced by the mainstream. We are encouraged to see a new wave of disruptive sexual wellness brands hit the market that empower women to have more enjoyable, fulfilling and safer sexual experiences while taking into consideration the female gaze and their unique biological factors.
Market Size
The Global Sexual Wellness industry is booming as companies continue to embrace the different modalities of sexual wellness that seek to improve the consumer’s mental, physical and social-wellbeing experience when it comes to all things sex.
According to Business Wire, the market is predicted to reach USD $125.1 billion by 2026. Other emerging trends from this Bloomberg article include:
APAC dominated the global sexual wellness market with a share of around 39.27% in 2020
In 2020, the male segment dominated the global sexual wellness market and held a share of close to 74.75%. However, the share of this segment is expected to decrease to almost 72.97% by 2025 owing to the growing focus of vendors towards creating female-centric products.
The female condom segment is expected to witness a significant CAGR of over 25% by 2026.
In 2020, the sex toys segment led the global sexual wellness market and is witnessing high demand from countries such as the US, China and Japan.
The most important and immediate need for condoms exists among women and girls. Female condoms account for less than 2% of the global condom market, and there is a huge opportunity for growth in this segment.
Consumer Mindset
Female audiences have been routinely placed in the shadows by major CPG companies when it comes to addressing and serving their core sexual wellness needs, but current marketplace conditions are quickly breaking-down these old barriers to welcome a new wave of brands and forums that lead from a female-first perspective.
Social media continues to offer a democratized platform for women to learn, gather and build community around important topics like sexual wellness, body positivity and self-care. More women are giving themselves permission to speak freely about their sexual wellness needs and desires, while being a champion of better sexual experiences as a whole.
The pandemic has also provided extra time for women to re-examine their sexual wellness routines, habits and desires. They continue to awaken to a new level of pleasurable preferences and expectations in and out of the bedroom.
Shifts in Distribution
Up until recently, access to most sexual wellness products and information were only available through pharmacies, medical practitioners, porn sites or sex shops. We are pleased to see more and more multi-chain retailers now curate sexual wellness sections both online and throughout their brick and mortar stores. We’ve also seen major retailers like Cult Beauty weave these topics into their digital and social strategies.
Beauty Independent says it best, “Consumers can buy lube at Nordstrom, vibrators at Holt Renfrew and arousal oils at Urban Outfitters rather than having to patronize sex shops for intimate goods. And the sales of sex products show no signs of slowing down.”
Bloomingdales made the news earlier this year when they announced the launch of their ‘Sexual Wellness Shop’ as an online destination for “the ultimate self-love essentials from our favourite female-led and body-positive brands.”
We’ve also seen an up-tick in the launch of more premium independent e-commerce sites that offer an elevated shopping experience for sexual wellness goods like The Body Agency and Afterglo.
Brands to Watch
Ranging from modern-formulated lubricants and well-branded cleansers to innovative tech that includes libido-enhancing ingestibles, reenvisioned sex toys and contraceptives, we’re keeping watch on these leading brands to see where the industry moves next.
Ready, Set, Go! Good Sex is on its Way to You Next.
Let us know your thoughts. Are you the founder of a sexual wellness brand looking to build-out your digital strategy or scale your B2B business? Drop us a line on LinkedIn or email Constellar Consultancy at hello@constellarconsultancy.com to set-up a call and request more information.
- Article written by Laura Belsley, Retail Director