The global sexual wellness market is booming and is expected to reach $125.1bn by 2026 (ResearchAndMarkets, 2021), catering to growing consumer appetites. Swedish sexual wellness brand Smile Makers is normalising female sexuality with its newly launched (March 15) Vi-Curious collection – a redesign of its female vibrators driven by user feedback.

The relaunch includes refined shapes for optimal stimulation – like The Firefighter (formerly the Fireman), which now sports a rounder tip and softer edges. The collection also caters to a variety of audiences, including curious beginners – who are directed to The Billionaire (formerly The Millionaire). This design allows first-timers to explore pleasure preferences with its range of speeds and pulsation modes.

“Customers tell us they love the approachability of our designs, and we wanted to keep that,” said Cécile Gasnault, brand director at Smile Makers. The new packaging features body-positive artwork, while the product names have been updated to gender-neutral descriptors. With these changes being user driven, it’s apparent that sexual wellness product users feel comfortable communicating about their intimate experiences in a way they hadn’t before.

Smile Makers acknowledges that education is key by working with a network of sexual health experts to deliver pleasure-positive and sexual wellness educational resources. Its online programme Vulva Talks hosts a library of information on vulva pleasure and body awareness to help normalise female sexual wellness.

The company has found that demand for its products has changed dramatically over the last couple of years. Initially, they were met with resistance from mainstream outlets; now they’re in high demand. It witnessed a 123% revenue increase from 2019-20 in the US (Smile Makers, 2021) – which also highlights the rise of women reclaiming their self-pleasure.

For more, see our latest spotlight report Commercialising Pleasure, which explores shifting attitudes in the sexual wellness space, product innovations and engagement initiatives.