2021 Trends and the Future for Sexual Wellness
The covid-19 pandemic has shaken the world so much that so many things have changed. Industries have been forced to adopt a different setup, with some businesses forced to close down. But perhaps, the pandemic’s most significant impact is on how people interact.
People are advised to practice social distancing to reduce the spread of the highly infectious virus. It means that as much as possible, there should be at least six feet of distance between two people. Furthermore, people should avoid going to crowded places and interaction with strangers is discouraged.
Consequently, the pandemic affected the sex life of many. Intimacy with couples who are not living together is highly discouraged. Likewise, anyone in the right mind will understand that hookups are not for this season. These reasons caused the increase in sex dolls and sex toys sale in 2020.
These products have been providing sexual pleasure to people in a time when human contact is not ideal. They have been essential in keeping people sexually satisfied. The toys helped couples maintain their sex life without being able to touch each other. The year 2020 has highlighted the assistance sex toys and other products made to ensure a safe and pleasurable sexual experience can provide to people’s well-being. Now, these are finally considered wellness products.
But we are still at its beginning. A spotlight has shone in the direction of sexual wellness, highlighting its importance. With the attention sexual wellness products have garnered, a revolution is about to happen. Seeing the potential of such products, people in business may shift their attention to their production. Especially since the pandemic still has not ended, and threats of the new and more dangerous variations of the virus are looming around. It will then lead to the rise of new product designs and new trends in achieving sexual wellness.
The Four Drivers of The Revolution
Rebecca Alvarez, a sexologist and sexual wellness expert, wrote about the trends in 2021 that will revolutionize intimacy wellness. The owner of Bloomi, a company focusing on making intimacy more enjoyable through the use of clean care and sexual wellness products, has written about the four drivers that will push the sexual wellness product further.
According to her, they are as follows:
The Realization That What We Want is Intimacy, Not Sex
According to Rebecca, while what humans are actively looking for is sex, it is not what they truly desire. Rather, they long for intimacy. Intimacy is about building relationships with others and one’s self. Rebecca wrote that clean and holistic products that help naturally build intimacy are gaining popularity. She believes that they will play an important role in molding the shape of sexual wellness’s future. The 10-year sexologist listed examples of such products. They are sex journals, massage oils, and chakra crystals.
Better Sex Education and Intimacy Training
Admit it or not, sex ed from schools are is not good, and it is outdated. Most people also have no one, except their partners, to talk to when they need sex advice. Even physicians are unreliable since, according to Rebecca, most of them only had less than 10 hours total of sex education training. That time is only a tiny fraction of their four-year training. And even with that, they feel uncomfortable when discussing sex with their patients. Thankfully, more qualified educators are on the rise. They are sexologists, entrepreneurs, body-positive advocates, and sex experts. Rebecca believes that these people, who she likes to call “radically-woke,” will speak words that will help achieve sexual wellness.
Some personalities she listed are Shannon Boodram, Emily Morse, Kandi Burrus, and Cindy Gallop.
The Change In Tradition
One problem in school sex-ed is inclusivity. Discussions are primarily focused on men-women relationships when society has transgressed to more than that. Nowadays, the LGBTQ+ community members are more accepted by society than in the past. Though there is still some resistance, most people have already realized that they are just as valid as everyone else. Of course, this also means that their sexual wellness also matters. For this reason, supporters of the non-binary community are spending their money on services that also believe in LGBT rights, most of which are community-driven companies. These inclusive companies stand for more progressive values. Since they rely on their community to fuel their development and growth, every cent that they earn counts.
Like the other drivers above, Rebecca has enumerated some example companies. The list includes her own company, Bloomi, alongside Dame Products, MakeLoveNotPorn, and Maude.
Consumers Higher Expectation From Wellness Brands
Now that it is established how crucial is sexual wellness, consumers are now expecting more from producers. In the past, selling and purchasing sex tech products is considered a pseudo-underground activity. People give side-eyes and mocking grins to those who are in this industry. However, things have changed now, and the industry is in a better light. They do not sell products for dirty and naughty activities; rather, they sell products that improve intimacy.
Consumer’s expectation is directly related to the producer’s reputation. So, now that sexual wellness companies are held in high regard, it is natural for more customers to check for the quality of their products. They are now asking for more ingredient transparency, appropriate clean standards, and free education with purchases. They are now more open to asking how the products can help achieve orgasm, possible side effects of using the product, and how they affect pH balance and the likes. They always consider looking for the best sex dolls in the market.
As mentioned earlier in this article, proper education is essential for sexual wellness. Companies have as much responsibility as consumers in searching and learning that information.
Final Thoughts
The Sexual Wellness Products market revenue was 32021 Million USD in 2019 and will reach 45758 Million USD in 2025, with a CAGR of 6.13% during 2020-2025. That is stated in a report by MAIA Research. With how things are right now, and with the revolution on the horizon, it will not be surprising if this prediction comes true or if the numbers break past it.