If there were any remaining questions about sexual wellness going mainstream, Sephora is putting them to bed by venturing into the category this year.

The beauty specialty retailer’s sexual wellness selection debuting online will feature 10 products from Maude, including vibrators, aloe-based lubricant, body wash, bath salts, bubble bath and a candle-cum-massage oil, and seven vibrators from Dame along with its lubricant, arousal serum and vibrator sanitizing spray. In the selection, items from Maude and Dame will be coupled with an existing array of sexual wellness products from ingestible and skincare brands like Sex Dust from Moon Juice and Aphrodisia Arousal Oil from Flora + Bast.

This move in wellness is an attempt to de-stigmatize sex and masturbation, Teen Vogue reports.

“Seeing Dame’s products alongside concealer or facewash serves to normalize sex and pleasure–it’s just as routine as your daily beauty rituals,” a representative for Dame said. “The more space major retailers dedicate to sexual wellness, the better-informed consumers will be, ultimately shifting perceptions on pleasure as a whole to a more positive space.”

This exciting collab brings with it pleasure-providers of every shape and style, from easy-to-use, $30 bullet vibes to $135 sex toys. Beyond that, Sephora now stocks Dame’s must-have vibrator accessories, like sanitizing spray and lubricant (like your makeup brushes, toys should be washed and sanitized regularly).

Sephora aims to take a leadership position in sexual wellness by delivering best-in-class sexual health and pleasure education. Chase has partnered with Laurie Mintz, a psychologist, University of Florida professor and author of the bestselling book “Becoming Cliterate,” to create content for Sephora’s site. Mintz says, “Sephora is the ideal retailer for young women, especially women who we know are suffering with lack of orgasm, lack of pleasure, pain. To have a respected brand like Sephora giving the message that this is important, it’s important to your wellness, that’s very exciting.”

But what made Sephora and other large retailers get on board with the idea that quality lube and quality face cream belonged on the same online shelves?

There’s the fact that sex tech brands have been working for years to destigmatize sex toys by creating products that are easy to use, affordable, and aesthetically designed for those who don’t prefer representational, hyper-erotic toys. (In other words, exactly the kind of toys a retailer that doesn’t primarily sell sex toys might be interested in.)

There’s also the fact that the United States’ sexual wellness industry was valued at $5.8 billion in 2020 and is estimated to reach more than $9 billion by 2026, according to a 2021 market research report.

Sephora declined to comment about why they decided to stock these brands now, but the company did say in a statement that their intimate care section “will encompass sexual wellness, feminine hygiene, hormonal care and more.”

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