This realization catalyzed Sustain’s mission of making “vagina-friendly” products with women’s bodies in mind—no carcinogens, no spermicide, no irritating fragrances—and packaging and marketing them in inclusive way that appeals to women.
Two years after its launch, Sustain has wrapped a complete overhaul of its website, user experience and packaging, revealing a brighter palette and unabashed, sex-positive tone that heralds “sexuality as something to be proud of versus something that needs to be pushed under the rug.”
Maude, a modern sex essentials company on a mission to save us from “ugly packaging, outdated purchasing, and frankly, WTF messaging,” has recently debuted its playful, minimalist line of condoms, sex toys, wipes, and lubricant.
With its pared down aesthetic, retro sensibility, and Instagram-worthy product photography, Maude is a far cry from the macho lingo and bro-ey branding of your average condom brand. By creating an online experience that’s as intuitive, casual, and aesthetically pleasing as your favorite e-commerce site, Maude is redesigning the way we shop for, and ultimately think about, sex-related products—refreshingly free of sleaze and shame, not to mention toxic ingredients.
Eva Goicochea, co-founder of Maude, describes her brand’s typical customer as 25–40, urban, and a “considerate consumer”—“that is, they care about ingredients and design, form and function,” she explains. She draws inspiration from the 19th century, a time when feminists campaigned for alternative types of birth control in protest of the male-dominated condom industry.
“Our goal is to create a brand that can be carried by all—straight, gay, men, women, old, and young—because the truth is that all people have sex,” Goicochea says. By speaking to a unisex audience and improving the process of buying sex essentials, Maude hopes to reduce stigma and open up the market to more customers.
For more on new products shaking up attitudes toward sex and intimate care, see Vaginal Beauty.
