This female-led start up is helping our sexual health catch-up with the rest of our self care routine.
New York-based Maude offers subtle essentials from dove-grey vibrators to an organic lubricant that wouldn’t look out of place on a designer beauty shelf. “We call it sex made simple: pared-down products delivered in a friendly way,” says CEO and co-founder Éva Goicochea. “We are encouraging people to integrate sex into their every day and ultimately just feel more comfortable.”
Here the company’s CEO and co-founder Éva Goicochea answers our burning questions:
What was the main thing you set out to achieve with Maude?
We felt that it was imperative to change the conversation around sex and bridge the gap between male-focused incumbents and female-focused newer brands since, at the end of the day, sex is such a human experience.
Why is it important that your products look so stylish?
If you look at the typical consumer experience around sexual health, either in a drug store or sex shop, it’s the last frontier in personal care. The category is poorly marketed and designed, over-assorted and either taboo or clinical, pink or purple, hyper-aggressive or highly gendered. We’re trying to give consumers a modern, people-first experience that empowers them and makes them feel comfortable and happy. Basically, we’re helping sexual health catch up to the rest of your wellness routine.
How as the response been so far – do you have any figures or anecdotal ways you can show it’s taken off?
We’ve had a lot of people reach out to us over the last year since we launched in 2018. They’re from all walks of life and perspectives, saying statements like, “I grew up in a house where we weren’t allowed to talk about this. The angle that you take and the language on your site makes me feel like it’s OK to talk about it.” I feel like we’re trying to disarm people, basically taking out all of the discomforts in this process so that they can examine the product and say, “Whatever I decide to do, this product only enhances my experience. It doesn’t dictate the experience or make it less enjoyable.” That’s what we’re hoping to do—to make people feel like it’s a safe place to examine how they’re integrating sex into their lives.
Do you see sex as an aspect of wellbeing?
Scientifically speaking, sex is a part of wellbeing as it’s so connected to better health and greater happiness. Those who have regular sex are more like to live longer, have healthier hearts, and get the benefits of the regular release of feel-good hormones and endorphins which then leads to a better state of mind. Also, having a positive relationship with your own sexuality contributes to your confidence and sense of self. In short, it’s completely part of being a fulfilled human.
Do you think women are taking more control of their sex lives and/or sexual empowerment?
Absolutely. The number of female-founded and for-female startups in this space is increasing and in turn, women have more choices which lets them take control of their own sex lives. Our take is that women should lead the way for the next chapter in sexual wellness—for all.
Do you think our Me Too era is changing the way we think and talk about sex?
Certainly we’ve seen a huge shift in what we’re talking about and how we talk about sex, especially the last year and half. The Me Too era has brought news about sex culture to the forefront and allow us to challenge how we talk about sex and how we treat one another. At Maude, we have always been beyond treating this like a “man, woman, or otherwise” solution and more about solving a human problem and I hope this will be how companies evolve in our current climate.
