Daybreak - Bold Care and Mymuse are going where Durex and Manforce never could

Episode Date: January 7, 2025

The sexual wellness industry has long been shrouded in taboo. But now, thanks to quick commerce, getting a stamina supplement or a massage wand has become as effortless as ordering a packet of milk. In the process, the long standing dominance of the old guard – the likes of Durex, Manforce and Score – has also been challenged. That's because these quick commerce platforms shone a light on the many upstarts that have entered the market in the last few years. These brands are breaking the long held taboos associated with sexual wellness and entering the mainstream by doing what others never could. Tune in. Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

Hi, this is Rohan Dharma Kumar. If you've heard any of the Ken's podcasts, you've probably heard me, my interruptions, my analogies, and my contrarian takes on most topics. And you might rightly be wondering why am I interrupting this episode too. It's for a special announcement. For the last few months, I and Sita Raman Ganeshan, my colleague and the Ken's deputy editor, have been working on an ambitious new podcast. It's called Intermission.

We want to tell the secret sauce stories of India's greatest companies. Stories of how they were born, how they fought to survive, how they build their organizations and culture, how they manage to innovate and thrive over decades, and most importantly, how they're poised today. To do that, Sita and I have been reading books, poring over reports, going through financial statements, digging up archives, and talking to dozens of people. And if that wasn't enough, we also decided to throw in video into the mix. Yes, you heard that right. Intermission has also had to find its footing in the world of multi-camera shoots in professional studios, laborious editing, and extensive post-production.

Sita and I are still reeling from the intensity of our first studio recording. Intermission launches on March 23rd. To get alert, as soon as we release our first studio recording, episode, please follow intermission on Spotify and Apple Podcast or subscribe to the Ken's YouTube channel. You can find all of the links at the ken.com slash I am. With that, back to your episode. Commerce has been a revelation these past few years. But one thing most of us didn't see coming was 15-minute deliveries heralding a full-blown sexual revolution. Allow me to explain, we've spoken before about how quick commerce platforms are constantly

expanding the range of products they have to offer. Well, in a bit to do just that, platforms like Blinket and Instamart decided to expand their sexual wellness categories. This is an industry that has long been shrouded in taboo. But now, everything is changing. Because for the first time ever, getting a stamina supplement or a massage wand has become as effortless as ordering a packet of milk. Now, remember, these were once clandestine back-alley biased.

from sketchy shops and dodgy websites. But now it's as routine as picking up groceries. And not just that. In this process, newer brands have started to, you know, at least in some ways, stand in line with the old guard of sexual wellness. Like a diorix, a man-force or a score. And with the promise of novelty in products, these quick commerce platforms are putting front and centre

many of these upstarts that have come up in the last few years, and these are the likes of a bold care, a my muse, and others you'd see on these platforms. That was the Ken reporter Soudeshna Rae. She says that Quick Commerce has changed the game for these upstarts. Just take Bold Care, for instance. The six-year-old brand, which has Bollywood actor Ranvir Singh as its co-founder, recently crossed 100 crore in annualized revenue,

a milestone it had set for itself in 2024. It also reportedly raised 30 crore from 20 investors. It accounts for one-fifth of the sales among the 23 other brands in Blinket's sexual wellness category. Another startup that has been making headway is My News. There's actually a funny story behind the brand's introduction to quick commerce. In October 2024, a Blinket representative contacted the pleasure products and accessories brands co-founders, Sahil and Anushka Gupta, and said their company could own this day. referring to Blinkett's singles-day sales campaign in November.

My muse took the plunge. So between November 9th and 11th, its many offerings, from massagers to lube's to games for couples, were featured on Blinket's homepage. This had never happened before. And the result was a 3-X surge in revenue. Some of its best-selling products flew off the shells at 6x their usual rate.

And it's easy to see why. India's sexual wellness market has steadily been growing since 2020. More than 20 brands are now operating in this space. That's almost double the number four years ago. What suddenly changed? Well, for starters, these brands are breaking the long-held taboos associated with sexual wellness by entering the mainstream. And they're also doing what others never could. Welcome to Daybreak, a business podcast from the Ken. I'm your host Rahil Philipos and I'll be joining my colleagues Nikta Sharma every day of the week to bring you one business that is worth understanding and worth your time.

Today is Wednesday, the 8th of January. The Ken reporter Soudesha Ray spoke to eight Indian sexual wellness brands to understand the bigger picture of this direct-to-consumer category and also how they are able to turn desire into demand. To begin with, what she learned was that these companies are completely rewriting the rules of the game. Just take bold care, for instance. It's selling products like condoms and sprays for lasting longer,

all of which have been available for a while now, but it's Bold Care's marketing tactics that are quite unorthodox. It does things like sell condoms for one rupee. Or how can we forget their iconic ad clips featuring American adult film star Johnny Sins? But it isn't just marketing. It is also the nature of the actual products on offer. You see, back in November, Bold Care expanded to offer products for women, things like libido boosters, massage oils and menopause supplements.

All of these products were launched under a new brand name called Bloom. But unlike in the past, where men were the ones designing women's sexual wellness products, bold care assembled and all women's team to build this brand. Then there's My Muse, of course. Now, the design policy that governs this brand is both simple yet powerful. It aims to make its pleasure products discrete, sleek and purposeful for their intended use. So its loop container looks a lot like a high-end beauty or skincare product. The idea is to make them so, so that women are,

comfortable buying, using and also keeping them on their side tables. But of course, all of this does come at a price. Premium packaging comes at premium prices, so while a bold care loop is priced at about $249, Mimeo's loop costs nearly double that. The co-founder of the brand Sahel Gupta explained why that was the case. You see, Mimeo's beliefs that women hold far greater lifetime value as customers, especially considering that men tend to make purchases below.

a specific price point. My Muse's primary product range includes high ticket items like oral play massagers priced from $1,500 to $10,000. But despite the high prices, Mymuse's founders told Soudesna that there are multiple sales where women are

actively looking to build a collection and even pre-order new items. The biggest difference between men and women is that women proactively discuss these products with each other and even buy them as gifts for friends. whereas men typically keep their sexual issues private. Buying these products, however, often involves a dose of subterfuge. Given the typical living arrangements in Indian households,

the shipment process needs to be low-key to preserve customers' privacy. Now, that means no product names on the box or even no bill amount or company name in some cases, which is why another sexual wellness brand called Sangya Project picked basic black packaging for its products. It recognised that most Indians are brought up in conventional old school environments and there's a fair bit of shame and apprehension attached to sexual wellness. But beyond that, sexual wellness is more than just deriving pleasures.

There's also an essential health element involved that is often overlooked. Another reason new age D2C brands are different from the old guard is because they attempt to create a space where people can discuss their long-considered undiscussable sex health problems. They're doubling down on the wellness aspect of sexual wellness. For instance, among Boulke's bestsellers are Extend, a delay spray and ultra-thin delay condoms, both of which are aimed at helping men prevent premature ejaculation.

Now, that doctors say is a health issue that 40 to 55% of men around the world encounter at some point in their lives. Plus, 70% of these cases are incurable, which explains why quick-fix solutions have become. so attractive for people. You see, even when people look for safe sexual health solutions from doctors, most are met with either unsolicited advice on moral policing. In fact, some young women the Ken spoke to were simply told not to engage in premarital sex.

But the stats are startling. One in 15 women experience painful sex, but they often don't know where to find help or who to turn to for advice. So some of these D2C brands like Delhi-based sassiest decided to step in and offer online consultations. That sense of discreetness that we just discuss extends to consultations that brands like sassiest, bold

cared and succumb offer, where customers are connected with experts, counselors, psychologists, and neurologists and gynecologists, to understand their sexual health issues and give both general and prescriptive advice. In some cases, these sessions are free of charge.

The concern, however, is that since these sessions are online, there are no physical examinations. So, it's difficult to spot unnoticed infections or diseases. These dogs generally have to just take the patient's word for it. The upside, of course, is that because these sessions are often faceless, they feel more private, safe and judgment-free. While all of this is welcome, it doesn't change the multi-generational taboo associated with sexual wellness at large. That is where quickcomer centers the picture and saves the day. The Ken was able to access some of the data

scraped by one digital stack, a data analytics agency that focuses on online marketplaces. We took a look at the current customer interest in sexual wellness products on these quick commerce platforms. Just take Blinket for instance. The top searches from 25th November to 1st December include long-lasting condoms, safe lubricants, Viagra, pure Sheila-Jit, couples massagers and climax daily lubricant. There's definitely an interest in these products. In fact, Sahil shared how my muse made 3x the usual revenue during the three days it got featured on Blinket's homepage. There were other benefits too, like visibility, thanks to which even direct sales proved to be just as lucrative. Mymuse pulled off a 1.2 crore haul during a 24-hour flash sale on his

platform. But Sahel says, QuickCommerce apps are still picking and choosing among brands. There isn't space for everyone. The whole point of 15-minute deliveries has been to only bring the best and tried and tested products. So in the end, only three or four players who are doing something good in different niches will end up making the cut. It's no easy feat to sell these products and compete with far more established names

like Diorix, Manforce, Score or Kama Sutra, but both Bold Care and Mimeos have managed to achieve it, at least to some extent. So now, newer players have to develop products that will stand out and that are unique. Only innovation will justify their entry into this space. But that raises a pretty big concern. You see, with products aimed at curing sexual ailments,

there's very little scope of checking credibility. Very few people are authorized to check things like dosage, level, and need for some of these products that are being sold online. There are skeptics out there who have raised concerns about some of these products, whether they work as advertised, and whether they're even safe for human consumption. Both use-for-pleasure products and health consumables have a bar for appropriate materials and safe production processes.

Even when they are met, ensuring the right use can often be very, very tricky. But the bar for products is high. Like one founder told Soudeshna, the product has to be highly effective or else there won't be repeat customers. Even when all these boxes are ticked, scaling up these startups isn't without its struggles. Sangya Project is one of the only in India manufacturing their pleasure products in-house. The brand's co-founder, Shweta Sangitani, said it's still difficult to manufacture massagers domestically,

given the high cost of moulds and the fact that very little R&D is done for this type of product within India. So what ends up happening is that many brands rely on imports. The thing is, this is tricky territory because a lot of the products that are being imported are perceived as obscene, despite being perfectly legal to ship. This actually happens to be a recurring issue. Ritej Ritalin, founder of pleasure products, Brand Manzuri said he had to remove some of the more graphic products from his range as they were too hard to import. Some even kept getting confiscated at customs. So newer brands are

struggling to navigate the import process. They often face similar hurdles, especially when trying to label these products as health or prescriptive body massagers. The thing to remember here is that India's D2C sexual wellness vertical is still in its early growth phase and these brands can still coexist. For instance, Vivek Krishna, founder of Sukham, which is an Ayurvedic brand for men's sexual wellness, said 8 to 10% of the company's customers use products by other firms as well. Here, quick commerce platforms help solve many frictions as these brands try to reach more customers. But the benefits are concentrated on four to five companies offering these products. And the companies that are leading the race are evolving even faster.

These newer brands see the sexual wellness market as ripe for growth. People want to buy into the brand that makes owning sexual products feel normal and even cool. But the catch here is that this won't be a novelty for very long. Daybreak is produced from the Newsroom of the Ken, India's first subscriber-focused business news platform. What you're listening to is just a small sample of our subscriber-only offerings. A full subscription unlocks daily long-form feature stories, newsletters and podcast extras. Head to the Ken.com and click on the red subscribe button on the top of the website. Today's episode was hosted by Rahil Filippos and edited by Rajiv Sien.