Here at the Salon International de la Lingerie, the Wellness area sits right next to Exposed, a corner dedicated to young brands that shake up the market. The positioning makes sense and reflects the growing complementarity between lingerie and skincare, in an organic convergence of intimate garment and well-being. The pleasure market is carving a spot at the intersection of these two worlds, in an effort to deconstruct the image of sex-toys.

“There are still some taboos around this sector, but we feel that buyers are increasingly curious and educated.” Says Lisa Sananes, co-founder of the consulting and B2B sales agency Gisèle International. Having specialized in this market for many years, she witnessed its evolution in real time and believes in an increasing democratization in the upcoming years. “The pleasure industry is starting to lean towards lifestyle and something a bit more implanted in the every-day life. Brands that we represent are touching more and more mainstream retailers, from beauty to fashion, lingerie and beachwear.”

Among them, the young brand biird chose a playful and educational approach. Fun, colorful objects with a polished design and an affordable price range, from 29 to 120 euros. The brand recently collaborated with Jouissance Club, a French, social-media born structure that offers an uninhibited, educational approach to sex. Clitoris-shaped earrings, vulva pendants and pop patterns on socks take eroticism out of the taboo and take a humoristic take on education, in a clever mix of sex-toys and accessories.

“We were curious about which type of buyers would be interested, says Lisa Sananes. It ends up being quite varied : we met with people from swimwear or high-end lingerie stores but also from lifestyle concept stores with a feminist angle.” According to her, the sustainable segment is also on the rise. She represents Love Not War, a brand that offers a range of eco-friendly ‘neo-silicone’ sex-toys. The brand owns its own factory and uses recycled materials to offer different products that can be powered by a single battery. It is all about quality, simplicity and discretion, for a tech and environment-friendly audience. New on the market and backed by a patent, the neo-silicone is compatible with silicone-based lubricants such as Überlube, number one on the American market and well-implemented in a wide range of mainstream stores.

According to Lisa Sananes, the main upcoming challenge of the pleasure market will be communication. “The moment retailers really play the game and openly communicate about these products, growth will jump. They are still a bit shy, but things are evolving nonetheless. We are on a ‘crisis-proof’ segment which has the advantage of suffering little from recessions and which soared during the Covid crisis. The more retailers will communicate, the more we’ll manage to include it in mainstream consumer offerings.”