BEAUTY & GROOMING

Sexual wellness brand MyMuse wants to change the way you talk about intimacy

By Avanti Dalal

02 May, 2022

We speak to the founders of MyMuse who want to eliminate the taboos and gender biases associated with buying products for the bedroom

Thanks to the popularity of boutique fitness classes, chopped salads, lemon water, lymphatic drainage massages, alternate therapies, meditation, dry brushing and even vaginal steaming (yes, really!), it’s clear that wellness has reached its fever pitch. Everyone is looking for something that will make them feel, look and live better, and MyMuse—a ‘bedroom essentials’ brand—is putting good sex at the top of the list.

The conversation about sexual wellness is still mostly under wraps in India, usually relegated to clandestine conversations with friends or late-night online searches. Anushka and Sahil Gupta created MyMuse in an attempt to combat this. The brand’s product offerings, which include arousal oils, vibrators and candles, are designed to help the modern Indian prioritise their sexual wellness, without having to feel shy, embarrassed or illicit about it. And for MyMuse, it has paid to do so. The growth in product sales has been dramatic since the brand launched, and they’re always trying to keep up with the increasing demand—an ideal situation to be in.

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The product offerings, which include arousal oils, vibrators and candles, are designed to help the modern Indian prioritise their sexual wellness. 

Do you think the conversation around sex and sexual wellness in India is changing?

It might be a slow change but the change is happening. For one, people are trying to seek out more information, whether it’s about safe sex, sexual wellness or pleasure. They are more open to talking about these subjects too—be it a conversation on social media, or simply being more frank with their friends and partners. We are very optimistic about this taboo around sex being a thing of the past soon enough, and our audience plays a great role in aiding that. Recently we had posted about vaginismus, and we got such an amazing response. Women messaged us, thanking us for the information we shared, because no one ever talked to them about pleasure that does not involve penetration.

Anushka and Sahil Gupta created MyMuse in an attempt to make the conversation about sexual wellness more mainstream. 

"We try to talk about intimacy, pleasure and sexual wellness in ways so that people feel comfortable."

How do you find a balance between talking about a complicated topic like sexual wellness but still play to the cultural sensitivities of a country like India?

It’s really important for us to find that balance. We try to talk about intimacy, pleasure and sexual wellness in ways so that people feel comfortable. It’s important to create a safe space where sex isn’t over-sexualised. If that sounds counter-intuitive, it isn’t. There’s nothing more natural than sex, and sexual wellness goes hand in hand with that. When you approach it with a narrative that’s exploratory, honest and educational, people are open to learning more, and are less likely to get offended.

Of course, at times, we do get a push-back saying we’re “going against Indian values,” to which we respectfully disagree. We believe we should be leading the conversation about pleasure, and that this can eradicate some of the larger issues prevalent in our society. Indians are ready to have this conversation, and we’re here to facilitate and progress it.

"There’s nothing more natural than sex, and sexual wellness goes hand in hand with that."

Since the numbers were encouraging, how did you figure out what you wanted MyMuse to look like?

Forming our brand identity and brand language was most important to us; we spent over a year in this process. We held focus groups, conducted extensive research as well as rigorous product testing and iteration. Procuring samples and sending them to our team and community of beta-testers continues to be integral to our launch process. Developing packaging and design that is discreet yet luxe is a huge part—we wanted to change the entire experience around buying an intimate product, from something one associates with shame to something that delights.

What was the process of raising capital like?

We were blessed to be able to speak to some of the top funds in India. They identified the opportunity, and many called it a blue ocean. It’s really telling that we weren't considered a “vice” or a niche investment. Investors saw the bigger picture, understood the potential trajectory and recognised the brand we had built.

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