Wicked Sensual Care Makes Moves in Lube Marketplace

LOS ANGELES — The team behind the Wicked Sensual Care Collection believes in more than creating conscious products designed to enhance partner and solo play in the bedroom. Consider their “Core Purpose” for starters: To inspire the exploration of healthy sexuality; to educate and empower sexual freedom; and to provide thoughtful, innovative products that enhance sensual experiences through heightened comfort and pleasure. “I love our mission statement, or as we call it—our core purpose,” says Wicked Sensual Care Marketing Director Cassie Pendleton. “It so perfectly sums up the energy and drive amongst the WSC team. It’s what makes our jobs so meaningful.” According to Pendleton, WSC approaches what they do as “contributing to a bigger purpose and mission of inspiring people to explore and discover their sensual pleasure and wellbeing.” It’s that ambitious vision that not only led the company to capturing the 2021 AVN Award for Best Enhancement Manufacturer, it also fuels Pendleton’s personal mission. While she describes it humbly as “a facilitator of our company goals,” that’s not even the half of it. “I’m always trying to use my set of skills and abilities to move us forward,” Pendleton says. “I also see my roles in the company as ripe growth opportunities—in the sense that there is always something more to learn. “I am surrounded by colleagues who have this same mentality, so the spirit in which we operate is always full of ambition, curiosity, and open-mindedness.” One high-profile colleague, in particular, embodies the spirit that has defined the company’s rise to the industry’s elite during the past nine years. Enter jessica drake. The AVN Hall of Fame performer/director—who is the Wicked Sensual Care Brand Strategist and Resident Sex Educator—has been instrumental in the company’s rapid trajectory as it has evolved from premium lube company to a boutique enhancement manufacturer and lifestyle brand. For drake, embracing a pivotal role with WSC was a natural progression as she broadened her horizons beyond her award-winning performances for Wicked Pictures. She first started doing sex-ed workshops in retail spaces in 2010. Then a year later, she launched her signature line of educational movies, jessica drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex. “At that point, I had been at Wicked Pictures for about eight years,” drake recalls. “We began talking about expanding the brand and decided to move into the pleasure products market with a luxury line of lubes. I have always been a part of WSC, and as we grew and developed, I made sure to evolve as well. “I quickly became a certified sex educator and honed my skills as a public speaker to begin doing product trainings that hold overall educational value for both retailers and consumers.” In her strategic role, drake works closely with the creative team in product development and marketing to help guide the line, “keeping up with not only current trends, but also the needs of our discerning consumers.” In fact, drake steered WSC through the development process for simply™, the company's top-selling lubricant line that debuted in early 2020.   “I’m old enough to remember when it was generally considered taboo to talk about sexual products, but that attitude has fortunately shifted at least somewhat,” drake adds. Indeed, WSC continues to play a key role in raising awareness around sexual health, advancing the conversation through community outreach and engaging their retail partners with programs such as their Retail Employee Spotlight. Launched this past March, the WSC Retail Employee Spotlight honors extraordinary retail staff employed in the pleasure products industry. Wicked Sensual Care also engaged their retail partners in July, launching the Sweet Summer In-Store Retail Display Contest in which they invited brick-and-mortar retailers to create attention-getting displays featuring WSC's acclaimed flavored lubricants. In this exclusive Q&A, Cassie and jessica elaborate on the founding principles that drive the Wicked Sensual Care brand, the challenges that come with sex-ed in 2021, the importance of making connections, the future of the company, plus much more. AVN: Can you give me the basics of Wicked Sensual Care’s history? When did the company originate? Whose idea was it? And what is the sensual care company’s relationship with the studio? CP: The idea for Wicked Sensual Care came from the company’s owner and founder, Steve Orenstein. After establishing such a reputable and long-standing brand in Wicked Pictures, an extension of the famous Wicked brand made all the sense in the world. The question became: what type of product should the brand extend to? Steve and the team researched a variety of options, including adult toys and even lingerie. The lubricant category became the frontrunner and eventual first brand extension for a plethora of reasons. Amongst them, the lube category was one in which we could carry on the Wicked pillars of quality and integrity by having full control over the formulas and final product, and also, this was an opportunity to do what Wicked (and Steve) does best—which is innovate and elevate the category as a whole. After one year of R&D, WSC launched in 2012 with 13 formulas to kick off the collection. And so, as they say, the journey began. Each year and with each new release, I truly feel like we get better and better. We have two main goals at WSC: One is to create quality formulas that are first and foremost—effective. We also formulate with clean ingredients and use as many naturals as possible. Our second goal is to provide choices and options for consumers. This goal is especially important to us as we always look to learn, evolve, take on feedback, and then create meaningful products to deliver to market. Our latest collection, simply, is the perfect example of this. This line of lubricants maintains very specific guidelines based on a segment of consumers looking for very specific ingredient omissions in their lubricants of choice. Each formula is free of Glycerin and Propylene Glycol. Each formula is enhanced with our signature ingredient – Olive Leaf Extract and the line also maintains our WSC non-negotiables, which means that every simply product is vegan, cruelty free, and paraben free. Since our inception, we’ve been lucky enough to be at the forefront of our industry, receiving a multitude of awards each year including Outstanding Lubricant at the “O” Awards, in addition to being recognized as Best Lubricant Manufacturer three times by AVN. In 2021 the accolades for our newest collection poured in. simply™ Hybrid Jelle received the award for Outstanding Lubricant Product from AVN’s “O” Awards and Wicked Sensual Care was also named Best Enhancement Manufacturer by AVN. August 2021 [marked] nine years on the market for us. We now have 34 formulas and over 60 skus. It really is amazing to see where we started, where we’re at, and look forward to where we’re going in the future. AVN: It seems like sexual wellness has become a much more “mainstream” field than it used to be. Do you have any thoughts on what accounts for the change in public attitudes?  CP: I do think the dialogue around sexual wellness has made some significant strides in becoming less taboo and more “mainsteam.” Saying this, I still feel like there’s a long way to go, especially when it comes to lube use. Lube stigma is real, and we’ve been and will continue to be committed to doing our part to dismantle all of the misinformation out there, to de-stigmatize it, normalize it, and make it a central part of the conversation on sexual health and wellness. Examples of this include our ongoing campaign which touts the mantra: Eat, Sleep, Lube, Repeat. This catchy catchphrase is a subtle reinforcement of our belief that lubricant should be seen not only as essential as eating or sleeping, but as common place. We believe the key here is to first, offer education to consumers on why their misguided views on lube are just that. And then, secondly, we aim to inspire them with information on the vast world of lube. The types, sensations, flavors—oh my! It becomes really fun for everyone once we dismantle archaic beliefs and infuse some knowledge, fun, and encourage an exploratory mindset. It’s also important to acknowledge that even as that is happening, social media platforms are censoring sex in a most disturbing manner. Educators and pleasure product accounts are being shadow banned, restricted, or deleted altogether, so let’s not mistake the media’s willingness to use sex to sell their products while the people who are doing the work around sexuality are continuing to be stigmatized and/or erased altogether. JD: One on hand, I think the ‘mainstream media’ uses sex to the extent that viewers are acclimated to more explicit visuals, even on primetime TV. The more people see sexual topics represented, the more they may feel comfortable having conversations about them, even if they begin in jest. As a society, we have a lot of shame to unpack surrounding sex, and often it’s a lack of general knowledge that prevents people from having conversations—they’re embarrassed by not knowing, so they make jokes or just avoid any serious conversations altogether. AVN: What does WSC do to reach out to people who may not have thought about buying or using sensual care products? CP: We reach people in many different ways. This starts with our distributor and retail partnerships. These close-knit connections are so important to us. We set up strategic promotional periods, offer fun incentives, and provide product knowledge training for all direct and indirect customers. This info then gets funneled all the way down to the people walking into a store and shopping. We are so thankful for the brick-and-mortar retail staff. These beautiful people are on the “front lines” everyday and if they’re believers in our product, they end up making believers out of their customers. I always say that a retailer’s job is to create a return customer—someone who had an exceptional buying experience, who was given education and recommended products they took home and loved. I believe it is our job as a manufacturer to create products that allow them to do that. This is always the goal. We also have an amazing PR team that is constantly getting us in front of the right people who are able to extend the reach of our message and who share our mission. We also have a robust social media presence which is growing by the day. This direct-to-consumer messaging is also important for our brand and for driving demand back into retailers. AVN: In your role as a sex educator generally, what do you see as the most important sexual challenges and issues people are facing in the current era? JD: Where do I begin? We’re so lacking in so many areas, it’s hard to know where to start. One of the biggest challenges that I help people with is the lack of porn literacy. Some people have some incredibly unrealistic expectations when it comes to sex, and this often stems from watching porn with no way to differentiate fantasy from the way things may translate in their own lives. Navigating consent is another important topic that is largely overlooked, and often results in people dong things they weren’t into or ready for because they weren’t comfortable with voicing their boundaries—or people not heeding other’s boundaries or requests. Communication about sex is imperative, in and out of bed. I want to add that over a year into a global pandemic, many have been struggling to survive this time of isolation, and now that it’s easing up, folks are going to be jumping back into sex. This is a great time to refresh our knowledge on birth control, STIs and HIV transmission in order to avoid an overall decline in sexual health. Speaking of the pandemic, we are also beginning to talk more about how trauma of all types can impact our sexuality. AVN: How does your work with WSC help address those challenges?JD: My work with WSC is quite interlaced with my work as an educator. Talking about lube with folks who rarely see it show up in the porn that they watch is one of my passions—pulling the curtain back a bit on porn and saying, “Yes, lube is being used here when the cameras aren’t rolling, that anal scene didn’t happen as spontaneously as you may have thought. People don’t always have to be erect and/or dripping wet of their own accord to be deserving of sex.” Those things have been comforting for people to hear and normalizes a lot of their concerns. Because we have so many different products in our line, it allows me the chance to educate people not only on the use of each item, but at the same time, teach them more about their bodies and help them explore many different options when it comes to pleasure. I have witnessed this process making people feel more comfortable experimenting and learning so much about themselves. AVN: What’s the future of WSC? What new types of products does the company have on the horizon?  CP: The future of WSC—how exciting! There’s so much in store! We will continue to create thoughtful products and bring them to market with all of the care and consideration we’ve done for the last nine years. We look forward to continued success with our customers, always looking for ways we can grow and learn and thrive together. As far as new products... just know we have exciting things planned. We will continue to solidify ourselves as a leader in the sensual care space and are always thinking of ways we can contribute to enhanced intimacy. We truly believe lube is for everybody, so what you’ll see from us ongoing will be products and messaging aimed at making sure all folks fall in love with lube the way we have. JD: We plan on continuously evolving to meet the needs and desires of our consumers by providing them with high-quality lubes and other enhancers along with the education they need to make the best decisions for their bodies. I’m excited to play a role in this and be a part of the team as we keep learning and growing. AVN: How can the company and your work with it help educate the public on sexual issues? JD: Any time I’m teaching and talking about sex, whether it’s at a conference, in a retail space, at a university, or providing one-on-one advice, it’s a great opportunity to talk lube. AVN: Is there anything else you’d like AVN readers to know about your work with Wicked Sensual Care, or as a sex educator general? JD: I’d love to acknowledge how grateful I am to Wicked Sensual Care for putting their trust in me and having me on their team. Sex education is one of my biggest passions, and in the past 11 years, I’ve honed in on things that I feel especially drawn to—either because it’s a topic that relates to my own sexuality, or it’s an area I feel is underserved. In the past 4-5 years, I’ve also realized the importance of collaboration. We have so many amazingly talented educators who specialize in so many different areas. For us to have truly comprehensive sex education, we need the nuanced views and lived experience of everyone. I have been greatly influenced/inspired by a few people in particular, and I’d like to thank them: Joan Price, Jimanekia Eborn, Marla Stewart, Andy Duran, Elle Chase, Kevin Patterson, Thongria, Dirty Lola, Sunny Megatron, Josh Ortiz, and many folks I’ve met on the road who work for retailers to provide their individual communities the education and service they deserve.