Explore the Spectrum of Pleasure with The Department of Bed Intentions launching online today. The newest Australian sex and sleep brand launch with their world’s first mircobiome-friendly certified (via MyMicrobiome) water based lubricant (RRP $35). The startup provides high quality products that encourage customers to explore the spectrum of pleasure by offering the latest innovation in sexual health and sleep science. Made only of the good stuff; the hero product is certified cruelty free (via Leaping Bunny) and contains no nasties featuring natural active ingredients including Green Tea seed extract and fermented Cranberry to soothe and support skin. We caught up with founder Sophie McGrath to find out more about the brand and what makes the new lubricant so innovative.
Can you share the inspiration behind the creation of Bed Intentions? What motivated you to start this venture, and were there any specific experiences or challenges that led you to pursue the sexual wellness industry?
I had always been hesitant to use lubricant as it always left me some sort of uncomfortable disruption after use.
I tried multiple water based lubricants and was never satisfied with them – whether it was the way they felt, what they had in them. Most were also not durable enough, always having to re-apply all too soon.
Creating Bed Intentions wasn’t just about adding another option on the shelf; it was about revolutionising the standard within the space. Embarking on this venture almost 3 years ago, my vision was simple: to reimagine the way we experience intimacy and in time… sleep!
A harmonious blend of intimacy and rest is essential, and our flagship product is just the beginning of what Bed Intentions has to offer.
Developing a brand often involves a unique vision or mission. What core values or principles guided you in shaping the identity of Bed Intentions? How do you hope your brand will stand out in this burgeoning market?
Transparency with your community is key in any business and I believe you should know as much about the brand as its Founder does if you want to truly succeed.
I’m committed to building a brand that is sustainable as possible in every single way and this is a responsibility I don’t take lightly.
Bed Intentions is B-Corp certified, certified Cruelty Free, certified Carbon Positive, contains no plastic packaging to name a few key pillars.
The products are Vegan and natural and our flagship product – The Water Based Lubricant is the world’s first certified microbiome friendly lubricant.
Bed Intentions is commitment to ethical practices, ensuring that everything we do as a brand contributes to positive social and environmental impacts. Here’s hoping the bigger brands take notice and do better.
Your first product is often a statement piece for a new brand. Could you elaborate on the process of conceptualizing and developing your inaugural product? What key features or ingredients did you prioritise?
It’s taken 3 years to create the Water Based Lubricant and I couldn’t be prouder of it!
It’s been through multiple renditions and 2 focus groups where participants provided anonymous feedback when trialing the respective samples with not one report of irritation.
I’m so lucky to work alongside the brilliant Wanda Chin who is Bed Intentions Chief Operations Officer and Head of Innovation. With a background in science and formulation, Wanda has been instrumental in not just developing the Water Based Lubricant and our product line but in embodying the very spirit of the brand—meticulous, forward-thinking, and always in the pursuit of excellence.
The Water Based Lubricant contains a Prebiotic plus ingredients including Green Tea and fermented Cranberry extract to help soothe and support the skin. It contains no nasties – dyes, perfumes, glycerin, parabens, hormones, polyquats, sugar and gluten and is designed to perform and be long lasting compared to the water based lubricants on the market.
To top it all off, the Water Based Lubricant is the world’s first certified microbiome friendly lubricant in the world. To try and shorten the explanation –For a healthy microbiome, the ratios of each of the microorganisms in relation to each other need to be consistent as problems may arise when one microorganism dominates the microorganisms that might need some help in surviving, one way to do this is to add food for commensal (good) bacteria. We formulated a prebiotic into the product to do exactly this. The prebiotic (Inulin) acts as a food for the good bacteria and this prevents their levels from getting too low and disrupting the microbiome balance.
Bed Intentions Founder, Sophie McGrath and Chief Operations Officer and Head of Innovation, Wanda Chin
Building a brand requires a deep understanding of your target audience. How did you identify and connect with the needs and desires of your intended customer base? Did consumer feedback play a significant role in shaping your brand and product development?
We know a few things about this particular category – we know that there’s definitely a growth in awareness for sexual health in overall well being and increasing focus on overall wellness and self care. We know there’s a desire to enhance the sexual experience and the rising numbers globally in vaginal dryness, erectile dysfunction and people experiencing pain, discomfort or anxiety during sexual activity. And that microbiome health of intimate areas is also of particular interest.
We found having discussions with community and doing our own research that the sex industry is definitely saturated but unfortunately with a lot of underwhelming and low-quality products.
We believe we’ve created something significant that covers off the current gap in then market for lubricants, we hope people feel the same way.
We’ll continue to be led by our growing community in order to work out what’s next for the brand in product development.
Launching a new brand in today’s market involves navigating various trends and preferences. How did you conduct market research to stay informed about current sexual wellness trends, and how do you envision your brand evolving?
Having a background in publicity I’m of course obsessed with learning about different markets, brands and trends. And having Wanda on board and working within the science and formulation industry, she’s in know of new and upcoming trends within the beauty, health and wellness spaces, data and new ingredients. Between us, we have it covered and it makes for interesting conversations intersecting brand and science.
What’s next for Bed Intentions?
The journey has just begun, and 2024 promises an exciting array of new products and innovations from Bed Intentions. Without giving away too much, let me assure you that we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the realms of intimacy and sleep.
We intentionally take our time to create products where we feel there is a current gap in the market across both the sex and sleep categories.
Visit The Department of Bed Intentions to find out more and to purchase the water based lubricant www.bedintentions.com
