During the Covid-19 pandemic, 27-year-old civil engineer Rita from São Paulo decided to break up with her boyfriend of five years. Facing a single’s life during social isolation, with bars closed and in-person dating out of the question, Rita decided to delve into the world of sex toys. “If it weren’t for the pandemic, I don’t know if I’d ever have thought about buying my first vibrator. It didn’t seem necessary before,” explains Rita. “Plus, I probably would have been too shy to actually go into a sex shop and buy something.”
“Thankfully, now I know there’s a world that goes way beyond sex toys. There are vegan and organic cosmetics to aid genital health, and even apps for streaming a world much bigger than just sex toys. There are vegan and organic cosmetics that guarantee intimate health and even apps for streaming erotic stories and audio clips, something quite different from pornography, something that anyone can enjoy,” she adds.
And Rita is not the only one: the Covid pandemic in Brazil came as a boost for the so-called “pleasure market,” opening up opportunities for sexual wellbeing startups, known as “sextechs.” Unlike the majority of Brazilian startups, these companies are largely led by women, and aim to conquer a profitable — yet taboo — market.
Data from sector association Abeme shows that erotic products saw a 12-percent jump in sales last year, compared to 2019. Total revenues exceeded BRL 2 billion (USD 350...
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