LAS VEGAS—One thing to count on every year at the AVN Novelty Expo is that there will be something new in the lubricant market. This year was no exception, bringing forth a crop of fresh faces—all completely passionate about the products they have labored to formulate and market.
Exhibiting in Muse Hall, where they could get their new brand, Tiger Lubricant, in front of consumers right away, were Ryan H. and Tim R., longtime friends who went to Bentley College together. Post college, Tim R. went to work on mainstream skin and grooming products. Now the two are aiming to make a splash in the lube world with the new company, based in Atlanta.
“We’re new—we’re in the marketing stage,” said Ryan H. He showed the package, replete with images of the jungle beast, and pointed out the company’s slogan: “Unleash your inner tiger.”
One very big component of the marketing was Tiger Lubricant’s sponsorship of the AVN Awards Show, which took place at the end of the show. It was a move that’s sure to put the Tiger logo in front of a multitude of eyeballs when the show airs on cable television.
Each of the three debut products has a clever name that fits the marketing theme. Carnivore is Tiger Lube’s basic formula for “partners and toys”; it is water-based but has a silicone feel—it doesn’t get tacky, and adding a bit of moisture will reactivate the lube even after it’s dried on skin. Tiger Paw was created specifically for “self pleasure.” And Mauled, designed for “sexual intensity,” includes vitamin E and is also toy and latex-friendly.
According to product designer Tim R., the lubricants are all made in the United States. “I don’t know what comes off that boat,” he joked. “I’m a hands-on manufacturer. I’m in there from the beginning until it goes into the bottle. I know lube, girl.”
Ryan H. added that the company has 30 products formulated and they “will grow as our business dictates.” But he could already say that the next big thing to come will be White Tiger, a silicone lubricant. For more information about the products, go to TigerLube.com.
Neel Karia of Impulse Novelties is a great cheerleader for Sasmar lubricants. He’s a distributor himself, and he’s looking to introduce these products—which have been manufactured in France since 1998—to the adult market in the United States.
“It’s a wonderful product,” he said with a smile. Why does he like it? Karia said the formula offers “the least amount of oiliness. It’s effective in small amounts and also good for massage.”
Karia is looking to work with a larger distributor in the United States but he is also happy to sell wholesale to retailers. Sasmar is based in Belgium, but Karia said at the show back in January that by February the products will be shipping from the East Coast of the United States, so they will arrive within three days.
Karia’s excited about the chance to open a “new channel” for the company, because he believes in the quality of Sasmar products. Contact him at [email protected].
Another European eyeing the U.S. market is Viamax. “We started in 2001,” Peter Ackerfeldt said, explaining how a pool of 500 Swedish home party planners had served as his “laboratory” during the product research phase. From this research Viamax creators found out about the kinds of sexual problems that women typically encounter—difficulty achieving orgasm and post-menopausal dryness, for example—and then worked with sexologists, gynecologists and chemists to explore what kinds of formulas might help with these issues.
“What you see now is 12 years of research,” Ackerfeldt said proudly, putting drops of the various formulas on the back of this reporter’s hands. He’s particularly proud of the Silicone Glide. “We bought the best silicone on the market—the ones used in cosmetics,” he said, noting that there’s a very thin profit margin on this particular lubricant because it is so expensive to make.
In addition to its home base in Sweden, the CE-certified brand is already available in the European Union and Russian. Now, the name has been registered in the United States and the company plans to set up manufacturing here. Also at the booth was Mark McWhinney, Viamax’s new director of sales in North America. The Viamax team was at ANE looking for distributors and also seeking to raise brand awareness in the U.S.—a process definitely facilitated by Ackerfeldt’s personal charm and his enthusiasm for the product.
“I can talk for one day about each product,” Ackerfeldt said, grinning happily. In addition to the water-based, silicone and sensitive formulas, the range includes a warming gel with L-arginine and South American herbs that is designed to increase testosterone in either men or women; an organic formula that includes beeswax and shea and cocoa butter; and a tightening gel made from a Thai herb called the “women’s herb.”
The packaging is clean and non-sexy, but the point is subtly made that the goal is make the world a sexier place. The lubes are called “pleasurizers” and the company’s slogan is “Thank us later.” For more information, go to Viamax.com.
“SweetSpot is a female wellness and hygiene company,” Sales Rep Lucie Klimes told AVN. “The philosophy behind our company is ‘Made for women, tested on women, created by a woman.’ We keep the woman’s flora in mind when we’re creating our products.”
This year the company launched Liquid Assets, a water-based lubricant, which, like their other products, is all natural. Liquid Assets is available in a 2.2-ounce tube and 5-milliliter foil packets. SweetSpot's products also include a “Gentle Wash” that can be used anywhere on the body, and single-use wipettes in natural scents and unscented in individual foil packs. For more information, go to SweetSpotLabs.com.
John Strawbridge of Xero Lube got into the lube biz through his job at Condom Sense in Dallas, where he still works while launching his new venture, Xero Lube. He came up with the idea for a hands-free dispenser because he didn’t like how messy it was to use lubricants: “ I hate that sensation.”
Strawbridge’s years as a retail store made him aware that other consumers shared his dislike for thick, sticky lubes, so he made Xero Lube “as thin in viscosity as possible.” It’s also “as natural as possible,” he said, with no parabens or glycerin. He was at ANE to introduce the product, accompanied by his “little brother,” Garrett Lundberg, and they said they were having a great time at the show.
Strawbridge motioned with his hand to show how “a phallic shape” is inserted into the open ring at the top of the bottle; then he turns the bottle up and squeezes it, showing how the ring is used to gently spread the lube around the toy or body part in question. The product is trademarked and patented, he noted.
Available in four formulas—all made in house in Dallas—Xero Lube will debut in late February or early March. Xero H2O is water based, while Xero Eternity is silicone-based. There is also a warming formula and an anal lube that uses jojoba, which has natural relaxing effects. For more information, go to Xerolube.net.
On the other end of the exhibitor spectrum is Desert Harvest. Founded 20 years ago, it’s a veteran on the retail scene. But it’s a newbie in terms of the adult market. With a product range that’s a simple as its ingredients, Desert Harvest comes in two varieties: unflavored and strawberry. Certified organic aloe vera is the main ingredient, and it contains no parabens, chemical additives, carrageenan or synthetic preservatives.
A family-owned business, Desert Harvest was started by Pat Criscito, who was at ANE with her daughter, Heather Florio. They had been based in Colorado, Criscito said, but they planned to move to North Carolina very soon—to take advantage of the “positive business climate.” For more information, go to DesertHarvest.com.
