CYBERSPACE—While the United States economy continues to grow at a relatively slow pace, one sector of the economy is seeing a rosy and robust outlook for the next four years: the sexual wellness sector. A new report from the market research firm Technavio issued this week projects that the sexual wellness sector can expect a healthy growth rate nearing seven percent between now and the year 2021.
But what does Technavio mean by the “sexual wellness” sector, exactly? The term is a catch-all for the sex toy market, together with the market for other sexual accessories.
“Sexual health or wellness refers to the state of physical, mental, and emotional well-being related to sexuality,” according to a summary of the Technavio “Global Sexual Wellness Market” report.
“Products that enhance safe, healthy, and pleasurable sexual experiences include sensual lingerie, contraceptives, condoms, lubricants, sex toys, costumes, accessories, oils, and herbal supplements,” the summary continued. “These products are entering the mainstream market, which is getting bigger every year due to their growing acceptance.”
The accelerating growth is also being driven by, in addition to the “mainstreaming” of sex toys and other sexual wellness products, the growing number of Americans who self-identify as members of the LGBT community, according to a Business Wire report on the Technavio findings.
“In the US, this segment is a key part of the entire population, and they are of more significance for the sexual wellness market as they are the primary end-users of the several types of products sold in the market,” wrote Business Wire.
“In 2011, the first national data was emerged for the LGBT population in the US. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law collated data from four national and two state-level surveys and approximated around eight million people belonged to LGBT community in 2011. However, in 2016, over 3.1% of the US population identified themselves as LGBT.”
Another possible factor driving growth in the overall sexual wellness market is the rapid growth in male sex toys, led by the venerable Fleshlight brand male masturbation device. According to Miguel Capilla, chief compliance officer with Fleshlight International, the popular accoutrement saw sales growth of 20 percent between 2014 and 2016—and an incredible 45 percent from 2013.
In fact, according to Capilla, sex toys for men have seen sales growth of approximately 1,000 percent over the last decade.
“Men are realizing little by little that there’s nothing shameful about enjoying a good masturbation with a sex toy,” Capilla said in an interview. “With each and every day passing, it becomes more and more socially acceptable and mainstream.”
