The floodgates for cannabis-infused sexual enhancement products have burst open, and Carrashield Labs is the latest to enter the playing field. Known for its Divine 9 personal lubricant, which has been used in numerous medical studies, Carrashield Labs has joined forces with Ananda Hemp, a manufacturer of hemp and CBD products, to distribute Bliss — a new cannabis-infused intimate oil designed for both men and women. The product is the result of a collaboration between Carrashield Labs CEO Dean Fresonke and Dr. Alex Capano, chief scientific officer of Ananda Hemp’s parent company Ecofibre Industries.
Capano was the first doctoral candidate of any discipline who focused on comprehensive cannabinoid science under the guidance of the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University. In addition, Capano is a nurse practitioner focusing on sexual and reproductive medicine.
Consent is really important with health, and certainly with sexual health — and I think that includes what you’re putting on your body, and that you have transparency in what’s in it.
With both companies specializing in scientifically tested sex enhancers, it comes as no surprise that Carrashield Labs and Ananda Hemp have come together to bring both company’s first cannabis-infused sex enhancer to the adult retail marketplace.
In a recent interview, Capano and Fresonke discussed the benefits of Bliss and their goals for the new intimate oil.
XBIZ: Tell us about your background in sexual wellness. Why is this an area that you focus on?
Dr. Alex Capano: Well, I just want to be as controversial as possible. So, it’s medical cannabis and sexual health. Honestly, I am licensed in family practice, but then have a specialty in sexual and reproductive medicine…. I found that I was good at making patients feel comfortable and confident in what I think make healthier choices. I just kind of found my niche there. I have been specializing in sexual health for several years — mostly, about improving sex lives and helping people get what they want out of it whether it is to enjoy themselves the most or not have an unplanned pregnancy. If they do want a pregnancy, I don’t really do a lot of fertility treatment, but I kind of get them to a particular point and then refer them to someone else. It’s really more about safe and happy sex lives in my practice as opposed to trying to reproduce.
XBIZ: What inspired you to create Bliss?
Capano: Well, a few reasons. One is that I feel like there are not a lot of safe and affordable or easy-access options out there for people. Particularly for women, we don’t have a lot of solutions.
XBIZ: What makes Bliss different than other cannabis-infused sex enhancement products?
Capano: Other formulas have no THC in it, whereas ours does have a small amount that’s under the legal limit…. That little bit of THC will enhance the experience. And then, we also have other active ingredients as well. We have really, really small, safe amounts of black pepper and peppermint essential oils to create a simultaneous warming/cooling sensation that increases basal dilation and sensitivity. And we also have two really special ingredients. One is L-arginine. That has been shown, at least in one clinical trial, to be as effective or even more effective than Viagra. We also have Theobroma, which is part of cacao seed butter — and it is the only food we know of that has something called anandamide in it. Anandamide is actually an endogenous cannabinoid, which means that it is a cannabinoid our bodies make on its own. And it’s named after the Sanskrit word for bliss because it makes us feel really good. We don’t make a whole lot of it, unfortunately, and then, it degrades really rapidly. So CBD actually increases your own anandamide that you make itself, but then, Theobroma can add a little bit more. So that makes us feel blissful anyway. It’s also associated with oxytocin levels; that’s going to be your orgasm nerve transmitter —and yeah, your love and cuddle too. But if you increase your anandamide, you’re going to feel better, but you’re also going to increase your oxytocin. So that’s all going to help people reach their goals, I think.
XBIZ: What are the effects of Bliss?
Capano: We really wanted to include L-arginine to make sure that everybody was going to get something special out of it. There are certainly more receptors in female reproductive tissue than in male reproductive tissue for cannabinoids — and that’s why we added a little bit more. There still are receptors in male tissue, just not as many. And also, a lot of (people) are going to have some issues with pain and inflammation and endometriosis; this is going to help decrease that pain and inflammation. Actually, we have been known to stop endometriosis proliferation. So, all of those things are going to contribute to lack of libido or pleasure in sex. You certainly don’t have to have an issue or sexual dysfunction to benefit from this, but for those who do, it’s an added bonus.
XBIZ: How long does it take to work? How long does it last?
Capano: I suggest that people use it 15 minutes before their — I keep saying the main event. It’s not always intercourse. Cannabinoids take a little bit of time to activate…. So ideally, 15 minutes, and our testers are telling me that they are achieving orgasm much faster.
XBIZ: So, can anybody benefit from using Bliss then?
Capano: Yes, definitely anybody, whether you’re alone or partnered, or same sex-partnered. It’s really safe for all tissue. People don’t have to have a partner to benefit from this. The only thing is: it is oil-based, so it’s not compatible with latex condoms.
XBIZ: Are enough people aware of all the benefits of CBD? Or do you think education is still needed?
Capano: Yeah, I think there’s education that’s needed. I think people need to know that it’s not snake oil and that there are receptors in those tissues that are modulated by these molecules… Yeah, I think there is some education needed there, just about the opportunity for sexual health with cannabinoids.
XBIZ: Will Bliss be offering any type of education?
Capano: Yeah, we are going to create videos. We have a lot of information on our website as well, that links to some of these science/tech articles if people want to nerd out on it.
Dean Fresonke: We just added some educational video. We’ll also be providing consumer education material at the point of sale. I just want to confirm that Bliss is not on sale yet to the general public, only on their own company website…. So it’s not retailed anywhere at the moment. We’re doing all this stuff behind the scenes getting ready for a major launch in a couple of weeks.
XBIZ: How did CarraShield Labs and Ananda Hemp come together?
Fresonke: CarraShield has obviously been involved in the adult industry for a long time. But we’re extremely and totally focused on sexual health. So we don’t do toys, we don’t do flavors. We’re really focused on sexual wellness and sexual health…. When Brent [Ballard of Ananda Professional] and I met and started talking about Ananda and Bliss, it was a perfect fit because we’re really selective about working with products that actually have real science behind them — that have real technology and components that are meaningful, and that are not just some advertising ploy. So we see the world the same way, and so, we’re really excited about bringing Bliss to the adult market. We really think there’s a great opportunity for the end customers and then, for everybody in between.
XBIZ: Do you see CBD products as the next big thing in adult retail?
Capano: I think it’s already taking off, and you’re seeing some of these products kind of fly off the shelves. To be honest, we wanted to enter the market because I actually have the metabolic expertise to develop something that I think is going to be really effective and safe. And we are vertically integrated, which means we plant our seeds and manufacture everything in-house. I wanted to have that control…. Consent is really important with health, and certainly with sexual health — and I think that includes what you’re putting on your body, and that you have transparency in what’s in it.
Fresonke: Let me just interject this really quick. The retailers that I spoke to — and I spoke to quite a few retailers — the ones that are offering CBD-type infused products on the wellness side, say they are doing extremely, extremely well. The CBD thing is something that seems to be really rising now.
XBIZ: You said you’ve have people test it. Could you elaborate on the response that you’ve gotten from users?
Capano: For female partners, the most consistent feedback that I get is that they’re able to achieve orgasms faster. More than a handful of our first users are not able to achieve orgasms during intercourse or just from intercourse — and they are now, and that is really exciting for them. Unfortunately or fortunately, I feel like that’s not as much of an issue for male partners. So I haven’t been hearing that from them.
