opinion

To Create an Authentic Brand, Detailed Consumer Info Is a Must

To Create an Authentic Brand, Detailed Consumer Info Is a Must

As an entrepreneur and brand developer, I approach all product categories with the same attitude: curiosity.

What are people picking up off the shelf in this space? What’s the problem in their lives that they’re looking to solve? How do they want to feel about themselves? Getting detailed consumer information is always the key to creating a perfect product. You have to be a good listener if you want to tap into a loyal market.

We are finally seeing specially-designed products that answer the questions gay men have been asking, namely, ‘Why aren’t there lubes specifically for gay male sex?

I launched a multi-million-dollar business in the beauty industry where I’ve worked for more than 20 years simply by taking the time to find out what women want. Of course, it took a gay man to finally listen to women, right? But seriously, getting the inside scoop of a woman’s daily beauty regime was all I needed to get placed in Sephora, Ulta, QVC and more. That’s why I took the same approach when United Consortium reached out to me as a consultant on their new gay men’s line.

People forget how new the gay market is in the U.S. and around the world. It’s not that we didn’t exist, but it was all happening underground. As recently as the 1960s, you could not be out and proud, so marketing and advertising were restricted to local newsletters, storefronts and maybe back-of-the-newspaper ads. It was so limiting. Then the New York City Stonewall riots of 1969 began to change that, when gay people fought back and said, “You know what, I have a right to be here.” That was the beginning of putting a public face to the gay community — and also when people started using the term “gay community!” You began to see companies recognize that this was a thriving demographic looking for products.

Fast forward 10 years after that, and you had the Florida orange juice boycott of 1977 where [anti-gay rights activist] Anita Bryant was demonizing gay people publicly while she poured OJ for her children in commercials saying, “It’s not just for breakfast anymore.” Orange juice producers took a substantial hit in sales during that boycott (because, spoiler alert, most Americans don’t support discrimination!) and the business world took notice. Product developers suddenly saw multi-million-dollar opportunity in the gay market. Their takeaway message became, “What can we sell gay people?”

At the same time, we’ve seen a revolution in sexual health and wellness products. Condoms, lubricants, sex toys, sex games — you name it — they all came out of the closet in the 1970s when sex became a much more mainstream topic of conversation. Over the past decades, I’ve watched these two worlds begin to dovetail: the empowered gay community and the sexual health and wellness product space. Now we are finally seeing specially-designed products that answer the questions gay men have been asking, namely, “Why aren’t there lubes specifically for gay male sex?”

When United Consortium asked me to help them develop a gay men’s lubricant brand, I knew this was my chance to get creative and find a solution to that question. I consider it a “passion project” (no pun intended) because I was genuinely interested in being part of this sexual wellness history. So, our first step was to organize focus groups and find out what gay men were looking for. And what they were looking for was a lubricant that’s Ph-balanced for the booty, not the vagina. What a surprise, right? And vitamin E and aloe to prevent tissue damage. The idea became, “Let’s come up with a ‘bottom-approved’” line that will essentially be the first lube created by gay men for gay men.

Now that the line is out and thriving, it’s fun to focus on the community aspects that bring the whole project full circle. It’s all about supporting our gay brothers and sisters and the LGBTQ community! Our community is considered to be a trendsetting group where clientele can be fiercely loyal, especially when a brand shows support where it matters most. As innovators in the gay male sexual health space, it’s really our responsibility to get the word out that finally there is a brand made by gay men for gay men. We host booths at Pride events that are hugely popular because we’re known as an authentic voice — and, okay, it might also be the male models wearing tight riding pants, helmets and sunglasses. Spanks and samples are both free, so that doesn’t hurt either.

I came out in the 1990s when wellness products for sexual health were still pretty much all targeted toward women or heterosexual couples. Gay men could adapt to these products of course, and the overall positive of having adult stores that were more than just pornography vendors was still new and exhilarating. Later, the exploding over-the-counter supplement market like Horny Goat Weed, Nitric Oxide, Ginseng (all claiming to support hormone function and encourage blood flow) made it feel like progress had arrived. But there was definitely at least one solution missing, and after decades of product development, it’s been my honor to be the one to answer the question, “Where are the gay male lubes?”

Richard Anderson is an entrepreneur and product and brand developer with 20 years experience in the beauty industry. He created Per-fekt, a skin care and makeup line for women that is available on QVC and at Sephora and Ulta. Anderson consults in the sexual health and wellness industry, most notably at United Consortium where he helped launch Bucked, the first brand of gay male lubricants specifically made for men, by men.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

The 'Wall of Shame' in Adult Retail: Deterrent or Dilemma?

Retail theft affects all kinds of businesses, but adult retailers face unique challenges when it comes to loss prevention. One of the more controversial strategies some retailers have adopted is the “wall of shame,” a public display of shoplifters caught in the act.

Rin Musick ·
opinion

Mitigating Retail Shrink Through Intelligent Video Solutions

Retail shrink isn’t just a cost of doing business — it’s an existential threat. Theft, fraud, operational inefficiencies and employee mismanagement chip away at profits in ways that many business owners don’t even realize.

Sean Quinn ·
opinion

The Power of Authenticity in Selling Pleasure Products

I’ve been working in the pleasure industry for more than two decades. For a significant chunk of that time, I thought that to be successful in sales, I had to fit a mold. I assumed that selling meant following a formula: say the right things, use the right voice and present myself in a way that was guaranteed to convert.

Kimberly Scott Faubel ·
profile

Dennis DeSantis on Building a Blockbuster Career in Adult Retail

The adult industry and the mainstream Hollywood scene often intersect, and few executives are more familiar with that crossover than Dennis DeSantis.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
profile

'Pleasure Professionals Place' Facebook Group Marks 5 Years of Fostering Connections

Where can you find the pleasure industry’s most tantalizing, trending and relevant conversational banter? For once, we’re not talking about a trade show after-party!

Colleen Godin ·
opinion

How Cannabis Culture Is Reshaping Sexual Wellness, Pleasure

April is a month of celebration: Lovers Day, Earth Day… and 4/20. Once a subculture symbol, “420” has evolved into a movement that bridges cannabis advocacy, wellness and an increasingly vital discussion around sexual health and pleasure.

Ian Kulp ·
profile

WIA Profile: Holly Corbella

Even during last year’s retail slump, the adult home party business continued to rock and roll — at least in New Jersey. Just ask Holly Corbella. Based in the Garden State, Corbella is the founder, CEO and lead party planner for Parties by Bellas, an intimate, in-home sex toy event company focusing on creating budget-friendly home parties for women on the East Coast.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Friday Bae Founder Benoit Palix Discusses Brand's Gen Z Focus

French sexual wellness brand Friday Bae is aiming to disrupt the market with its genderfluid, inclusive pleasure products. With bright pops of color for Gen Z and millennials to swoon over, Friday Bae is merging creativity and education for fans, dubbed the “Bae Squad.”

Namma Karp ·
profile

Self Serve's Matie Fricker on Promoting Sex-Positivity in Albuquerque

For 18 years, Self Serve has been providing a sex-positive space for adult toys and resources to folks in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The story behind its success is all about making connections: connecting with your passion, with your business partner, with your customers, with your staff and with your community.

Justin Goodrum ·
opinion

Why Inclusivity in the Pleasure Industry Is More Important Than Ever

2025 has kicked off with a series of unsettling events. Tension and anxiety are high across North America as the unknown impact of tariffs, climate change and attacks on human rights loom ominously. In times of unrest, seeking pleasure is not frivolity but necessity.

Sarah Tomchesson ·
Show More