Celebrating 21 Years of Making Vaginas Happy®
As we gear up for our glorious 21st birthday celebrations (!!!) we caught up with inspirational YES® co-founder and CEO Sarah Brooks to find out how we’ve delivered against the promises made all those years ago, and what the future has in store for vaginas the world over.
Pioneers in Our Field
When Susi and I started YES® back in 2003, we set out to change the world from the inside. I was working with Pfizer during the launch of Viagra, and though the breakthroughs were incredible, there were reports in the media of older women (Viagra wives) crying out for help. While Viagra was helping men to reclaim their sex-life, their wives had a different problem, often post-menopausal women had lost their ability to make love to their suddenly demanding husbands – making sex uncomfortable, painful, or downright impossible.
We initially thought the issue was a lack of lubrication (vaginal dryness due to the menopause), but it is much more complex than that.
There were a few lubricants available, and to our eyes they seemed to be developed by men, for men. The focus was sensation, rather than nurturing female intimate health. They were also packed with synthetic chemicals and skin irritants that we believe have no place anywhere near intimate areas – these old-style lubricants created unpleasant stickiness and unwanted side-effects.
We knew there was a better way.
Created by Women, for Women
Steve Jobs wanted to make a dent in the universe - we spent three years figuring out how to do the same. What was our mission? How do two women, deeply committed to vaginal health, make a difference?
We decided we would shake up the intimate health market and create products that MAKE VAGINAS HAPPY®.
This meant widening our understanding of vaginal pH, the impact of menopause and oestrogen on vaginal health and learning about the vaginal microbiome. But we didn’t just create clean products, free from unwanted side-effects; we learned how to empower women through education. Giving them the knowledge to understand what serves them (pH-matched products) and what absolutely does not (douching and chemical additives). Health vaginal pH is typically pH4.0-4.5, this is fairly acidic, and maintained by the vaginal microbiome.
The result? Products that work with women’s bodies – enhancing sexual pleasure, alleviating uncomfortable vaginal conditions, and restoring the confidence of women all over the world. Women going through the menopause. Women recovering from cancer. Women battling vulval or vaginal atrophy. Women at all stages of their lives.
Our Proudest Moments
The values we started the business with back in 2003 still hold true today: design side-effect free plant-based, Certified Organic intimacy products, free from synthetic chemicals and mucosal irritants, based on beneficial, plant ingredients. And this is where it’s got us:
- Our customers come first in all we do, so our customer service is second-to-none
- We now export life-changing products to more than 113 countries around the world – making millions of vaginas happier, and healthier.
- We’re celebrating TEN YEARS of YES® products on NHS prescription, with intimacy products safe for use by women recovering from breast and gynae cancers
- We’re proud to work alongside healthcare professionals, supporting women and facilitating greater understanding of women’s intimate health challenges.
- We’ve supplied hundreds of thousands of free sachets of our YES® VM, WB and OB to clinics around the world – allowing patients to try our products free of charge first.
- We play a big part in normalising the conversation around vaginal dryness, whether it’s due to breastfeeding, menopause, or medication, whatever the cause.
- We’re Certified Organic (that’s kind of a big deal), so our customers know they can trust what goes into our products, and onto their skin. They are guaranteed pure and natural as well as supporting sustainability and the planet
But our YEStimonials make us prouder than anything else ever could. We have customers telling us how our products have saved their lives – and their marriages. We have women recovering from breast cancer – women who were never told that sex could become painful, or why they shouldn’t use paraben-based products – feeling safe with YES® in their hands.
And obviously it goes without saying, we’re also proud that our products really work.
The Future of the World’s Vaginas
When we launched YES® (AH!YES® in USA), talking openly and publicly about vaginal dryness simply wasn’t a thing. It has been wonderful to watch the conversation evolve over the last 21 years, and we still have a way to go. For example, the open discussion about Vaginal dryness as a symptom of the menopause still feels like the last taboo; one that we’re determined to break.
As the business continues to grow rapidly – expanding into America and other global markets – we’re excited to make more vaginas not only happy, but completely euphoric! Our goal? To have one of our products in every bathroom cabinet or bedside drawer around the world!
We have big plans for the future. With our next 21 years. We want to:
- Continue to educate and empower more women of all ages to learn about vaginal health, pH and why its important to know what we are putting on and in our bodies
- Bring men into the conversation so they understand what the women in their lives are going through when it comes to vaginal atrophy, vaginal or vulval dryness in menopause, and all of the other things we have to deal with.
- Make the conversation around menopause and vaginal dryness less, well, dry – and far more accessible.
- Challenge the big companies unscrupulously using ‘the menopause’ to push products that don’t serve women’s intimate health.
We’ve got some incredible new products in the pipeline, and while we have to keep things very hush-hush for now, we can promise you this: our products will always be certified organic, they will always be designed to be side-effect free, and they will always be kind to your vagina.
As a growing company with a big conscience, we’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve already achieved, but we still have LOTS left to do! So please, watch this space, and keep supporting us in making the vaginas of the world as happy as they ALL deserve to be.
