LOS ANGELES – Iconic adult entertainment brand Playboy has announced a line of signature intimacy products, infused with CBD. The always trend-setting company also added several cannabis-related initiatives to its social equity agenda and partnered with national organizations to hasten cannabis law reform.
“Our CBD by Playboy line is designed for all genders to enhance pleasure, before or during intimacy, with a partner or alone. Our first line-up of products includes an intimacy gel that is perfect for couples, an arousal spray designed for the female consumer to heighten play alone or with a partner, and a bath bomb also to enhance a sensual experience alone or with a partner,” Playboy President Jared Dougherty told mgRetailer.
“We saw a need in the market for high-quality offerings that expand access to pleasure,” he continued. “Our ambition is to help address the ‘orgasm gap’—the phenomenon covered in Playboy‘s reporting and in recent independent scientific research that 85 percent of men climaxed the last time they had sex compared to just 64 percent of women, and that 95 percent of heterosexual men in the U.S. reported they usually or always orgasmed during sex, compared to just 65 percent of heterosexual women.”
After Playboy founder and magazine mogul Hugh Hefner died in September 2017, the classic men’s publication found, like most media platforms, that it had to adapt to changing societal mores influenced by movements including #MeToo, advocacy for gender equality, and expanding ideas around intimacy and ways to have relationships. The revolutionary tipping point was not lost on Playboy’s product research and development or marketing teams.
CBD by Playboy reflects a new tone that’s inclusive, informative, and an important step toward bringing the brand up-to-date.
“Playboy has a long history driving conversation around sex and intimacy, not just through our editorial platforms, but also with consumer products and services. Our new CBD intimacy offerings expand our existing line of sexual wellness products available globally, including condoms, lubricants, and endurance wipes available at Walmart and CVS across the U.S. We’re also hard at work on more CBD and non-CBD based products for launch early next year,” the company said.
“While clinical studies are still ongoing, preliminary research suggests that the benefits of CBD may include pain relief, anxiety relief, antibacterial support, and positive skin care support. And, anecdotally, we’ve heard from our own audiences and consumer base, that when it comes to sex, relaxation of both the body and mind can allow for more fulfilling and fun sexual experiences,” said Dougherty.
CBD and cannabis are a big part of Playboy’s strategy moving forward. The company on Thursday also announced a cannabis law reform and advocacy campaign, that “calls for nationwide legalization, creates mentorship and Playboy Foundation grant programs to support underrepresented entrepreneurs and those unjustly imprisoned, and hosts a week-long awareness campaign. Initial partners include National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Last Prisoner Project, Marijuana Policy Project, the Veterans Cannabis Project, and Eaze’s Momentum Program,” a press release stated.
Since the ‘70s, the company pointed out, Playboy has supported cannabis law reform with donations to advocacy organization NORML dating back to the nonprofit’s beginnings. Playboy’s celebrated editorial articles have set trends for some of the most progressive lifestyle changes of the twentieth century, especially regarding sexuality.
“Playboy will continue and expand on that work with an awareness campaign leading up to and during National Expungement Week, with creative partners Better Half, a mobile-first creative agency,” the company continued. “Playboy will lend its social media platforms and those of prominent Playboy Playmates (Teela LaRoux, Eugena Washington, Monica Sims, Jessica Wall, and Ashley Hobbs)—collectively reaching tens of millions of followers—to representatives of the Marijuana Policy Project, Last Prisoner Project, the Veterans Cannabis Project, and Eaze’s Momentum Program,” the company added.
Playboy’s Dougherty emphasized the company’s commitment as a progressive leader in the vanguard of social, cultural, and lifestyle movements.
“Playboy is the original lifestyle brand—and today we offer consumers in 180 countries around the world a wide variety of products and services that inspire better sex, bold style, sophisticated living, and confident beauty,” Dougherty said. “Our overarching mission is to create a culture where all people can pursue pleasure…The Playboy lifestyle helps people around the world embrace pleasure and intimacy in their daily lives.”
