My Pleasure! From Taboo to Trend

Entrepreneur

19-07-2025

Educational content and self-assessment tools are becoming increasingly important as well, because users today want to make informed decisions and feel more in control of their health journeys," Shailja Mittal, Founder, Rxmen
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Sex. Despite being the most populated country in the world, India, with 1.46 billion people, has largely shied away from discussions revolving around this three-letter word. However, things are changing for good. Films are often considered a reflection of society, and among the many subjects explored by the industry, sexual health and wellness have found their critical yet tricky representation in the form of Shubh Mangal Savdhan (Erectile Dysfunction), Vicky Donor (sperm donation), and Lust Stories (female desire). This slow yet steady shift has made sexual health and wellness shed its hush-hush image in the public while gaining traction in the maturing startup ecosystem in India.
Sexual wellness, as a topic and a product, began picking up pace during the lockdown. At present, the global sexual wellness market size was valued at USD 20.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 32.5 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 4.7 per cent. Meanwhile, the domestic market was valued at USD 1,153.5 million in 2020 and is estimated to reach USD 2,095.4 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.8 per cent. According to the market research platform Tracxn, 18 startups are working in this space. Entrepreneur India looks at how these founders break taboos and enable people with science-led, inclusive, and tech-enabled solutions.
The Un-Tabooing
Sexual wellness is a holistic state of well-being that includes physical, emotional, mental, and social aspects of sexuality, focusing on health, pleasure, and satisfaction. Entering this segment can be purely due to market opportunity, but for Shailja Mittal, it hit close to home. "A close college friend of mine got divorced in 2021 because he was struggling with erectile dysfunction, and even after meeting multiple doctors, he couldn't find a solution. That incident stayed with me and pushed me to explore the industry in more depth," shared Mittal, founder, RxMen (formerly Qurex). A notable portion of the Indian population experienc es sexual concerns.
Educational content and self-assessment tools are becoming increasingly important as well, because users today want to make informed decisions and feel more in control of their health journeys," Shailja Mittal, Founder, Rxmen.
In North India alone, it was found that 81 per cent of men and 82 per cent of women perceived themselves to have at least one sexual disorder. These pa tients were reluctant to seek care due to social stigma and a lack of awareness. "Sexual health in India lacks structure, science, and empathy," said Pranay Jivrajka, founder and CEO, Allo Health. Founded in 2022, Allo has over 35 clinics across cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. The startup claims to have treated 200,000+ patients, boasting an 85 per cent improvement. "We treat sexual health like cardiology—with expertise, outcomes, and zero judg ment," adds Jivrajka.
Allo offers treatments for Erectile Dysfunction, Premature Ejaculation, Vaginismus, Low Libido, Couple Sex Problems, Porn Addiction, and Delayed Ejaculation. For Vaibhav Garg, InYou Wellness was born from the belief that a healthy sexual life leads to a happier family life. "We uncovered a silent crisis— rising sexual health issues driven by stress, obesity, hormonal imbalances, and cardiovascular problems," he shares.
Many don't understand that sexual health spans physical, emotional, and hormonal quadrants," Vaibhav Garg, Co-Founder And CSO, Inyou Wellness.
Between 2012 and 2015, it was reported that 20-30 per cent of broken marriages in India were the result of dissatisfac tion with sexual life, impotency and infer tility. In 2025, people have become vocal about what they want, even sexually. Hence, giving rise to this industry, which is working towards sexual and eventual life satisfaction. After being in the men's wellness space for the past few years, Rajat Jadhav and Bold Care soon realised the need to shift gears and focus on women's sexual health with Bloom by Bold Care. "We wanted to close the biggest gap in the women's wellness space lack of targeted solutions," shared the CEO and co-founder.
In 2023, Jadhav and Bold Care were joined by Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as a co-owner. "Every product we've created is designed not just for general support, but to target specific phases and issues across the spectrum of sexual wellness for both men and women," notes Garg. The sexual wellness market in India has grown from approxi mately USD 453 million in 2015 to reach a figure between USD 2 billion and USD 2.5 bil lion by 2025 and beyond.
Normalising Market
Despite being a billion-dollar market, sexual wellness is still a subject people are hesitant to talk about. This is being dealt with by educational content and influencer collaborations. "Our marketing breaks taboos by using educational, inclusive content, safe spaces, and influencer voices that normalise conversations. We don't shock—we simplify, destigmatise, and hand-hold patients through their journey with trust at the core," says the Allo Health founder.
We see strong momentum in pleasure and prevention-especially condoms, lubricants, and sprays-as awareness grows," Pranay Jivrajka, Founder & CEO, Allo Health.
Social media and influencer marketing have become a critical part of these startups' market approach. Mittal notes that at RxMen, storytelling is a big part of the marketing strategy. "We don't take only the 'performance marketing' route; instead, we focus on building awareness through education, empathy, and hon est conversations," she says InYou Wellness and RxMen offer self-assessment tools to help one understand their sexual wellness and health via a unique score. "We deliver medically supported content that educates users on how sexual health can be impacted by lifestyle challenges and co-morbidities—ranging from stress and poor nutrition to cardiac and hormonal condi tions," notes Garg.
Pills and products Ingestion of any food or sub stance is done after putting in a good amount of thought, and these pills and capsules for sexual well-being are no different. Having developed its products closely with doctors which meet global stan dards, Allo Health have partial vertical integration for quality control and works with lead ing manufacturers and labs for its private-label range, "From sourcing to testing, every product goes through rigorous evaluation to ensure it is dermatologically safe, non-irritating, and suited for Indian consumers."
Quick fix
While the consumers under stand the need to address such concerns, they are prone to expect immediate results and short-term solutions. "The idea of a natural, long lasting, holistic solution that restores intimacy is still new and underrepresented in mainstream conversations," quips Garg. Mittal and Rx Men are not looking to offer quick fixes. "Our treatment journeys are designed by top experts and are about 80 per cent structured and 20 per cent customised, depending on the root cause. So instead of masking the symptoms, we try to treat the issue from the root and give people a real shot at recovery," she shares.
The startup claims to have a 96.02 per cent and a 92.17 per cent user improve ment in Erectile Dysfunction and Premature Ejaculation, respectively. Digital Disregard Instagram pulls up 376k posts with tags pertaining to sexual wellness. The interest in edu cating oneself on this subject is evident. However, digital hurdles persist. "Platforms like Amazon or Google restrict promotion using terms like 'erectile dysfunction' or 'li bido,' limiting reach," reveals Garg. Mittal concurs, "We're up against strict policies on plat forms like Google and Meta, which are the primary chan nels for awareness these days.
These platforms often restrict or flag content around sexual wellness, so we have to con stantly think out of the box to reach the right audience and share our message with them in a way which is indirect." Privacy Reaching out for help in these matters can be uncomfort able for many due to privacy concerns. RxMen ensures that sensitive details like a person's name, address, or location aren't accessible to everyone on the team; only the treating doctor or logistics partner sees what's relevant to them.
Market Opportunity
Contrary to popular belief, sex toys and wellness products are gaining traction beyond tier-I cities. The market in tier-II and tier-III Indian cities is showing strong demand for products like sex toys, lubricants, and performance enhancers. "Geographically, we're densifying our pres ence in metro and tier-II cities through our clinic model," shares Jivrajka.
MyMuse shares that 27 per cent of their customers come from tier-II and tier-III cities. While e-commerce and search engine giants are causing hindrances, quick commerce is quickly leverag ing the gap. In a post, Swiggy Instamart revealed that "1 in every 140 orders included a sexual wellness product." Anushka Gupta of MyMuse considers the integration of the products into quick com merce platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart a milestone.
While Amazon considers self-care massagers under the health and personal care category, q-commerce platforms like Blinkit display it as a separate category, offer ing lubricants, adult games, and enhancers.
Investor Potential
The sexual wellness market has been gaining attention for a while, and investors are not privy to it. "The capital markets are taking notice. Sexual wellness startups globally raised over USD two billion between 2020 and 2023, and India is finally catching up," shares Ashish Bhatia, founder and CEO, India Accelerator. Earlier this year, Bold Care raised a Series A funding round led by Rainmatter, Mithun & Siddhartha Sacheti (founders of CaratLane), the Dhanani family of Sayaji Hotels, and the AVT Group. In March, Allo Health bagged pre-Series A led by Rainmatter.
"Sexual health is a massive but underserved market in India," said Nithin Kamath, Founder and CEO of Zerodha and Rainmatter. "As the Indian startup ecosystem matures, we're seeing bold founders break taboos and build science-led, inclusive, and tech-enabled solutions— from sexual health diagnos tics and intimate hygiene to therapy and education. What was once a hushed topic is now a legitimate, scalable category… Investors are beginning to recognise that this sector delivers more than financial ROI—it delivers so cial relevance, cultural shift, and real impact," adds Bhatia, noting that the multi-stage, fund-led startup accelerator is actively looking to enter and invest in this space.
Future Ahead
Talking about growth plans and what sub-categories they are eyeing to focus on, Mittal shares, "We're seeing a lot of interest in supplements tai lored to sexual performance and overall vitality." Jivra jka and Mittal are optimistic about fertility as a budding category, with the former calling it a "high-potential cat egory where structured care is missing but demand is rising." Sex toys remain nascent but show promise, especially among urban women. Garg notes that while contraceptives continue to remain an important category, his and Inyou Wellness' next phase will focus on intimate hygiene, a closely linked sub-category to overall sexual well-being.
"We're expand ing into adjacent wellness categories—pleasure, supple ments, and OTC," shares the Allo Health chief. India's relationship with sex is complicated, but these startups are rewriting the script. "This is not just a niche—it's a massive, under served opportunity at the in tersection of health, wellness, and cultural evolution. And the smartest bets are being placed right now," concludes Bhatia. By addressing areas of personal wellness, India's in timacy and pleasure-focused startups are proving that the segment is worthy of being backed by investors and customers.