Eco-friendly gadgets move into the bedroom
Eco-friendly adult sex-toy biz taking off
Best friends since they were 15, Martee Larocque and Caroline Seguin always dreamed of opening their own company. While they wanted a green business, they just never imagined they’d be selling sex toys.
Sensual-intelligence. ca, an online shop, was launched about six months ago and carries eco-friendly and body-safe adult toys and novelties.
Seguin, 31, a mother of two boys, was seduced by the eco-movement after being astonished by the number of harmful chemicals such as parabens found in skin-care products.
“I always wanted a greenbased business. When we started investigating adult sex toys, we couldn’t believe that some of the products contain the same ingredients that are banned in kids’ toys,” says Seguin, whose children are ages four and 18 months.
Larocque admits that their new business raised some eyebrows with their families, but that they’ve received only positive encouragement. “This is a facet of the eco-lifestyle that isn’t often discussed. We’re proud that none of our motorized toys require batteries and that they are all rechargeable, phthalate free and latex free. Many of our toys were designed in Canada, including ... WeVibe, the Vitality by Leaf collection, Hathor Aphrodisia and Magic Banana.”
Phthalates — industrial chemicals used to make plastics more flexible — can be found in a number of personal care items. According to the Environmental Working Group, phthalates have been found to be endocrine disrupters.
The pair spent months researching non-toxic products before opening their online business.
They carry about 20 different lines and sell about 150 products — many of which are from Canadian businesses — including vibrators, lubricants and massagers.
“We’re very picky about the products we sell. Everything has been vetted by us and must be body safe and eco-friendly. We’ve done the research. The adult sex-toy industry is not regulated. For example, we carry four lines of lubricants but we looked at 30. The rest didn’t meet our standards,” says Larocque, 30, who works as a holistic nutritionist.
When they first started mulling over their idea, Larocque reached out to Stefanie Iris Weiss, the author of Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable, whom she admired. The two spoke and have since kept in touch. Weiss’s book is sold on the website, which also boasts a blog and health newsletter.
Seguin says she was bitten by the entrepreneur bug at a young age. She sold her handmade jewelry at a kiosk for several years and learned the ropes in retail and marketing as the manager of a store.
The two are doing house and work parties and have attended a couple of local festival events such as the Ottawa Living Green Expo and Veg Fest in June.
“I sold a sex toy to an 80-year-old woman whose 60-year-old friend encouraged her to do so. She hugged me. This is why I do this,” says Larocque.