Sarah & Susi - YES
Pioneers in organic intimacy, Sarah Brooks and Susi Lennox are the ladies behind YES - they're here to tell us how their brand came to be.
"Sarah, with a degree in Chemistry, had been working at Pfizer when Viagra was launched, and became acutely aware of some of the unintended side-effects of this sexual revolution. While husbands were rediscovering their sex drive, their wives were often finding intercourse painful and they simply couldn’t keep up. The net effect was that some husbands were finding younger partners with predictable consequences for their marriages.
We were inspired to investigate the products available for women which would enable them to enjoy an equally active sex life just as comfortably. What we discovered was a gap in the market for a pure and natural personal lubricant.
Sarah and I had both simultaneously reached a point where we felt it would be good to apply what we had learned from working as management consultants in other organisations to launching our own business. So we set out to 'change the world from the inside' by creating a new concept: A certified organic, plant-based natural range of intimacy products.
Why organic?
Having been immersed in corporate environments, we had seen the compromises people had to make to allow market presence - our research into the category revealed serious concerns about the ingredients of other personal products.
Their chemical formulations rely on a glycerin or silicone base, and disquieting ingredients such paraben preservatives and propylene glycol, all of which have been shown to have potentially harmful effects on the body, and particularly the more vulnerable and highly sensitive intimate tissues. This made us determined to offer pure and high performing alternatives that could enhance, rather than compromise intimate health without side effects or skin irritants.
Why the Soil Association?
The only way we could demonstrate the purity of the ingredients we used in the YES range, was to go down the certified organic route with The Soil Association, widely recognised as the gold standard. This gives customers the guarantee of our products’ purity.
Achieving Soil Association organic status was an early landmark for us, and a first for the Soil Association to have a medical device manufacturer as a licensee. The Soil Association license bestows real credibility and gives our trade and direct customers confirmation of our products’ purity and of our ethical credentials. Through this membership we also feel part of a movement, and share the values and concerns of other friends and associates who enjoy the Soil Association stamp of approval.
What’s next for you?
We have exciting products in our pipeline which we will be bringing to market soon; we will be widening the geographic reach of our international sales and are aiming to get several more products approved by the NHS to be available on prescription. Of course, we'd also love to add to our impressive collection of Awards."
