A Survey By Reckitt-Owned Queen V Reveals Just How Stressful Intimate Health Concerns Can Be

Anyone with a vagina will tell you having one can be agonizing. Now, there’s research to prove it. 

A new initiative from intimate wellness brand Queen V called The V Files, which was created with market research firm Harris Interactive to digitally survey 1,556 18- to 35-year-old women’s attitudes toward their vaginas, discovered their first intimate health issue negatively impacted the emotional health of 52%, and it made 41% not want to leave their houses. Additionally, nearly a quarter of women never see a gynecologist because they worry it will be awkward or embarrassing, and 70% report their first vaginal health concern was stressful. 

“Queen V’s brand purpose has always been empowering women to befriend their bodies, starting with their vaginas,” says Queen V founder and global brand marketing director Lauren Steinberg. “This study was important to understand where our consumer was at from an education standpoint. We had a hypothesis, but we wanted to make sure that as a brand we were doing the right thing from an education standpoint, from a marketing standpoint, from a product standpoint.”

In a wellness space where women have long been overlooked in studies, brands have filled the void. Last year, wellness specialist Elix released a State of Menstrual Health Report revealing its common for people to deal with debilitating period symptoms. Earlier this week, adult retail chain Starship Enterprises released the results of an intimacy survey showing half of its customers identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community, 64% spend greater than $50 on sex toys, and nearly 69% shop for intimacy products three to 10 times a year. 

The V Files survey extended beyond women’s feelings about their vaginas to highlighting that intimate health education is lacking. While 76% of respondents believe they have a good understanding of their intimate areas, almost 25% have been unsure how to treat an intimate area issue, and 36% of 18- to 24-year-old respondents rely on the internet for information about their first vaginal health concern. Only 36% were comfortable about their first gynecologist visit. 

The V Files survey findings also suggest there’s disconnect between what women perceive to be an attractive vagina and the realities of a typical vagina. Almost one in four women are insecure about the attractiveness of their vagina based on what they’ve been exposed to in the media and porn. More than half of respondents worry their vagina has a bad odor, so much so that they eschew having sex because of it.

Steinberg says, “I’m learning how little people know and how afraid people are to even ask their gynecologist these questions. A lot of these stats are crazy, but sadly very predictable.”

Queen V turns to social media channels to educate women on vaginal health and wellness. Steinberg and her gynecologist father Jeffrey Steinberg will take to TikTok, where the brand has over 25,000 followers, to answer health questions sent in from consumers. Guided by The V Files survey, Queen V is upping its social media efforts by teaming up with social media company Betches Media. Together, Queen V and Betches Media are harnessing their platforms as “vagina-positive” information resources.

Steinberg says The V Files survey confirmed a direction Queen V had already been going in developing approachable sexual pleasure products. The brand’s latest release and its debut in the vibrator category, The VIP and The Wingman is a two-in-one device designed for self-exploration as well as partnered sexual activity. Priced at $26.44, the vibrator launched at Walmart exclusively in September last year and is due to roll out to other retailers this year. 

“Knowing that consumers have this need for self-exploration, but maybe don’t know their body or don’t know how, this is a very easy gateway item into learning how to do that,” says Steinberg. “We’re making sure with the next products we launch that all of them feel friendly and help with that confidence that someone maybe lacks in certain situations.”

Queen V’s lubricant, PS I Lube You, is among the brand’s bestsellers, and Steinberg says the brand is “doubling down on sexual well-being, so hopefully you’ll see more products there in the future as well. The intimate wellness sector is where we traditionally have played in, but I think what’s so great about Queen V is we’ve bridged the gap between sexual wellbeing and intimate wellness to create one vaginal care holistic routine. I actually think Queen V was the first brand to really do that.”

Steinberg launched Queen V in 2018 at now-defunct brand incubator Brandable. In early 2021, it was acquired by multinational consumer goods giant Reckitt and subsequently rebranded to verify its formulations are free from harsh chemicals and fragrances.

Queen V’s selection of intimate and sexual wellness products, including wipes, washes and supplements, is priced from around $5 to under $30. The brand is carried in nearly 5,000 Walmart doors along with Urban Outfitters, Target and Meijer. Queen V has retail expansion on deck for this year. 

Prior to The V Files, Reckitt conducted in-depth research to dive into Queen V’s customers. “It’s not so much an age range, it’s more of a mindset, which I think is fascinating,” says Steinberg. “It’s a consumer with this mindset of really wanting to explore and try new things. We refer to them as the open and curious consumer.”

Reckitt is coming off a positive 2022. The company achieved pre-tax profit of 3.07 billion pounds or about $3.7 billion, following a 260 million pound loss or about $248 million in 2021. It declined to share financial figures for Queen V. Reckitt, owner of condom brand Durex and lube maker K-Y, has been raising its intimate wellness profile under the leadership of Olga Osminkina-Jones, SVP and global category officer. Intimate wellness has been broken out as a standalone division in Rekitt.