British Intimate Care Specialist WooWoo Raises $1M, Prepares For US Launch

Accessibly priced British intimate wellness brand WooWoo has closed a $1 million round of funding in anticipation of a forthcoming debut in the United States.

Launched by Lucy Anderson in 2016, the female-founded company boasts one of the United Kingdom’s few all-female boards. Along with Anderson, Bettina Wonsag, who was previously executive chair at luxury beauty e-commerce player Cult Beauty and managing director at information technology company Accenture, sits on the board. 

“Lucy’s vision in bringing to market a brand of gorgeous, standout products that truly deliver on their claims has not only been instrumental in leading the charge in carving out a whole exciting new and much needed intimate skincare category, but through her vision and determination she has also created a platform and a safe space for women to ask and learn more about intimate health and pleasure,” says Wonsag in statement. “For me, this is a really exciting company to be involved in.” 

Anderson is excited for Wonsag to be involved, too. Wonsag invested a significant sum of her own money in WooWoo, but Anderson was most drawn to her deep experience.“She’s from a production background, which is quite different because normally you end up with a lot of people with marketing expertise,” says Anderson. “To have someone that’s built a career in production and packaging as well as e-commerce, which has been important in our journey so far and will continue to be so in the states, is really good for us.”

Prior to the latest round, WooWoo raised 500,000 pounds in a pre-seed raise in 2018. Some of the pre-seed investors have returned to participate in the latest round. Anderson closed the pre-seed round after scoring distribution at British mass-market health and beauty retailer Superdrug. The lion’s share of WooWoo’s business in the U.K. comes from its e-commerce website.  

The brand’s product assortment spans bestselling hair removal creams and at-home wax strips in addition to intimate washes, wipes, moisturizers, lubricants, condoms and more. Most of the products are priced under $15. WooWoo’s mix of colorful packaging, cheeky branding, and advocacy for women’s self-esteem and the normalization of their sexuality has helped the brand build a dedicated consumer base notably of 18- to 30-year-old consumers in several countries, including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Australia.

Now, WooWoo is looking to recreate that dedication stateside. The brand has set up a U.S. company and warehouse operations in Los Angeles. It’s American e-commerce site will debut in May, and the brand is slated to enter American Eagle in September. It’s hunting for further American retail partnerships, too. It’s been eyeing chains like Walmart, Target and CVS. “For the last year, we’ve been sending out samples to all the big retailers and grocers,” says Anderson. “We should have some big listings by the end of this year.” 

Another piece of WooWoo’s 2022 plans is the launch of a menopause range scheduled for September. Formulated with artichoke leaf peptides, an active ingredient chosen to boost collagen, the range will feature a gentle exfoliator, intimate wash, lube and a bath product, among various products. The packaging of the menopause range will be more subdued than the packaging of WooWoo’s other products to appear more like beauty products, but the brand’s accessible pricing strategy isn’t shifting.

“We have road tested the range with our current customers to understand what the barriers have been,” says Anderson. “The reasoning for the change in the packaging for the menopause line is particularly because of the sensitivity at that time of life. Our younger customers love everything we’re about, but the U.K. was still quite reserved, particularly older people, around intimate care. Our mission is not being afraid to have the frank conversations, to educate and to provide useful information that empowers women to feel more confident in the bedroom. So, we want to make sure that we’re not alienating people with the way our products look.”

Anderson is especially thrilled about the bath product in the menopause range. “I get repeated UTIs from baths. I love having a really nice smelling bath, but it upsets everything,” she says. “So, we’re launching a pH-balanced bath product. It’s also amazing because I’ve got quite dry skin, and it’s completely non-drying. It’s got the active ingredient in it plus aloe vera. I designed it for me and my dry aging skin.”