Sexual Wellness Brand Foria Launches Its First-Ever CBD-Free Products

Pioneering intimacy brand Foria lived at the intersection of two taboo categories—cannabis and sexual wellnessbefore either enjoyed the level of acceptance they do today.

It launched THC-enriched sex oil Foria Pleasure, the first “weed lube,” in 2013. To meet demand beyond the states permitting sales of products with THC and cater to consumers who can’t or won’t use THC, Foria introduced CBD in 2017 with Awaken Arousal Oil, which became its bestseller. In March last year, Foria discontinued its THC range.

Now, the brand is extending its assortment again with the goal of bringing pleasure to as many people as possible. It’s discovered that not everyone is interested in CBD. To address them, the brand is today debuting two products without CBD: Breast Oil and Awaken with Botanicals, a CBD-free take on Awaken Arousal Oil. The products are priced at $38 and $40, respectively. 

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A pioneer at the cross section of sexual wellness and cannabis, Foria is now leading the charge in a new category with the release of its first two intimacy products formulated without CBD.

Breast Oil is a mix of calendula, violet, lavender and more in a base of organic coconut MCT oil. It’s designed to help folks regain and maintain intimacy with their breasts, and inspire a daily self-massage rituals. Awaken with Botanicals is designed to operate like its CBD-infused counterpart. Applied to the clitoris, inner labia and inside the vagina, Awaken’s blend of organic botanicals such as kava, ginger and vanilla was created to enhance pleasure and sensitivity, and ease discomfort.

Foria’s chief brand educator Kiana Reeves says the kava in the CBD-free Awaken is double steeped to make it a “much bigger, richer player in the formula. Kava has a lot of the same benefits that CBD does.” Though Foria has become known for its cannabis-based products, Reeves shares the brand has been working on non-CBD formulations for about two years to circumvent the limits CBD imposes. In the market generally, brands born in the CBD space have been moving away from the compound. 

“Awaken had eight other ingredients in it, so we’ve never been exclusively CBD, but we’ve been very CBD-focused,” says Reeves, adding, “Because CBD was having such a powerful impact, we wanted to see to what extent the plant could support all of these different conditions that we were supporting and speaking to. Along the way, we saw that there’s a limit to this plant’s impact, and there’s a limit to who this plant can reach because of current legislation or lack of research or because of people’s personal preferences about what they put into their body.”

Reeves continues, “How do we extend and expand these benefits to people who certainly need them without just focusing solely on this singular plant? It’s important because, especially in the beauty and wellness industries, there tends to be this hyper fixation on a singular ingredient. It becomes the be all and end all. That happened with CBD, and we watched it happen.” 

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Foria chief brand educator Kiana Reeves © 2018 sandralee.ca

The new products are available on the brand’s e-commerce website and will roll out to its retail partners this month, including SkinStore, Lookfantastic, Nordstrom, Flip Fit, Trystology and The Things We Do. Overall, Foria is available in approximately 1,300 retail doors and 136 countries worldwide. Offering products without THC or CBD opens up new retail opportunities to the brand domestically and internationally.

“We were in Canada, and then when legislation changed and you weren’t able to ship CBD into Canada anymore, we have so many people in Canada, our next door neighbor, being like, ‘Please let us have access to your products again,’” says Reeves. “Same with Australia, same with these other countries that have very different regulations around CBD. We want to support people in being able to access these really healing states of sexual pleasure and offer them products that work really beautifully in their lives.” 

Foria’s ability to pivot in response to customer needs and market forces has been integral in the brand’s sales continually advancing on a yearly basis. From 2017 to 2021, its revenues increased 64% at compounded annual growth rate, and its headcount quadrupled. Foria is currently raising funds to support further growth. In 2020, the brand closed a round of an undisclosed amount led by Viola, a premium cannabis product maker founded by former NBA star Al Harrington and his wife Michele.