Well Up: Women’s health revolution, simplified socials and a shift away from Botox

THIS TOPIC CREAM CONTAINS THE SAME ACTIVE INGREDIENT AS VIAGRA

This month, Hello Cake launched two prescription medications for female sexual dysfunction: a tablet and topical “O-Cream.” Both are designed to help women address a low sex drive and enhance sexual arousal. 

So far, only two medicines have been FDA-approved for female sexual dysfunction — Addyi, which costs $742 for a month’s supply, and the Vyleesi injectable, which costs about $1,000 per dose. 

While Hello Cake’s options are not regulated by the FDA, they use a compounded formula of FDA-approved ingredients—and six doses cost only $54.

As we continue to see personal care realigned more and more closely with healthcare, Hello Cake’s affordable medications may entice more users to buy in. Similarly, mainstream launches like Kiehls’ new Intimate Care Line can also help draw consumers further down the funnel.  

These launches are the latest step in a women's health revolution that has been driving increased focus on women's wellness and the female experience.

TEXT BLASTS AND MYSPACE FOR ZOOMERS: SIMPLIFIED SOCIALS ARE TRENDING

A string of new apps and retail initiatives suggest a rise in stripped-down, text-based social media formats . 

In July, noplace launched at #1 on the app store. Bustle called it Myspace for Zoomers and emphasized it was joining “a growing category of new platforms inspired by the old ones.” The article coupled noplace with apps like Youni and PI.FYI, and emphasized its founder wants to “deliver Gen Z a social media experience akin to the one millennials once had.” 

Meanwhile, the founders of 213Deli recently spoke to Glossy about launching their own text-commerce beauty shopping platform — noting that “sliding into their [users’] text messages once a week with a new, can’t-miss beauty offer” was more about “meeting the company’s millennial and Gen-X customers where they are [at].”

Text (vs. social) sharing may also help 213Deli connect with the growing number of users who are ditching app-laden smartphones for “dumb phones.” In fact, Morning Consult Pro found that “The shares of Gen Z adults (28%) and millennials (26%) who report interest in acquiring a ‘dumb phone’ are much higher than U.S. adults (17%), Gen Xers (13%) or baby boomers (9%).”

With a cross-generational shift towards simplified, text-based sharing, brands will need to watch how consumers learn to talk about products on these platforms. Especially given the recent ‘End of Unfiltered TikTok’ (as Business of Fashion called it), it seems that shoppers are hungry for simplified reviews and genuine connection.

SOME WOMEN ARE QUITTING BOTOX, IN THE NAME OF LOVE

Recent buzz seems to suggest we may be entering a new era. One where beauty is found in, and measured against, deeper emotional expression. 

This week Dazed published an article asking, “Has Botox killed eroticism?” Multiple women spoke about the effects the injectable had had on their personal relationships, with one quitting because she “wanted to cry and express” herself and another noticing that, “after getting Botox, people thought she was much more stern or less friendly than before.”

Similarly, in the June 20 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kylie Jenner revealed she had gone “on a journey the last year, dissolving half [her] lip filler.” She added, between tears, that it was “like a miracle” that she still had the confidence to feel pretty. 

Dazed notes that “multiple studies have found that Botox can impair our ability to connect with others.” Between this and Jenner’s global impact, it will be interesting to see how shifting away from treatments can be repositioned as a vulnerable step to get in touch with one’s self — especially in the name of ‘personal wellness.’