David Zhien

“Play & Joy supplies both water-based and silicone-based lubricants.”

The Play & Joy lubricants of InnoveMed Bio Tech have already become a big success in the company’s home market of Taiwan. Now, the team are bringing their brand to the international stage. The Play & Joy collection currently includes five water-based lubricants, and more products are set to reach market maturation in the first quarter of 2018. As David Zhien explains, the inclusion of organic, body-compatible ingredients is one of the defining characteristics of all products in the Play & Joy brand. Of course, the company’s CEO has much more to tell about the new lubricants in this EAN interview.


Play & Joy is a new lubricant brand which launched only recently. What exactly makes this lubricant so unique?
David Zhien: Play & Joy lubricants are some of the very few products in the world made out of all-natural herbal ingredients, based on the philosophy of our team consisting of professors and bio-tech professionals. It meets the same criteria as bio-tech products such as cosmetics and skin care products. We develop and manufacture our products in order to assure carefree use. For example, the major ingredients are CE organic substances, and all products are packed in our clean room in accordance with GMPC, GMPC-ASEAN, and ISO22716 and SGS passed.

Before we talk more about Play & Joy, could you tell us a bit about the company and the team behind the product?
The company behind the brand, InnoveMed Bio Tech, was focusing on medical and aesthetic medicine’s facilities and products in the very beginning, which can be seen from the company name as it combines the two words “innovative” and “medical”. A suggestion from one of our customers led us to start doing research about the lubes on the marketplace and finding out that 99% of the ingredients are chemical. We learnt that using such lubricants could be harmful to the human body and even to the spirit of having sex – for mental & physical health; through team discussions, we were able to come up with positive and harmless products.

InnoveMed
The production facilities of InnoveMed Bio Tech

How would you describe your company’s philosophy?
To create an atmosphere that supports a healthier, happier, and more satisfying sex life by bringing women more beauty and men more confidence.

You advertise Play & Joy as having a pH Factor of 5.5. Could you explain the meaning of the pH factor and why is it so important in regards of lubricants?
Compared to those products in the marketplace that are neutral or alkaline intended and may potentially disturb the acid environment of the lady flower in long-time use, Play & Joy products, having a pH factor 5.5 similar to the environment, are able to prevent negative irritating effects and infections while still ensuring the enjoyment of sex.

Play & Joy is said to be long lasting and its gliding properties can be reactivated, using some drops of water. How did you achieve this?
The two main ingredients, hyaluronic acid and saccharide isomerate, achieve this kind of efficacy. Hyaluronic acid is commonly used in skincare products that keep the skin moist and form a shell on the skin. Saccharide isomerate has a magical Chinese name, water-locked magnet, meaning a magnet that can prevent the skin from losing water. So a few drops of water can easily reactivate the drying lubricant because of these two factors.

Are there different version of the lube available, for example different tastes or other properties?
Currently, Play & Joy supplies both water-based and silicone-based lubricants. There are types of water-based lubricants:

  • Aqua, for freshman use or consumers who dislike stickiness.
  • Anti-Bacteria, with Spirea for highly health-concerned consumers.
  • Silky, mainly for masturbation and anal play.
  • Maca Hot, especially for foreplay that stimulates the female erogenous zones for shortening the time to climax.
  • Cologne Maca Extra Hot, used with premium perfume and concentrated Maca extract uniquely for extraordinary stimulation, pleasure, and the experience of mutual play. Therefore, it can be used as an orgasm lube.

We also offer two types of silicone-based lubricants, called Classic and Premium. Consumers can choose from the mild type, which is Classic, or the strong type, Premium.

Play & Joy has had some success in its home market, Taiwan. Will you also launch the products in Europe?
Customers from both France and Spain have expressed their interest, and we have received enquiries from distributers who want to carry our brand. In addition to that, we obviously want to launch in Germany as soon as an appropriate partner approaches us, as this the major market in Europe.

Are you working with distributors? Who can retailers turn to if they want to sell your products?
We partner with wholesalers and distributors, and apart from that, various channels recommend our products, for example in the field of aesthetic medicine, or clinics of urology and OBGYN, or sex therapists. We are also collaborating with condom makers, sex toy makers, men supplement makers, hotels/motels, and related institutes.

Play & Joy
Play & Joy products are developed and produced in Taiwan

Speaking of your home market: In your experience, is the Taiwanese erotic market different from the one in Europe or the US?
As you may know, in the Orient, people are traditionally more shy and conservative than Europeans and Americans, and that also goes for the Taiwanese. However, with the more and more convenient online shopping, there are now 10 times more online sex shops than a few years ago because people, especially women, in Taiwan are becoming aware of their own wills and the importance of satisfying themselves.

What swill be the next steps for InnoveMed?
A new endurance product for men will be shipping in Q1 2018, which also represents the company philosophy and introduces it to men’s health as well. Natural and herbal ingredients are what this product is made of. Play & Joy cares about not only about women, but about men as well. Also, products on a medical level are in development with the support of doctors, e.g. lube for pregnant women and for recovery after vaginal diseases or cervical cancer.