“The Pleasure Label is sweet, visually enticing, fun, and extremely appealing to millennials.”

CLS Healthcare has built a strong portfolio in recent years, including brands such as SAFE Condoms, Explicit Blue, and The Pleasure Label, enabling them to cater to an ever-growing target audience. The Pleasure Label is the main focus of this interview with Rits Douwes, who is in charge of the company’s wholesale operations, but we touch upon the other brands in the CLS Healthcare range as well, and we talk about the overarching philosophy and strategy guiding the company.

CLS Healthcare unites several well-known brands under one roof. Currently, Pleasure Label is a stand-out with its new fragrances. Could you introduce this brand to us first?
Rits Douwes: If there is a thing that can influence the atmosphere or your mood, it must be a certain fragrance. A fragrance can bring back memories, have a relaxing effect or can even make you energetic. At The Pleasure Label, we understand that a fragrance can get you in the mood for a cosy, romantic or exciting night with your partner (or with more than just your partner; the power of our fragrances should not be underestimated).

Your newest creation is a mixture of sandalwood and ylang-ylang. How did you come up with that fragrance? What else sets it apart?
We have developed the new fragrance of The Pleasure Label with our whole team. We wanted a new and unique scent that is not on the market yet. We searched in different markets to find the perfect match. We found out that a warm cosy scent is perfect for a massage oil and shower gel. So, we came up with a combination of sandalwood and ylang ylang together with some secret ingredients – this will give you that warm and cosy feeling. If you use the massage oil, it will warm up and the scent will be even stronger and more relaxing.  

This and the other fragrances of the Pleasure Label brand stand out due to their special mixtures. What else can we look forward to here? What are your plans for the brand in the future?
The Pleasure Label is one of our best-selling labels. Our plan is to extend the line with different kinds of flavours, scents, and products focussing on the whole lovers experience.

The market for lubricants, massage oils and other wellness products is becoming increasingly competitive. What does a brand or product need today to stand out from the crowd?
The Pleasure Label is sweet, visually enticing, fun, and extremely appealing to millennials. It’s a great product for your collection when fun-loving young adults are your target audience.  The creativity of our team takes The Pleasure Label to its own unique level. I think that the power to outdo your competitors lies squarely within your own boundaries. Focus on being different. Let your creativity guide you.

Can you give us an insight into your development process? How do you decide which products will really come onto the market in the end?
We have weekly team meetings where we discus current trends and new innovative items. We have the great advantage of working B2B as well as B2C, so we are getting a lot of feedback on our products from the market. We ask our clients what could be improved about our products, and also what they would love to see in new items. In addition to getting these customer insights, we work with focus groups to give us input about the needs of consumers and testers in the development stage. This way, we can improve our prototypes which results in great and innovative new products.

Besides these new additions to the Pleasure Label brand, CLS Healthcare also extended the portfolio of condom labels to include Safe and Explicit Blue. What new products have you launched in these brands?
We recently launched a new water-based lubricant XL under our Safe Condoms label. We got a lot of questions form customers asking for a bigger bottle of our water-based lubricant, so we decided to develop a 1 litre bottle which has proven a great success. For Explicit Blue, we launched the perfect caring vegan delay gel and super fresh vegan erection cream as well as a three-piece silicone cockring set.  

CLS Healthcare has established an impressive selection of brands over the past few years. Could you give us an overview of the strengths of your individual brands?
With the different labels, we target very distinct target groups, and that is also reflected in pricing, the look & feel of the packaging, and the communication surrounding the brands. But with all the labels, we seek to offer something to consumers that enriches their lives. We strongly believe that intimacy and sexuality play an important role in the well-being of our customers and in that sense, we have an important responsibility.

Do you plan to launch more brands in the near future or are you satisfied with your current position in the market?
For the time being, we will keep our focus on the labels SAFE Condoms, Explicit Blue, and The Pleasure Label. We believe that creating and developing more and more labels at the same time creates a lack of focus and invites a storm of chaos which will ultimately result in products we can’t back-up anymore. Focusing on successful labels and improving these labels is much more important to us than adding new labels.

What are the most important trends in the erotic market right now, and how does CLS respond to them?
We see a lot of began and body-safe items popping up. This trend isn’t just a trend in the food and beverage industry; a lot of people are more and more aware of their body in general and having intercourse must be done a SAFE way.

Who can retailers contact if they want to offer your products? What do you look for when choosing new business partners?
They can contact me at rits@clshealthcare.nl.Of course, everybody is welcome to sell our products. We assume that new partners are as passionate about our products as we are.