London-based Je Joue has a clear mission: empower people to have great sex lives. Known for its luxury vibrators, Je Joue also prioritizes education and encouraging sexual health. From the company’s inception in 2005, the company’s founders Duncan Turner, Chris Glaister and Geoffrey Hollingdon were determined to create products that would be embraced by the mainstream, and opted for an inviting luxury aesthetic. Je Joue’s soft, velvety silicone plus signature rumbly motors proved to be the winning combination and what Je Joue would become known for worldwide.
Marketing manager of two years, Sienna Halburton, recently talked with XBIZ about Je Joue’s mission and plans for the future.
There’s all these ways we constantly upgrade our toys to make them the best they can be while keeping the heart and core of what makes them so great.
She explains the founders’ initial strategy. “They thought, let’s create pleasure products that are beautiful, powerful, and can really access all those internal nerve endings. Something that people can proudly display on their nightstand because a lot of our toys are very discreet. That means they’re also quiet. They’ve got the deep rumble and they’re beautiful. A lot of the time we’d give our toys to people and they’d say, ‘Wow, that’s not what I was expecting!’”
Je Joue’s current catalog includes a mix of distinctive external and internal vibrators for people of all genders. Items are 100 percent vegan and made from high-quality body-safe silicone. They also boast luxury features like USB charging and waterproof capability.
According to Haliburton, Je Joue toys “have been designed in conjunction with gynecologists and midwives. We use specialists and experts, do lots of testing, use consumer feedback.” She adds, “A lot of our products are in their fifth or sixth versions. We don’t bring out a version two, version three; we’re just constantly updating the designs to make them as best as they can be.”
“The most obvious upgrade is changing the charging point. We used to have plastic covering the buttons and now we use silver-plated metal because that’s a quicker charging time. Also, silver plating is very unreactive so it’s not going to react to the skin and it’s also antibacterial which is much better to clean. So there’s all these ways we constantly upgrade our toys to make them the best they can be while keeping the heart and core of what makes them so great. And it’s why so many people love them.”
One of Je Joue’s early products, the Mimi clitoral vibrator, is popular among consumers after more than a decade, the company reports. The unintimidating, palm-sized oval shape appeals to both sex toy aficionados and first-time users alike. Many popular pleasure products tend to not only be buzzy but also intensely powerful without much adjustability. Haliburton observed that with the customers she’s worked with, more intensity is not always better.
“Sadly, a lot of the time, people’s first vibrator or sex toy tends to be one of those cheap buzzy bullets that’s going to have really high frequency.” She points out that some vibrators don’t accommodate individual sensation preferences as much as they should. Many bodies are too sensitive for high-intensity shallow vibrations, and Je Joue’s products aim to address this discrepancy.
“Having a deep rumbly vibrator that has these low-frequency vibrations — they don’t penetrate just the top layer of skin, they actually travel very deeply through the body and access all those internal nerve endings, but they also don’t overstimulate the top layer. For someone who’s got any kind of sensitivity, having a deep lower-frequency vibration is going to feel totally different and much more comfortable.”
Je Joue’s products are not only positioned to customers seeking affordable luxury but also to those who are just starting to explore sex toys. Haliburton believes education is key for reaching the beginner market. “When I speak to people who are trying to buy their first vibrator, there’s just so much that has to go into educating people about their bodies, especially people with a clitoris or who are buying a toy for someone with a clitoris.
“A lot of people don’t know about the full structure [of the clit]. They think it’s just a little button on the outside. They don’t necessarily know that it takes a long time to come around. It becomes engorged, it changes in size, it’s got legs, it’s got bulbs, they fill with blood, people with clitorises get a boner and become engorged. So there’s normally quite a lot of learning process and education that has to go into a conversation with someone before they know what type of toys will be suitable for them, or whether they’re going to like internal or external, and all these other fabulous questions that you have to delve into.”
To address these needs, Je Joue focuses a number of marketing efforts on pleasure education. Sponsoring and participating in learning summits, creating and sponsoring sex-ed content both on JeJoue.com and other websites, plus extensive staff training for sex-positive retail chains are a few of the things the company is passionate about.
In addition to the products they’re known for globally, like the Mimi and Mimi Soft, adjustable G-Kii G-spot Vibrator, Mio Vibrating Cock Ring, Ami Kegel Trainer and more, Je Joue continually adds new designs. The most recent is their bullet collection. Haliburton credits customer feedback for the development of this new product line. “A lot of people come into stores wanting a bullet, that’s what they’re comfortable with. They’re unintimidating and have a slightly lower price point.”
Rather than creating products similar to those already on shelves, Je Joue relied on customer feedback to give their bullets a fresh spin. “We thought, how can we bring an added element to the bullets that has something kind of unique about them? So the classic bullet comes with a finger sleeve.” She adds, “Our best-selling one is our G-spot Bullet. We were hearing from customers that a lot of people want to experiment with an internal toy, but anything that they’ve seen is just too big. There’s a lot of people who find using a tampon to be a bit painful, so a normal internal vibe for them is far too big. This bullet is soft and squishy at the tip and the curve is perfect to experiment with internal G-spot play. It’s kind of a stepping stone.”
Looking toward the future, Je Joue has a number of new products scheduled for release later this year, including internal toys that appeal to the beginner market.
As for the bigger picture, Je Joue stands firm with its primary vision of facilitating sexual empowerment and mainstreaming the importance of sexual health. “We want to encourage every single person to explore their body and to enhance their pleasure because there’s still so much shame around pleasure and feelings that people have towards their own bodies.”
