The past year has been a challenging one for the team at premier lubricant manufacturer Sliquid. Late in 2024, company co-founder Dean Elliott passed away after battling cancer, though he managed to flash his wide, signature grin until the very end. This placed the responsibility for maintaining company morale squarely on the shoulders of his founding partner and former wife, Cynthia Wielgosz Elliott.
Fortunately, Wielgosz Elliott is more than up to the task, thanks to her extensive background in corporate business and women’s wellness. During Sliquid’s first decade, she labored around the clock to co-engineer every aspect of the brand and its products, even while holding down a full-time day job.
Today, stepping into a more prominent leadership role at Sliquid feels like both a return and a reinvention.
In this month’s special edition of Women in Adult, we talk with Sliquid CEO Cynthia Wielgosz Elliot about her strategy for carrying on the legacy she and Dean built together, and keeping the brand in the spotlight for years to come.
XBIZ: It’s been a difficult year, and our hearts go out to you and the Sliquid team. How are you and the team celebrating Dean’s legacy and honoring your memories of him?
Elliott: It has been an incredibly tough year, but I am so grateful for the community we’ve built around Sliquid. Our team isn’t just made up of colleagues or employees — they’re part of our extended family. That’s never been clearer than this past year, and that connection has been a huge source of comfort and strength as we move forward and continue the work we started together.
Dean had a larger-than-life presence in the industry. He loved the spotlight and the spotlight loved him back. But what many didn’t always see was that he was happiest in the quiet moments: sitting on the couch, watching his kids play sports or simply being at home. That energy and love for family and simple joy are things we all carry with us.
XBIZ: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you and Dean decide to start a lube business?
Elliott: Twenty-three years ago, Dean and I made a big decision to start our own company with one clear goal: to create a personal lubricant that prioritized women’s health, safety and empowerment.
With my background in the consumer packaged goods industry, particularly in health, beauty and family planning, I had seen numerous products on the market — including those from major Fortune 500 brands — made with ingredients, like glycerin, that are not safe or beneficial for women. We knew we could do better.
We spent months developing formulations, selecting the right ingredients, designing labels and building every aspect of the brand from scratch. I’ll never forget the night we stayed up naming the brand, securing the 800 number and registering the domain. It felt like something truly special was being created. Eventually, we packed our very first case of product in our garage, taped it up ourselves and sent it off from a UPS store. That small moment marked the beginning of our mission-driven brand, created to challenge norms, break down stigma and provide women with a healthier, more joyful experience. Our beloved Sliquid was born. It wasn’t just about launching a product; it was about transforming the conversation around women’s wellness with something smart, safe and unapologetically fun.
XBIZ: Tell us more about your career background before Sliquid, and what it enabled you to bring to the brand.
Elliott: I spent years building a career in the consumer products industry, focusing on feminine care, family planning and sexual wellness. I worked with a variety of companies and brands, both established and emerging, which gave me a uniquely broad and deep understanding of the category. Over time, I held roles in sales and marketing, sales management, category development and trade marketing, which provided me with a 360-degree view of what drives success in this space — not just from a product perspective but also from a consumer and retail standpoint.
This combination of category expertise and strategic insight made the transition to creating our own brand feel not only natural but necessary. Launching our brand was the chance to take everything I had learned, combine it with Dean’s entrepreneurial spirit, and channel it into something better: a product that is safer, healthier, and more empowering for women.
XBIZ: From a woman’s perspective, what did you see as essential for Sliquid to provide to female consumers?
Elliott: For many individuals with sensitive skin or a tendency toward infections, the options available weren’t safe or suitable. That reality led me to ask, “Why shouldn’t everyone have access to a healthier alternative?” Our mission from day one was to provide exactly that: a lubricant free from the usual culprits found in many other products.
But it wasn’t just about offering a cleaner formula. It was equally important to help remove the lingering stigma often associated with using a personal lubricant. We wanted to shift the narrative from “need” to “wellness,” and make it feel normal, empowering and even fun. I’m incredibly proud that through Sliquid’s product innovation, marketing, education and retail efforts, we’ve helped lead the charge in making lubricants a respected and recognized part of everyday sexual health and wellness.
XBIZ: Over the years, how has your vision for Sliquid and your own role within the company evolved?
Elliott: In the early years, we handled everything ourselves. We packed orders in our garage, developed formulas, defined our mission and started identifying our customers. At the time, we both kept our day jobs: Dean worked as a voice-over artist and logistics coordinator, and I was in the CPG industry, focusing on marketing, sales and trade strategy.
For practical reasons and to avoid conflicts of interest, I stayed in the corporate world for about a decade during Sliquid’s early growth. Behind the scenes, I helped shape the brand strategy, contributed to the marketing direction and ensured our mission remained clear and uncompromising. In 2012, I made the decision to leave the corporate world and fully dedicate myself to Sliquid. It was a natural next step, allowing me to bring all my professional experience to the brand we’d built from the ground up.
I am incredibly grateful to have been able to stay fully present in our children’s lives. Raising two amazing kids while helping grow our company has been my greatest source of pride. Being able to balance both — showing up for my family and leading a mission-driven business — is something I’ll never take for granted.
Today, stepping into a more prominent leadership role at Sliquid feels like both a return and a reinvention. I am proud of how far we’ve come, firmly rooted in the legacy Dean and I created together, and more energized than ever about where we’re headed next.
XBIZ: Speaking of pride, what are you most proud of as you look back on your career?
Elliott: I’m proud of the businesses I’ve helped grow, the teams I’ve led and the culture I’ve cultivated. But above all, I’m proud that I did it without ever sacrificing my instincts or values. I’ve learned that while talent opens doors, character determines whether they stay open. So I’m most proud that I never compromised my integrity, no matter how tempting the shortcut or shiny the distraction. I built my career in a fast-paced, often unforgiving industry by staying true to who I am and only surrounding myself with people who share my values. That choice alone shaped every success that followed. That’s a legacy I hope inspires others, especially the next generation.
XBIZ: How are you planning to move forward with the Sliquid team for the rest of the year? Can you share anything about what’s coming up?
Elliott: Sliquid is undergoing a strategic transition that will continue until the end of this year. As part of our forward-looking approach, our executive team has developed a comprehensive 24-month growth plan to guide the company through 2026. This plan focuses on several key initiatives, including cost optimization, expanding manufacturing capabilities and launching new product development projects. Our goal is to create a more agile and efficient organization that better serves our customers’ needs.
In addition to operational improvements, we are also refining our marketing strategy. We are reimagining the Sliquid brand aesthetic to modernize our visual identity and voice, ensuring alignment with current market expectations while maintaining the core values our customers cherish. This branding refresh will be implemented gradually throughout the remainder of this year.
Finally, to support these efforts, we are expanding our team to meet operational demands and ensure smooth execution across all parts of our business. Overall, our aim is to position Sliquid as a leaner, more innovative and customer-focused organization that is prepared to meet the changing needs of the marketplace while staying true to our brand’s essence.
XBIZ: What advice would you give to future generations of ‘Women in Adult’?
Elliott: Follow your instincts relentlessly — but never let your heart outrun your logic. The industry will test your values, patience and sense of direction. There will be moments when it feels easier to compromise than to stand firm. Don’t. Surround yourself with people who reflect your standards, not just your ambition. The company you keep will shape your career more than any strategy ever could. And remember: Confidence isn’t loud. It’s quiet conviction. Trust that you belong, even in rooms that weren’t built with you in mind, and then help rebuild those rooms for the women coming after you.
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry’s most influential businesswomen.
