Meet Rose MacDowell and Sarah Riccio, co-founders of the online pleasure product hot spot Delicto.com. Since 2021, these business owner besties have been slinging vibes and dildos while openly sharing their love for self-induced orgasms on social media — a strategy that has earned Delicto half a million followers on TikTok.
MacDowell and Riccio, both sex educators, carefully fill their online retail pages with products that meet their strict standards for body safety. Delicto, however, aims to be much more than just another web store for creatively shaped silicone pleasure devices. How-to guides, science-backed articles, video reviews and product comparisons all contribute to the site’s curated shopping experience.
We celebrate diverse bodies and identities in all of our marketing efforts, from the language we use to the images we share.
Explains Riccio, “We founded Delicto on three principles: education, shame-free pleasure positivity, and inclusivity. We believe that intimacy is a vital part of overall health and self-connection, and that idea informs our content and our purchasing choices.”
Riccio says her own young adulthood was filled with unrealistic portrayals of sex, regardless of whether the act was shamed or loudly celebrated.
“We wanted to change that,” she says, recalling how she and MacDowell resolved that their next great business venture would be a life in the pleasure space. Before launching Delicto, the pair’s background was principally in sleep health and wellness.
“We were writers and reviewers, and we also created videos covering everything from the science of sleep to how to fold a fitted sheet,” shares Riccio. “Our background in wellness education and social media provided us with the foundation to launch a sexual wellness company that truly reflects our values and interests. It felt like a natural transition.”
According to Riccio, Delicto’s customers range from experienced toy collectors who know exactly what they like — or don’t — to beginners just starting to explore. Regardless, Riccio and MacDowell make sure that whoever finds Delicto feels included and comfortable.
“We use gender-neutral language in our content and product descriptions, and we curate products that support a wide spectrum of anatomies, sexualities and relationship styles,” highlights Riccio.
LGBTQ+ customers are also central to Delicto. Riccio says the brand is committed to evolving alongside the needs of this audience.
“We think everybody is entitled to experience pleasure, no matter who they are or who they love,” she proclaims.
Delicto’s popularity is built on the honesty and passion with which Riccio and MacDowell approach sexual wellness. First and foremost, they consider themselves sex toy users, no different from the folks who watch their TikTok videos in search of products that truly deliver pleasure. That attitude informs their content on the platform, in terms of both style and substance.
“Our concept of social media is to combine education and play,” Riccio explains. “We try to create content that feels approachable, shame-free and easy to understand.”
When Riccio and MacDowell set out to create and record a new video, they consistently include three elements: education, empowerment and entertainment. During brainstorming sessions, Riccio says, they ponder the essential questions: “Are we helping someone learn something new about their body, consent, or pleasure? Will this content make someone feel more confident, seen, or curious?”
“Pleasure should be fun,” Riccio affirms. “Our videos reflect that.”
Given that the average TikTok video lasts roughly 30 to 90 seconds, Delicto videos aim to simplify sexual wellness concepts and pleasure product reviews into short, relatable pieces that connect within the first few words.
“Some of our biggest viral moments have come from content that combines education with humor and daily life,” says Riccio. “One of our most-shared videos involved making avocado toast while explaining the difference between a kink and a fetish. That video has nearly 10 million views, which shows us that people crave sex education that feels concise and instantly clear.”
MacDowell and Riccio’s platform has made them tastemakers. One of Riccio’s favorite products, the Snail Vibe by SVibe, went viral after Riccio shared her five-star review of the dual-stim toy. Delicto and SVibe have since built a collaborative relationship that resulted in the creation of a new co-branded snail-shaped sex toy last September.
Riccio and MacDowell plan to make 2026 about world travel and expanding their social media presence even further. The pair will attend the Asia Adult Expo in Hong Kong and the Altitude show in Las Vegas, among other upcoming business trips.
While they know that staying power in the pleasure industry will require evolving to keep up with the changing desires of today’s multigenerational sex-toy consumers, Riccio and MacDowell hope that one thing at least will stay the same for them: respect for their customers’ unique journeys.
“We celebrate diverse bodies and identities in all of our marketing efforts, from the language we use to the images we share,” attests Riccio. “We believe that everyone deserves to feel empowered in their own way.”
It's this philosophy that continues to shape the company’s approach to both branding and customer experience.
