Sexual wellness brand Dame is launching at-home tests for sexually transmitted infections.
The brand, known for its sexual wellness devices and topicals, is moving into the health space with four STI kits, which are available on the brand’s site starting Thursday. Tests include Gonorrhea & Chlamydia, HIV, Syphilis STI Test Kit 1-site, $125; Gonorrhea & Chlamydia, HIV, Syphilis STI Test Kit 3-site, $150; Gonorrhea & Chlamydia STI Test Kit 1-site, $70, and Gonorrhea & Chlamydia STI Test Kit 3-site, $140. One-site tests are for sexual experiences only using genitals, while three-site tests also include mouth and rectum.
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After purchasing the kits, users will take the test at home, ship it to a lab and then will receive virtual results. A doctor will call should they test positive.
While the launch marks a pivot for the brand into the health space, it was always part of Dame’s road map and mission.
“To me Dame is a sexual health brand,” said founder Alexandra Fine. “Sexual pleasure is a part of healthy sex….Getting to expand the line so that becomes more obvious simply by seeing our product offering has been the plan from Day One.”
Fine added: “One time we did a study to see how [people] define sexual wellness versus sexual health. We have consistently [seen] the same definition. People actually didn’t see them as a difference.”
Fine has been working on bringing the STI kits to market for several years but finding the right partner proved difficult.
“There’s all these small parts of the physical experience that create safety for you,” she said, pointing to the feel of the box as a key component. “The other big thing for me was their [the lab’s] ability to do multiple collection sites…like blood [and] urine.”
After years of searching, the team partnered with Ash Wellness, an at-home diagnostic testing company that has more than 10 labs across the U.S. that service the tests to ensure an efficient turnaround time.
While the brand hasn’t received significant requests for STI tests, Fine said consumers are often seeking safe sex resources, indicating the need. Furthermore, she expects the launch to bring in additional requests for sexual health offerings going forward.
“Now that we started making supplements, people ask us for different supplements,” she said. “We have to show that we’re capable of [it] and then people will come and start seeking it.”
The launch is also an opportunity for new customers. According to Fine, the brand’s demographic is about 70 percent couples in long-term relationships. However, recent, more affordable launches, like the Dip, $35, have drawn in younger customers, which Fine expects to happen with the kits as well.
When asked about the opportunity this launch poses for the business Fine said, “We’re really just not doing this for the money. I don’t know what the sales are going to be.”
However, there’s more to come, as Fine plans to expand Dame’s sexual health offerings going forward.
“There are so many barriers to pleasure and in order to help people access pleasure, in order to close the pleasure gap, it has always felt foundational to do more health products,” she said.
The STI kits will be available direct-to-consumer starting Thursday and, according to Fine, the team is currently in talks with existing retailers to launch in-store in the future.
