Christina Aguilera is ready for some pillow talk.
Tuesday, Playground, cofounded by Aguilera, is launching Pillow Talk, $20, the latest iteration of its libido-enhancing, water-based personal lubricant. To celebrate, the brand is also rolling out a new campaign centered around a sexual wellness tip hotline 1-888-PLY-GRND hosted by Aguilera to destigmatize conversations around sex.
“People really are uncomfortable talking about all things sexual wellness,” said Playground cofounder and chief executive officer Catherine Magee, adding that she had personally been shamed throughout the brand’s fundraise process last year. “We are mission driven and about a cause, a message and a purpose as much about a product.”
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While the brand has a few iterations of its water-based lubricant on the market now, Pillow Talk was Aguilera’s brainchild.
“Christina loves essences. In fact, smells are part of her creative process. When she’s in the studio, she has her favorite candles,” Magee said. “When we started the process of this, figuring out the essence, she brought in her favorite songs. She bought in her favorite candles. She brought in her favorite products that helped elicit a mood in the bedroom. Then we used that to come up with this essence.”
Pillow Talk, which includes the brand’s libido-enhancing adaptogen formula, features notes of rose, heliotrope flower, peony and tonka bean. According to Magee, the complex essence can be described as “wild rose and cream” and evokes words like “warmth, feminine, sexy, sensual, romantic, dreamy, subtle, creamy, alluring [and] inviting.” With its mission at the forefront, Playground will donate 1 percent of Pillow Talk’s net revenue to the Center for Intimacy Justice.
Concurrently, the brand is also launching its 1-888-PLY-GRND hotline.
“This hotline will be an opportunity for people to enter and win a real pillow talk with Christina, and it’s also going to talk about Playground’s social cause and mission,” said Magee.
On the hotline, callers can listen to intimacy tips from Aguilera, learn about Pillow Talk, receive a discount code and share their own tips. Callers can also leave a voicemail with their phone number for the chance to receive a one-on-one call from Aguilera.
“This campaign speaks directly to women, encouraging better conversations and challenging the culture of shame surrounding women’s sexual health and pleasure, all while contributing to an impactful cause,” said Aguilera in a statement.
While the brand declined to share sales figures around the launch, WWD previously reported that the brand was expected to reach $5 million in sales in 2023. Magee noted that Playground, which recently launched at Target, grew 700 percent between 2023 and 2024 and is expected to reach between 2x and 3x growth this year. Going forward, the brand will continue to focus on health-enhancing sexual wellness products — think of its libido-enhancing formula or its clean ingredient label.
“I love the redefinition of sexual wellness here,” Magee said. “It’s not just about sex, and it’s not just about health. Those things need to be looked at together.”
