Interview with Farah Kabir and Dr Sarah Welsh, Co-Founders of Female Led Sexual Health Brand HANX

HANX is a considered sexual wellness brand, founded in 2017. Inspired by the traditionally unimaginative, garish, and stereotypically ‘masculine’ offerings of the condom aisle, we realised no brands were speaking specifically to women and seized the opportunity to develop sex-positive, sustainable, aesthetically driven sex-care products.

Three years on, HANX condoms and lubricant are now established contenders in the sexual wellness market and spurred on by the news that the Femtech industry will be worth $50bn by 2025, intimate feminine health was the obvious next step for us to take.

 Tell us about the new launch

September saw the launch of HANX Fix, an online platform created as part of an ongoing mission to smash the stigmas surrounding sexual wellness. HANX Fix was developed to revolutionise female intimate care by simplifying the process of seeking over-the-counter treatments for vaginal issues such as thrush, bacterial vaginosis and cystitis.

Cutting out physical trips to the pharmacy, and the associated embarrassment for many women, HANX Fix provides a quick and efficient online option that enables consumers to receive treatments direct to their door, simply by answering a few symptom-based questions online.

As the company moves into vaginal health, we want to remove the stigma around really common conditions like thrush, while making the purchase and use of intimate treatments as stress-free and easy as possible. In a mid-COVID world where convenience and safety are key, HANX Fix is a service that will provide access without even having to leave your home.

A recent HANX survey found that half of the respondents were embarrassed to be seen carrying intimate health treatments, while 43% would not tell family or friends if they were suffering from intimate health issues.

Shockingly, a quarter believes that cleaning thoroughly with soap will prevent bacterial vaginosis, thrush and cystitis. These findings were considered in the development stages of HANX Fix.

All treatments are packaged in instantly recognisable, sleek HANX branding, moving away from pharmaceutical designs to help normalise the use of such products.

By encouraging women to feel comfortable carrying them in their handbag or sitting on their bathroom shelf, HANX is continuing to challenge preconceptions around vaginal wellness, focusing on how treatments should make their users feel, both before and after treatment.

A weekly series of Instagram Lives sees Dr Sarah Welsh draw on her experience as a gynaecology doctor to answer questions and address concerns from the HANX community and beyond about each vaginal health issue, most recently covering thrush and bacterial vaginosis.

 Why did you decide to enter the intimate health space?

Intimate health was an area we’d tentatively set our sights as a part of HANX’s future, but as soon as our customers began asking for thrush treatments and relief for other vaginal health issues (unprompted!), that was our ‘light bulb’ moment.

With the feminine intimate care market valued at $1.24billion, there’s never been a better time to talk about vaginal health.

For more information, visit:https://www.hanxofficial.com/