Is SexTech about entertainment or health?

TL;DR: SexTech is both entertainment and health — and the line between them is blurring fast. The sexual wellness market has surpassed $50 billion and is projected to exceed $100 billion by 2030. The orgasm gap remains stubbornly wide (95% of men vs. 65% of heterosexual women consistently reach orgasm). Meanwhile, tech innovation is accelerating: FDA-cleared devices, AI-driven personalization, and advanced haptics are turning sex toys into legitimate health tools. The sex-positive movement is mainstreaming sexual wellness, and the industry is finally catching up.

The sexual wellness market is valued at approximately $50 billion as of 2025 and is projected to surpass $100 billion by 2030. Within that, the SexTech industry alone accounts for roughly $50 billion, growing at a 16–19% CAGR. The term "SexTech" applies to a wide variety of tech-enabled products and solutions, from sex robots to educational apps and platforms, as well as erotic virtual reality and porn. Is SexTech more about entertainment or health?

What is sextech?

SexTech, or sex technology, is a vital component in the overall FemTech category. The global sex toy market reached $37 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit $80 billion by 2034, reflecting a dramatic mainstreaming of these products. Purchasing and using sex toys is becoming more mainstream.

Indiana University studies found that 53% of women and 45% of men aged between 18-64 years had used a vibrator. The patriarchal norms that say a woman's ability to bear children defines her sexual utility, and her body is merely for the sexual pleasure of men, are now yesterday's news.

Fifty years ago, innovations in birth control had a remarkable impact on societies. Women got a chance to control childbearing, manage their careers, new labor market options opened up, and women were allowed to think about pleasure from sex. Even though women who use sex toys have been seen as lonely or sexually deviant for decades, now it is socially acceptable. What's more, sex toys are now also treated as a useful aid in medical treatment and are prescribed by physicians more and more frequently.

Sextech as part of femtech

As Ann Garnier, CEO of Lisa Health and longtime women's health advocate, said: "Sexual wellness is an exciting space. For far too long, women have been made to feel they've had to repress sexual desire. I admire the companies that are tackling this problem head on and empowering women. I also think that the companies addressing issues around low libido, painful sex, and other intimacy issues are doing important work. The majority of women don't talk to their doctors about these solvable problems, which is unfortunate".

Until recently, the SexTech industry was dominated by men. Products like vibrators and dildos, designed for women, were marketed with imagery that would target straight men instead of a woman. Also, the design of the products was based on what male executives though women might expect. Now, more women are taking control of their pleasure. They bring a woman's perspective into SexTech companies or create their own ones, such as MysteryVibe, whose Crescendo 2 is now FDA-cleared for pelvic health applications, positioning it as both a pleasure device and a legitimate medical tool.

Innovation in this industry is happening at lightning speed. It won't be long before SexTech will work with multi-haptic systems, AI, and biomimetics that spreads into other industries. In some places, it's already happening. Apple has filed dozens of patents for multi-haptic technologies and biological vital monitoring systems since 2016, with continued development through 2024 expanding into more sophisticated haptic feedback and health-sensing capabilities. The same tech that lets you engage with a smart sex toy will work its way into future iterations of the Apple Watch.

It's crucial to recognize needs to serve women better, bringing in gender specificity for devices and solutions that are common to both sexes. It can't be done without both men and women representation in each industry, but even if the product specifically targets women, it's worth having men behind the scenes.

Inability to experience sexual pleasure can contribute to depression and anxiety, poor self-esteem, or sexual coercion. It can also promote the misconception that pain is a normal and acceptable part of sex for women, according to psychology professor Laurie Mintz, author of "Becoming Clitorate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters and How to Get It".

Is sex a health issue?

Is having an orgasm a health issue worthy of innovation? The UN's World Health Organization includes pleasure in its definition of sexual health for men and women.

There is a significant disproportion between men and women's sexual pleasure. A 2024 study published in Oxford Academic found that 95% of men reported consistently experiencing orgasm during sex, compared to just 65% of heterosexual women. The gap narrows among lesbian women (86%) and bisexual women (66%), suggesting that the disparity is shaped not just by biology but by cultural and relational factors. Bridging this gap remains one of SexTech's most important opportunities.

While sexual satisfaction is a health determinant, clinicians should give particular attention to orgasm experiences, to potentially help both men and women have higher sexual satisfaction. This is a vast field for SexTech innovations.

Sex-positive movement

The sex-positive movement is social and philosophical. It seeks to change cultural attitudes and norms around sexuality, promote the recognition of sexuality (in countless forms of expression) as a natural and healthy part of the human experience, and to emphasize the importance of personal sovereignty, safer sex practices, and consensual sex (free from violence or coercion). It covers every aspect of sexual identity, including gender expression, orientation, relationship to the body (body-positivity, nudity, choice), relationship-style choice, reproductive rights, and everything else society has lumped under the umbrella.

Sex toy apps and devices

The intersection of SexTech and mainstream consumer electronics has had a rocky but ultimately progressive history. In 2019, Lora DiCarlo's Osé — a robotic vibrator developed in consultation with Oregon State University's robotics department — was initially given a CES Innovation Award, then had it revoked because the device was deemed "immoral" and "profane" and didn't fit an existing product category. After significant public backlash, CES reinstated the award. The controversy became a watershed moment for the industry, forcing conversations about gender bias in tech. Lora DiCarlo ultimately shut down in late 2022, but the CES episode left a lasting impact: it helped legitimize sexual wellness devices as consumer technology.

Today, the industry has moved well beyond that moment. MysteryVibe has secured FDA clearance for its devices and positioned itself at the intersection of pleasure and pelvic health. In 2024, the company launched a bold billboard campaign normalizing conversations about sexual wellness — a sign of how far the cultural needle has moved.

Also, lo-fi SexTech has always discreetly held a place in the development of products such as warming lubes and lotions. Women who own their sexual lives are potent consumers. Gender is the most powerful determinant of how we see the world and everything in it. It's more significant than age, income, ethnicity, or geography. Gender is often a blind spot for businesses, partially because the subject is not typically addressed in most undergraduate or graduate-level business courses, or the workplace itself.

The way consumers engage with sexual wellness products is shifting too. Roughly 25% of sex toy purchases now happen through mobile apps and mobile-optimized storefronts, reflecting a broader e-commerce trend toward discreet, on-demand shopping. App-controlled devices are also growing rapidly, with experts predicting they will become a significant part of all of our sex lives over the coming years.