Founders’ of Leezu's Dish Out a 101 Guide on How to Start a Sexual Wellness Brand in India

Let’s be blunt: India’s sexual wellness industry has come a long way from whispers in the dark. Once hidden behind taboos and stigma, it's now stepping confidently into the mainstream—fuelled by D2C brands, changing attitudes, and a generation ready to talk about pleasure without shame. The industry has already crossed the billion-dollar mark and is set to grow even faster in the coming years. With homegrown labels mixing design, education, and inclusivity, the space is buzzing. So if you’re thinking of launching your own sexual wellness brand, the timing couldn’t be better. And we’ve got just the guide for you by the founders of Leezu’s, Leeza Mangaldas  and Hanna Stromgren Khan.

Leeezu’s Beginnings

Launched in 2023, Leezu’s has rapidly become one of India’s fastest‑scaling sexual wellness brands. The brand was co-founded by Leeza, who has for nearly a decade built a global community of over 3 million through her work as a sexuality educator—breaking taboos, fostering openness around intimacy—and Hanna, a startup veteran with strong experience in brand building.

Leezu’s came into being when Leeza and Hanna recognised that, while many were willing to talk about sexual wellness, the market for physical products lagged behind: there were few options that combined safety, credibility, quality and cultural sensitivity. Much of what existed was either cheap and unreliable, heavily stigmatised, or simply hard to access.

In its early days, Leezu’s focus was on education and content—Leeza’s strength—not just to inform, but to normalise conversations around pleasure, consent, intimacy. Over time, as dialogues grew, a pattern emerged: people weren’t just asking what to think and feel—they wanted to know what to use; what is safe; what works. That demand led Leeza and Hanna to extend their mission beyond education, developing physical wellness products that aligned with their values—safe materials, transparent labelling, credible manufacturing, all delivered with sensitivity to cultural norms.

Leezu’s journey reflects the transformation from awareness to action: starting with content, moving into trusted products, all driven by a clear gap they saw in the Indian sexual wellness landscape.

What You Need to Know Before You Start

The sexual wellness industry in India is still young but rapidly evolving, currently at an inflection point. It’s growing fast, yet continues to battle deep-rooted stigma. This growth is fuelled by several factors including the rise of e-commerce, a younger, more open demographic, and an increasing cultural emphasis on self-care. However, entering this space came with its fair share of challenges. The founders anticipated hurdles such as advertising restrictions and the widespread hesitation or shame surrounding sexual wellness products.

One of the biggest obstacles, surprisingly, has been the censorship imposed by major US tech companies like Meta, Amazon, and Google. Despite this, the Indian consumer “is actually privately much more open-minded than they are publicly able to admit,” and there’s a clear eagerness to embrace these products.

In recent years, there has been a significant shift in customer perception and openness. Social media has played a pivotal role, encouraging more candid conversations around mental health, self-care, and relationships, with sexual wellness becoming a natural part of these discussions. Younger generations online, bolstered by the trust they place in creator-led voices, have accelerated this cultural shift. Additionally, the rise of e-commerce and quick commerce platforms has made sexual wellness products more accessible, offering privacy, discretion, and speedy delivery—elements that are crucial in this sensitive category.

Business Essentials

Legal & Regulatory:

Launching Leezu’s required rigorous compliance to meet international quality and safety standards. All products undergo dermatological testing, with electronic items certified by CE, ISO, and BIS. However, regulatory hurdles did arise:

• Payment gateways, ad platforms, and marketplaces showed hesitation due to the nature of sexual wellness products.
  

• Leeza Mangaldas shares, “Persistence, compliance, and undeniable demand helped us overcome regulatory pushback.”
  

Navigating these challenges demanded patience and a strong focus on compliance, as well as creative approaches to marketing and payment processing.

Product Development & Sourcing:

Leezu’s sources products from a combination of trusted local and international manufacturers to ensure both quality and consistent availability. Ingredients are carefully selected to avoid harmful additives, prioritising safety for skin and vaginal health. Every product undergoes strict safety and performance testing to guarantee customer trust and peace of mind.

Funding & Investment:

The brand began lean and bootstrapped but later raised capital to support scaling operations. Pitching a “taboo” category posed challenges, but reframing the brand as part of mainstream wellness rather than fringe helped change perspectives.

Hanna Stromgren Khan explains, “Once stakeholders saw the traction, the category shifted from being a liability to an opportunity.” This pivot was essential for unlocking growth funding.

Brand Strategy & Operations

Core USP & Branding:

Leezu’s stands out as an education-first brand that’s playful yet tasteful, culturally resonant, and focused on inclusivity. The founders are deliberate in avoiding crass or hypersexualised imagery, ensuring the brand feels approachable and respectful.

Audience & Segmentation:

Their primary customer base includes urban millennials and Gen Z, with growing adoption in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. To connect broadly yet sensitively, Leezu’s uses a unique blend of English, Hindi, and colloquial slang, maintaining censorship safety while staying relatable. Product names like Toofaan (a stroker) and Pyaari (a suction toy) resonate widely across India.

Customer Research & Insights:

Through surveys, workshops, and interviews, Leezu’s uncovered that men were an underserved segment in the market. This insight inspired the creation of Toofaan — India’s first mainstream stroker for men — which quickly became a runaway hit.

Marketing & Distribution

Advertising & Social Media:

Instagram and YouTube are Leezu’s primary marketing platforms. Given strict ad restrictions, the brand focuses heavily on education-first content paired with humor and censorship-safe language. Their “Ghapaghap 101” series, which balances cheeky yet informative content, has been instrumental in building community and trust.

Shipping, Privacy & Fulfillment:

Every order ships in plain, unbranded packaging to ensure maximum discretion. Partnerships with quick commerce platforms like Blinkit have been key to offering fast, private delivery — a crucial factor for customers prioritising privacy.

If how sexual wellness brands are rethinking advertising in the age of platform restrictions is on your mind, read all about it here.

Challenges, Solutions & Innovations

Cultural & Regulatory Challenges:

Cultural stigma and strict policies from ad and payment platforms created significant hurdles. Leeza Mangaldas recalls, “We faced content takedowns and keyword restrictions, but framing our products as wellness essentials helped us navigate those challenges.”

Innovations:

Leezu’s developed a bold brand voice that is unapologetically Indian yet modern and approachable. They introduced ultra-discreet product designs — including toys disguised as earphones and lipsticks. The Toofaan stroker broke new ground by addressing men’s needs in a market previously focused on women.

Advice & The Future

Hanna Stromgren Khan advises, “Don’t underestimate the cultural context. You’re not just selling products—you’re shifting conversations.” She emphasises that education and community-building are as critical as the products themselves. Both founders also note that Meta’s censorship policies consumed more time and effort than expected.

Looking ahead, Leezu’s aims to build a 360° sexual wellness ecosystem that combines education, community, and innovative products, with a vision to become the go-to sexual wellness brand across India and beyond.