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 4 STI kits, which can be found 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.

After purchasing the kits, users will take the test at home, ship it to a lab after which will receive virtual results. A physician will call should they test positive.

While the launch marks a pivot for the brand into the health space, it was at all times a part of Dame’s road map and mission. 

“To me Dame is a sexual health brand,” said founder Alexandra High-quality. “Sexual pleasure is a component of healthy sex….Attending to expand the road in order that becomes more obvious just by seeing our product offering has been the plan from Day One.” 

High-quality added: “One time we did a study to see how [people] define sexual wellness versus sexual health. We’ve got consistently [seen] the identical definition. People actually didn’t see them as a difference.”

High-quality has been working on bringing the STI kits to marketplace for several years but finding the correct partner proved difficult. 

“There’s all these small parts of the physical experience that create safety for you,” she said, pointing to the texture of the box as a key component. “The opposite 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 greater than 10 labs across the U.S. that service the tests to make sure an efficient turnaround time. 

While the brand hasn’t received significant requests for STI tests, High-quality said consumers are sometimes looking for secure sex resources, indicating the necessity. Moreover, she expects the launch to usher in additional requests for sexual health offerings going forward. 

“Now that we began making supplements, people ask us for various supplements,” she said. “We’ve got to point out that we’re able to [it] after which people will come and begin looking for it.” 

The launch can also be a chance for brand spanking new customers. Based on High-quality, the brand’s demographic is about 70 percent couples in long-term relationships. Nonetheless, recent, more cost-effective launches, just like the Dip, $35, have drawn in younger customers, which High-quality expects to occur with the kits as well. 

When asked concerning the opportunity this launch poses for the business High-quality said, “We’re really just not doing this for the cash. I don’t know what the sales are going to be.” 

Nonetheless, there’s more to come back, as High-quality plans to expand Dame’s sexual health offerings going forward. 

“There are such a lot of barriers to pleasure and in an effort to help people access pleasure, in an effort to close the pleasure gap, it has at all times felt foundational to do more health products,” she said.

The STI kits shall be available direct-to-consumer starting Thursday and, in keeping with High-quality, the team is currently in talks with existing retailers to launch in-store in the long run.