Today, we’re going to be talking about System Jo—a sexual wellness company that has made big, important moves in the sexual wellness industry. The journey of any aspiring sexual wellness company is likely an interesting one (thanks to how much our society likes to shame sex—even though almost everyone is having it). I’m excited to share with you about System Jo today and how they helped pave the way for an ever-evolving sexual wellness industry.
System Jo is a sexual wellness company that is based out of California and developed its first product, JO PREMIUM, in 1999. JO PREMIUM was their first-ever lube to hit the market! (Wild, right?!)
The History of System JO
The product first began as a private label for gynecologists but quickly became in high demand for consumers. So, in 2003, System JO began meeting consumer demands & was happy to offer their trusted intimacy products for purchase!
Now the company has grown to produce an incredible variety of lubricants, stimulants, body supplements, hygiene, and massage oils—including a portion of their company, DONA by JO, that invites couples to try new forms of intimacy such as massage lotions and massage oils. To them, it’s not just about creating the products—it’s also about creating products that encourage intimacy, connection, and exploration.
I had the wonderful opportunity to try out a lot of these products and found four different types of lube that really showcased System Jo’s attention to detail and variety: Their water-based lube, silicone lube, a strawberry flavored lube, and salted caramel lube from their extremely popular Gelato collection!
Let’s start with their water-based & silicone-based lubes.
In general, we recommend water-based lubes for most activities—however, silicone-based lube is amazing for play where you need your lube to last a little longer with a thicker consistency. A great example of this is anal play!
However, silicone lube doesn’t play well with silicone products and most condoms so if you’re introducing a silicone toy to the mix, we recommend water-based!
Both of JO’s lubes are amazing, high-quality examples of each type of product at its purest!
This brings me to System JO’s Flavored lubricants—now, normally I’m not a huge fan of flavored lubes for a number of reasons but a big one is that they often contain glycerin.
Glycerin is basically sugar and is what helps give that sweetness to flavored lubes. However, it can sometimes irritation, particularly for vulva owners.
Here’s the thing: Not all Glycerin is created equal.
System JO uses high-quality, plant-based glycerin that has a much smaller likelihood of causing irritation and in most cases can be safe to use. However, we still recommend that if you or your partner have sensitive skin or are prone to BV or UTI’s—we recommend sticking to products without glycerin!
The wonderful thing about System JO is that not all of their lubes contain glycerin—including their NaturaLove strawberry-flavored lube!!! Which, I’m a huge fan of!
I’m not a big dessert person so I definitely liked the strawberry lube over the salted caramel; However JO’s Gelato collection basically has a cult following and I CAN tell you it has some amazingly accurate flavor!!
The through-line in these four products? Quality & Variety.
The best thing about this company is that since the beginning, they have been passionate about creating truly quality products with the intention of encouraging the average jo to experiment, learn, and have fun in their sex life.
Staci Cruse is an account manager, sex educator, and writer with System JO who has been a fan of the companies’ products since she first began educating consumers through part-time work at a retail store.
“JO was my favorite because I knew it was a pharmaceutical company,” says Cruse. “I knew that it was a trusted brand and it was something that I always recommended to the consumers that came into the store.”
After leaving her part-time job, Cruse got a call from her old manager about a position JO was looking to fill.
She submitted an application right away and after about 6 months was hired as a brand ambassador; 3 years later, Cruse moved up the ranks to her current position as an Account Manager where she focuses on traveling around the country leading training sessions, educating JO’s team about products, helping with marketing, and more!
Cruse explains that what makes System JO so special is their commitment to making products their consumers can fully trust.
“JO really does just strive to be a company that is concerned with the ingredients and the quality of their products and what people are using inside of their bodies,” says Cruse
She explains that JO creates this trust in a number of ways but particularly in their dedication to safety; The company still holds an over-the-counter pharmaceutical license, has an on-staff chemist who creates and test formulas, and holds the most 510(k) certifications than any other company in the sexuality industry—aka almost all of their products are FDA approved (most products in the sex industry are not because the certification is a long, difficult, and expensive process)!
The company has also created an incredibly wide variety of products since first starting with just JO PREMIUM.
“Not everybody is the same, so what works great for one person doesn’t necessarily work amazingly for the other,” says Cruse.
She explains that one of the ways the company works towards adding more and more diverse products is their goal of providing high-quality products for everyone through a yearly summit.
The entire JO team, which spans not only the country, but the world, meets once a year for a round-table where everyone comes together to brainstorm the new products they would like to create in the upcoming year.
Most recently JO added the “Xtra Silky” line, more flavor options, and Vitamin E & moisturizers to their products.
Their newest line, Natruals Massage Oils, which just launched in December 2021, is a brand new massage line created with essential oils They are made with natural, vegan ingredients that are created to moisturize, rejuvenate, restore, and uplift naturally. They come in Coconut & Lime, Lavender & Tahitian Vanilla, and Peppermint & Eucalyptus.
The next tier of JO’s work and the one Cruse says is their current focus for expansion? Education!
Cruse tells that one of the most important facets of her job is implementing customer feedback and handling JO’s Satisfaction Guarantee.
She explains that the company takes customer and retailer feedback very seriously by either implementing a change in product design (she tells of how the company recently changed the warming & cool labels because they were difficult to read) or by finding new ways to provide education such as through their new blog.
Cruse says that the blog mostly features written work by Dr. Michael Krychman, their in-house *doctor?* but will soon also feature some of her own work. It will be written to give the perspective of a southern woman who wants to help provide better sex education to those who live in areas where talking about sex just doesn’t happen.
“I just kinda throw in my y’alls and just make it fun & easy to read, so you’ll be seeing more of those,” says Cruse, “That’s one thing that we’re hoping to do is kinda open up that channel of communication so people can ask questions or learn a little more without having to ask somebody or having to go into a store & be embarrassed by not knowing something about their body.”
Cruse, her story, and her mission show the hard work and dedication the individuals behind the label have towards creating a better, sex-positive, pleasure-centered space and System JO itself is an excellent example of a company that has evolved with the sex industry & are truly putting their audience first.
The ability to provide products for every body, to provide sex education, & to continue developing products that create intimacy is so special & important. Plus, we love supporting companies at Team RW who are all about making waves in the sexual wellness industry—and System JO does just that!
