Sarah and Susi from Yes

We introduced you to Yes’s fabulous natural lubricant back in January.

Now the women behind the Yes Pure Intimacy, Sarah Brooks and Susi Lennox, are up for the Times’ Ethical Women in Business Award. We spoke exclusively to the ladies about their inspiration, taboos and the art of pleasure.

Hello Sarah and Susi tell us a little about  yourselves
We are two women from Hampshire who helped to develop Viagra for men and are now doing our bit to make sure women enjoy a sustained and fulfilling sex life.

Ironically it was while working on Viagra that we became aware of the needs of women and a taboo area that has never really been discussed – feedback received from the wives of men in their 70s who thought their sex lives were over but Viagra had changed all that. This research got us thinking about lubricants and we looked at all the products that are produced and discovered there was nothing natural available.

Both of us, having worked in and consulted to the petroleum and pharmaceutical industries, had felt compromised by the prevailing ethics of our then clients and we saw the chance to create a successful business based on our values and ethics.

We gave up our well paid jobs in the drugs industry and sold our homes to finance the dream. We set out with a simple idea which was to change the world from the inside.

Based on the principle of ‘Think globally, Act locally’ we have taken ‘locally’ to mean the intimate environment – from here our chosen route has been to Change the World from the inside. As co-founders and Directors of YSL, we create, formulate, develop, manufacture and market revolutionary intimacy products. Our Yes brand, offering a range of Soil Association Certified Organic intimacy products, represents a world first.

We are in the Education business by raising awareness of: the importance of choosing organic products, the impact of trans-dermal uptake or chemical body burden and the permeability/sensitivity of the mucous membranes.

What causes intimate dryness for us ladies?
Some are clearly biological: pregnancy, the contraceptive pill, menopause, breastfeeding – all hormone related changes, temporary or otherwise. Others are attributable to less obvious causes: anti-depressants can damage the libido and anti-histamines can suppress the production of moisture in the mucus membranes. Less measurable but significant is the way tiredness and stress can play havoc with the normal responses of the body.

A woman’s intimate parts are very delicate yet many companies try and get us to put unnatural and highly scented products there. With this in mind how and why did you decide to start the journey on finding and developing a ‘Pure’ intimate range.
Our researches revealed what a neglected category this was and we set out to create products which were  free of all side effects, nourishing to intimate tissues and reassuringly pure.  It was also our intention to elevate this product category with dignified, elegant, high performing offerings, based on plant extracts rather than synthetic chemicals.

How long in the planning was Pure Intimacy?
We were so convinced of the need for a completely natural and organic lubricant for the female market we embarked on a three and a half year journey to create the perfect formula. This time included intensive research and development, to perfect our products, to patent them and bring them to market. They were then and still are now, the World’s first and only certified Organic range of intimacy products. It wasn’t about just creating a product, we wanted to create something that represented our values.

When thinking of the name Yes it evokes memories of Meg Ryan in When Harry Meets Sally (take this as a compliment please!) but what made you choose Yes as the name of your fantastic range?
In the naming of our brand we were clear that we wanted to avoid anything corrective or suggestive in the name and wanted to find something affirmative, evocative and witty.  The actual inspiration was the closing paragraph of James Joyce’s Ulysses – look it up! Many people assume it is a Meg Ryan reference -  and of course, that works too. I’ll have what she’s having …

What makes your product different/unique to the other lubricants on the market?
Most other lubricants are formulated with skin irritant ingredients -  glycerine or silicone, and preserved with parabens. Frequently too they are laden with synthetic perfumes and flavours. Concerningly too we discovered that the pH of many of them is too high for the naturally acidic vaginal environment, which then gets disturbed and becomes more prone to infections such as thrush.  Yes products are free of colour, taste and smell, and offer profound discretion in use.

Yes breaks the existing paradigm in all ways, by applying organic standards and refusing to use petrochemicals, skin irritants, parabens et al as ingredients. Further benefits include an adult tone of voice free of the usual fear-based or diminishing language, promoting understanding of vaginal health and mucous membrane permeability, disclosing ingredients (unlike Durex) and our policies to explain our approach.

By using natural, organic products to out-perform existing synthetic chemical equivalents not only do we show this is possible but we also aim to make more people smile (who wouldn’t after a great night of intimacy?) and so spread more happiness on the planet.

By switching to Yes, people will reduce the chemical load on their body absorbed through the mucosa, feel unstigmatised by the purchase, experience products that deliver on their promise and benefit the environment. A percentage of each order goes to planting trees and hedgerows, via the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, to offset being in business.

Your packaging looks beautiful but please tell us about the choice of design.
We wished to ‘out think’ the conventional appearance of other intimacy products -  often garish, or overtly medical, and embarrassing for customers to purchase. We intended the outer packaging to herald the premium quality of the contents -  of great purity, elegance, restraint, discretion, pleasing to the touch and to the eye and capable of not attracting “comment” whether in a shopping basket or a bathroom cabinet.

‘Luberation’ - what a fantastic word. How did you come up with it?
We love word play – and came  up with his coinage to express the liberation embodied in Yes lubrication. Its purity makes it liberating from concerns about usage

Your range was already tremendous and you have now introduced a miniature is this size proving popular?
Yes water-based in single use applicators- created in response to customer demand, is fast becoming our best-selling product.

So then do you agree that Yes products won’t stain your conscience or your bed sheets?
Yes your conscience can be clear that you are buying an ecological product – and your laundry will be safe too.

What future developments lie ahead for Pure Intimacy?
We have a powerful list of compelling new products to bring to market -  we are progressing plans to have Yes available on prescription – and of course we would like the Prince of Wales feathers to add to our prized logos. (Kidding)

You have been short listed for the Women in Ethical Business what does this mean to you personally and as a business?
The recognition from this is glorious evidence that we are ‘Changing the World from the Inside’.

If you had to choose a green god or goddess to feature in our magazine who would it be and why?
We invoke ISIS as our Yes goddess.

The credentials of Yes are unsurpassed, and it is fast becoming the best-kept secret as a solution to vaginal dryness, from whatever cause. Now you can safely say Yes to the moment, Yes to passion, Yes to Intimacy. And those 70 year old women have given yestimonials to the products, describing as ‘the best sex of their lives thanks to the product.’

For more information on the products Yes have on offer go to yesyesyes.org