When it comes to marketing in the sexual wellness space, for India’s sexual wellness brands, marketing on traditional platforms like Meta and Google has become increasingly frustrating. Censorship, ad disapprovals, and vague content guidelines have made it difficult to speak openly about topics like intimacy, pleasure, or sexual health.
“META has been censoring sexual and reproductive health and rights content for many years now with an especially harsh lens on women’s and queer people’s sexual and reproductive rights. It’s interesting that these measures often coincide with U.S. policies particularly around abortion and trans identity coming under scrutiny,” says Leeza Mangaldas, founder of Leezus.
She doesn’t mince words when calling out hypocrisy in ad policies. “Viagra ads are okay, but vibrators aren’t. There’s a clear gender bias and political bias around topics like contraception and abortion.”
And it’s not just META. Mangaldas highlights that platforms like Google, Amazon, and YouTube also impose red tape on women’s health tools — from breast cancer detection devices to vaginismus tools, to sexual wellness products. As a result, many people don’t even know these solutions exist.
With traditional social media platforms proving unreliable, many brands have turned to Reddit – a platform where stigma takes a back seat and conversation leads the way. According to Mangaldas, Reddit is unique and very text-first. Most users go there for long, thoughtful, first-person accounts. The Reddit user is different from the Instagram user, who is more visual/video-centric. Each platform has its own native culture.
“Reddit users are often high-intent. They are genuinely seeking information. So even though META platforms have bigger reach, Reddit has depth. People are looking for answers and stay longer. That’s valuable.”
With its anonymity, community-driven ethos, and tolerance for nuanced conversations, Reddit is fast becoming a go-to destination for other D2C sexual wellness brands like Sangya Project, Manzuri, and MyMuse, each of which is trying to build authenticity and trust in a culturally complex market.
“Reddit is not like Meta or Google – and that’s why it works,” says Ambika Sharma, Founder and Chief Strategist of Pulp Strategy. Reddit’s conversation-first design gives it an edge.
“Traditional platforms have tight restrictions, but Reddit offers high-intent, conversation-first communities that are more open to nuanced topics. We’ve used Reddit and similar forums for categories like body grooming in the past, and the results have been exceptional — high engagement, authentic conversations, and stronger user trust,” says Sharma.
The Reddit Playbook
For Aastha Vohra, co-founder and CEO of Manzuri, Reddit became a foundational pillar in building her sexual wellness brand – especially when traditional ad platforms shut them out. “Sexual wellness brands aren’t allowed to advertise on Meta or YouTube, and though we’ve found loopholes to work around that, we often have to play with our words. We can’t call products ‘vibrators’ or ‘fleshlights’ outright — we have to use coded language like ‘X, Y, Z’.”
But Reddit, she explains, allowed the brand to operate with honesty and transparency: “Reddit is different. It doesn’t care what you’re talking about as long as you’re honest and building trust.”
For Manzuri, the impact has been tangible. “Manzuri has generated around Rs3.5 crore in total revenue over three years. In the last financial year, Reddit accounted for 30% of that revenue… The lifetime value of a Reddit customer is 2 to 2.5 times higher than the average customer.”
Wary of Reddit’s Shifting Policies Too
While some see Reddit as a promising alternative, Aashish Mehrotra, co-founder from The Sangya Project, offers a nuanced perspective.
“We’ve mainly used Reddit for SEO. It’s where anonymity works best. People perceive Reddit comments as honest reviews. Reddit becomes part of the discovery journey,” he says.
However, he points out a significant shift since last month.
“Reddit has the exact same policies as Meta and Google. If your subreddit or product page is tagged as NSFW, you cannot advertise. You’ll have to bow down to the same guidelines,” Mehrotra notes.
So while Reddit has served as a critical tool for organic visibility and content indexing, Mehrotra is clear that Reddit is a powerful niche tool but not a mainstream replacement.
A Hybrid Approach
For MyMuse, Reddit plays a complementary but crucial role. The brand continues to allocate most of its ad spend to Meta and YouTube due to their scale — but Reddit offers something they can’t.
“We can use clear product language, share imagery without excessive censorship, and engage directly with users… Engagement on Reddit tends to be deeper and more sustained compared to Instagram and YouTube,” says Anushka Gupta, Co-Founder, MyMuse India.
Importantly, the platform’s anonymity helps create intimacy and candid feedback loops.
“Users can share real experiences and ask intimate questions without fear of judgment… That helps us refine and improve our offerings based on real user input,” says Gupta.
MyMuse also runs an invite-only subreddit, r/MyMuseLoveLabs, which serves as a beta-testing hub for new products. The brand uses this space to foster loyalty and co-create with users.
For MyMuse, Reddit isn’t about reach; it’s about resonance.
But Quick Commerce Is Gaining Speed
While Reddit handles the conversation side of the strategy, several founders noted that quick commerce platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart are transforming how these products are actually bought.
Mehrotra notes, even with discreet delivery, there’s still anxiety. “But with quick commerce, the product is in your hand within 10 minutes, and no one notices… Even the bank statement just says ‘Zepto’.”
“Over the last year, we’ve seen quick commerce platforms gain significant traction… They offer instant access to our products with discreet delivery,” notes a MyMuse spokesperson.
Despite Reddit’s growing appeal, none of the founders see it fully replacing the scale and ROI of platforms like Instagram or YouTube. Instead, they believe in using it strategically, not singularly.
“If we had to prioritise just one, Instagram would still be our top choice… That said, Reddit plays a crucial complementary role. It allows us to build deeper, more meaningful connections,” says one founder of a sexual wellness brand. It may never replace Meta — but in a world where taboos still rule, Reddit offers something rare: a place where honesty doesn’t get shadowbanned.