Every issue, GRAZIA USA highlights Game Changers who inspire, educate, and celebrate individuality, beauty and style. Meet Éva Goicochea, the entrepreneur who is revolutionizing the sexual wellness industry with her brand, maude.
For too long, sexual health has been marginalized in mainstream discussions wellness. However, maude, an innovative brand dedicated to inclusivity, accessibility and education, has emerged as a catalyst for change in an industry long overdue for transformation. Maude’s founder and CEO, Éva Goicochea, envisions sexual wellness as an essential part of overall well-being, embracing a holistic approach to sex and continuously adapting its understanding of intimacy to meet the diverse needs of its community. With the tagline “intimate care for all,” maude now offers a range of products, including sleek vibrators, water-based lubricant, jojoba oil massage candles, mineral bath salt soaks and all-natural arousal support gummies — which are all now available at Sephora, marking a significant step forward.
After studying marketing in New York, Goicochea pursued a career as a legislative aide in healthcare at the California Medical Association before transitioning to ecommerce and brand strategy. In 2017, she combined her skills and embarked on the journey to establish maude. Today, she’s one of only 10 Latinas to have raised over $10 million in venture capital for a consumer goods company.
“For decades, sexual health was excluded from mainstream wellness conversations,” Goicochea tells GRAZIA USA. “Maude aims to foster an inclusive perspective, provide an accessible product range and offer an educational platform. It was developed in response to an industry long overdue for change. Coupled with maude’s holistic approach to sex, which views sexual wellness as integral to overall well-being, the brand’s approach is constantly evolving.”
Building the brand presented Goichochea with challenges, but she recognized the importance of staying the course. “I knew it would be a lengthy process to establish a category-defining company and advocate for positioning the category alongside beauty products in stores,” she says. “I had confidence that maude’s philosophy would resonate with consumers who desired more from this category. I trusted our potential to expand beyond sex essentials and create a diverse range of products, and this trust fueled our strong execution.”
Since entering Sephora, Goicochea believes that maude has “established a new standard, pushing the boundaries of retail for this category and creating modern and evocative in-store experiences.” Reflecting on the past five years, she adds, “We have redefined the concept of intimacy, imagining daily practices as intimate and developing products to support individuals in various aspects of their lives, not just in the bedroom.”
Moving forward, maude aims to venture into the realms of beauty and wellness. “Our presence at Sephora, a major beauty retailer, sets a new benchmark, challenging the limitations of retail for this category and cultivating contemporary and engaging physical buying experiences. We adapt our understanding of intimacy to meet the needs of our community, no matter where the road takes us.”
Read GRAZIA USA’s Summer issue featuring cover star Priyanka Chopra Jonas:
