Inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, Sephora joins Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom in selling sex toys

• Sephora, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's are now selling sex toys.
• Previously, sexual wellness products weren't typically sold at mainstream retailers.

Sex toys are now available at more mainstream stores.

This month, US beauty giant Sephora joined a growing list of retailers to cash in on the sexual wellness boom by selling vibrators and lubricants on its online store.

Sephora followed the lead of department store chains Nordstrom and Macy's-owned Bloomingdales, which started offering sexual wellness products to its customers earlier this year.

The sexual wellness market is growing at a rapid rate, aided by a surge in sales during the pandemic, which experts put down to lockdown boredom. According to data from market research company Global Industry Analysts, the global market for Sex Toys is estimated to reach $54.6 billion by 2026, up from $35.1 billion in 2020.

Attitudes toward these products have also become less conservative, insiders say, aided by brands such as Gwyenth Paltrow's Goop, which have stripped away taboos around these products and are helping to boost sales elsewhere.

Elizabeth Miller, who runs the cosmetics side Bloomingdale's, said Goop's work is a big reason why the store felt comfortable selling these items.

"Seeing Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop take the lead in this category made it feel brand right for us, so I give her a lot of credit," Miller said in a recent conversation with The New York Times. "Obviously, we reviewed it internally with management to make sure everyone felt comfortable, but the performance has been very strong."

Currently, these products are mostly sold online by these retailers. According to The Times, Nordstrom sold vibrators and other sexual wellness items at 10 of its pop-up shops in 2021.