In our heart of hearts, Lioness is so much more than just a sex toy company. We’re a sexual health and wellness company. We seek to empower people—especially those with vulvas—to learn their bodies, own their pleasure, and truly take care of themselves.
To continue our efforts to do just that, we’ve partnered with Riley House, a Korean wellness brand company that aims to integrate an overall healthy lifestyle as part of sexual wellness. They’re incorporating Korean beauty methods and ingredients to your health down there and everywhere on your body.
Introducing the Ready for Intimacy Moisturizer, an exceptional intimate moisturizer that’s unlike anything else on the market, which you can buy right here at Lioness for the first time in the United States!
But first, let’s get to know Riley House a bit better:
Q: Why did you start Riley House?
A: We [founders Grace and Mina] met at a K-Beauty distributing startup in 2017 when K-Beauty was at its peak. New brands, beauty tips, and tricks were popping up left and right, but we noticed that its core message was gradually fading away.
Growing up in Korea, we learned that K-Beauty was not a one-size-fits-all approach, but a holistic ritual created by using products that complemented. Even the 10 Step Skincare method is not only a simple act of layering your favorite products. It’s a practice of being mindful of your skin, finding what feels good to you and your body. Enjoying every step of the process will not only have an effect on your skin but also your mood.
We were motivated to bring back the real K-Beauty philosophy, so we went back in time to remember where we first learned about K-Beauty: our mothers. We realized it started in the public bathhouse.
The body care rituals in Korean public bathhouses were all dedicated to support women’s intimate wellness; mugwort infused baths to boost circulation, exfoliating with a scrub towel to remove dead skin and attain softness, drinking persimmon vinegar for detoxification, menstrual health, and glowing looking skin— the list goes on.
Riley House is built upon long-held beauty rituals passed down through generations in Korea and we’re here to provide you with nourishing products and informative content to support your intimate well-being.
Q: Is there any meaning behind the “Riley House” name?
A: Riley has many meanings. In the real world of definitions, it can mean “to have a carefree existence,” which we like to think of as our brand’s soul as intimate wellness is a journey of finding what feels good to you). It comes from the Irish word to be “brave,” which is what we represent. We encourage people to be more open about intimate wellness and sexual health. Riley is also a unisex name, which supports our belief that gender is fluid and always equal.
We embody all of these definitions at Riley House —a place where humans can come in with all their vulnerability revealed and be certain their bodies will encounter self-awareness and obtain self-intimacy through our knowledge, products, and care.
Q: What makes the Riley House moisturizer great?
A: We use a more intensive, moisturizing ingredient versus anything else on the market: “Prickly Pear Cactus”. Don’t let the word “prickly” fool you — we’re only using the extract from the plant!
When it comes to water-based lubes, Aloe Vera is the most popular and commonly used ingredient because it’s oil-free, applicable with latex condoms, and slides on smoothly. Aloe Vera does make a great lube but it surely has its cons: dries out quickly especially during foreplay which requires multiple reapplications and the coolness can feel like a sting to some.
A body of research conducted in Korea shows that the Prickly Pear Cactus Extract is a rich antioxidant because it has 5x more Vitamin C and 2x more polyphenol than Aloe Vera. Also, the mucin in Prickly Pear Cactus is much more intense which helps create a longer-lasting texture. The ingredient can also help improve wound healing and inhibits inflammation thanks to “mannose’” which is also one of the major substances in Aloe Vera but the Prickly Pear Cactus has 33% more active properties.
We also did not add glycerin (a metabolic byproduct of sugar) to our Moisturizer because it can lead to bacterial growth and ultimately result in yeast infections and UTIs. However, if you are looking for a lubricant for oral sex, glycerin acts as a sweetener that can enhance sexual activity, When it comes to lubes, choose the right ones thoroughly.
Q: What are the Korean ingredients, and what makes them special?
A: As our brand evangelizes Eastern Wellness, we try to include ingredients that have been passed down from centuries in Korea.
For our moisturizer, the ‘IT’ ingredient is Prickly Pear Cactus. The cactus is native to Jeju Island, which is the largest island in South Korea and one of the most popular tourist destinations. Jeju island natives would call the plant “100-Year-Old Cactus” in Korean because it is said that it can cure 100 kinds of diseases, such as atopic skin diseases, asthma, stomach pain, diabetes, and especially OB/GYN diseases.
As body temperature is one of the standards of women’s sexual health in Korea, Prickly Pear can help stimulate circulation to warm cold hands and feet, regulate the menstrual system, and can help ease menopausal symptoms. We added 91.36% of organic Prickly Pear Cactus Extract not only to highlight our heritage but also to provide a new experience than other water-based gels.
Another ingredient is organic Sea Kelp Extract. This ingredient is now commonly seen among many K-Beauty skincare products because of its deeply moisturizing properties, so we added Sea Kelp to make the product more long-lasting and to enhance the silky texture. As it is also plant-based mucin, this ingredient is suitable for sensitive skin—especially those who have extremely sensitive skin down there.
A small portion of the product is formulated with Lactobacillus, which is a vaginal microbiota that helps maintain a healthy human vagina. Lactobacillus can be extracted from various plants, but we chose to use the Lotus Flower to honor its symbolism in Korean culture. The lotus flowers symbolizes creation, birth, livability, and reproduction and we thought that this aligns with our brand’s identity.
Q: Can you use the moisturizer after waxing or shaving?
A: We all know that it’s super important to use post waxing products to calm irritated skin for maximum comfort and benefit. Many people like to use pure Aloe Vera Gel or mix it up with other ingredients to reduce redness but you can also use Riley House Moisturizer to rehydrate sensitive skin and to soothe any distort from waxing for shaving. As mentioned earlier, Prickly Pear Cactus is formulated with ‘mannose’ which can help the healing power of wounds and inflammation.
Just apply a few pumps to the legs, arm, armpits, vulva, and anywhere else you desire and massage gently to let the product absorb into the skin.
Q: Can someone with sensitive skin use the moisturizer?
A: Ready for Intimacy Moisturizer is free from any harmful additives, which means the product is suitable for sensitive or problematic skin.
One of the biggest misconceptions in the beauty industry is that “organic” labels automatically mean that the product is “clean” and “safe.”
Our moisturizer is also organic, but our formula is also stable. The product is made under the COSMOS-standard for being natural and organic, and it meets all the criteria of BDIH Certified Natural Cosmetics. These two organizations are well known for their strict and high standards of certification.
Q: Can someone with a penis use moisturizer?
A: Not only will Riley House Moisturizer help increase pleasure and heighten arousal for humans with vaginas, but also humans WITHOUT a vagina.
The silky texture can help support a longer erection as it prevents damage to the delicate tissues of the penis. Riley House is also for all ages, especially those who are older that are more prone to face challenges in arousal. Applying a few pumps directly onto the head of the penis can change the entire game!
Q: Any other tips you can offer?
A: Ready For Intimacy Moisturizer is a multi-purpose moisturizer that can be used other than a lubricant. It is also designed to be used as a massage gel specifically for lymphatic drainage around the bikini (or groin) area. This area plays an important role because it connects the upper and lower body. Since most of us remain sitting for long periods of time, fluids are prevented from flowing properly which can cause chronic swelling. If you deal with chronic swelling in your abdomen, groin, hips, genital area, and legs, doing self-massage can help move extra fluid to let the clean blood circulate properly.
Lymphatic Drainage Massage
For self-lymphatic massage, start by applying a generous amount in the groin area. Lightly massage the abdominal and pelvis using circular motions starting at the belly button, then working your way outward. Move down to the bikini or groin area with light pressure using fingers and palms, and brush upwards towards the abdomen. We recommend repeating this for at least 10 minutes for lymph drainage.
*Light pressure is enough for lymph massage because the lymphatic system is close to the surface of the skin.
Vaginal Moisturizer
Another way to use the moisturizer is using it as a vaginal moisturizer. The vaginal skin is as super thin as the skin around the eyes so it can easily become dry and more delicate than the other parts of the body. Use Ready for Intimacy Moisturizer in order to prevent dryness which can lead to discomfort not only during sexual activities but during sports or other physical activity, and can increase the risk of infections.
To prevent dryness, simply add a small amount of Ready For Intimacy Moisturizer after taking a shower or bath directly onto the vulva or vagina as often as needed.
The Riley Regimen
As we are rooted in the K-beauty philosophy where products complement each other creating a regimen, we also take the same approach to intimate body care. Our three components to holistic intimate care are bath/steam, cleanse, and hydrate/glide. When used together, you can maximize the results.
Though we are launching Ready For Intimacy Moisturizer, a product that goes well with the Lioness Smart Vibrator, we have a total of three product lineups: Time To Wellness Body Wash, which is a whole-body wash for your intimate areas, and Female Wellness Mugwort Bath Soak that is a bath soak, yoni steaming herb and sitz bath herb, hat you can mix and match to maximize the outcome.
