Jiwon Park

Updated March 2024

Discussing female sexuality remains taboo in South Korea’s conservative culture

In South Korea, many people avoid discussions of sexual wellness and female sexuality, leading to consequences such as high rates of unprotected sex, which leaves women vulnerable to STIs and unintended pregnancies.

“Female sexuality is a taboo subject in Korea,” says Jiwon Park, founder and CEO of SAIB & Co., a new brand for sexual wellness products. “Women become sexually active without knowing how to properly protect their bodies and use contraceptives. It’s not a topic you discuss at home or are taught at school. The culture is still very conservative and patriarchal.”

Furthermore, marketing for contraceptives skews toward male consumers with hypersexualized imagery and messaging. One survey found that two-thirds of women would buy more contraceptive products if the packaging were more discreet.

A new sexual wellness brand empowers women to take charge of their reproductive health

A branding and design expert, Jiwon was teaching at The University of Texas at Austin when she noticed that her American students were much more knowledgeable about sexual health than their Korean peers. “That was when I realized that not knowing about sex isn’t something to be proud of,” she says.

She was also surprised to discover that most packaging for condoms and lubricants lack ingredient lists, even though such disclosures are required by regulations for cosmetics.

Jiwon made it her goal to challenge attitudes toward women’s sexuality and help women take charge of their sexual and reproductive health. In 2018, she launched the sexual wellness brand SAIB & Co., which offers toxin-free, female-friendly contraceptives and intimate hygiene products in portable, discreet packaging. The brand’s name flips the word “bias,” signaling the company’s mission to overturn negative gender-based biases.

At the beginning, Jiwon received pushback. “People told me not to start the business,” she says. “They said it would fail because there was no market.”

Undaunted, she and the SAIB & Co. team worked hard to raise awareness about the importance of contraception and sexual health. “For two years, we focused on educating our audience,” she says. “Then sales started to take off.”

Toxin-free, female-friendly products are starting new conversations

SAIB & Co. products feature organic ingredients that do not contain the carcinogens and chemical additives found in most brands. The company has sold more than two million products worldwide, and more than 10,000 retail stores carry their products. SAIB & Co. has won 16 international design awards and devotes 10 percent of its sales profits to various campaigns promoting safe sex, gender equality, and female empowerment.

“We literally brought women into the market, and we’re proud of that,” Jiwon says. “Now I even see some Gen-X moms buying our products for their daughters to start the conversation about the importance of safe sex.”

SAIB & Co. is working to expand globally, including in the United States, as well as to broaden its offerings to cover the female life cycle. “Women continuously face diverse biases and stigmas regarding their bodies and health conditions throughout their lives. Our goal is to challenge all the biases women face along the way without shame or stigma.”