Meet System Jo, a sexual wellness company making major moves in the industry. The journey of any sexual wellness company is likely complicated (thanks to how much our society likes to shame sex). I’m excited to share how System Jo helped pave the way for the ever-evolving sexual wellness industry. 

System Jo is a sexual wellness company based in California that developed its first product, JO PREMIUM, in 1999. JO PREMIUM was their first-ever lube to hit the market! (Wild, right?!)

The History of System JO

The product began as a private-label product for gynecologists but quickly became highly sought after by consumers. So, in 2003, System JO began meeting consumer demand and was happy to offer its trusted intimacy products for purchase!

Now, the company has grown to produce an incredible variety of lubricants, stimulants, body supplements, hygiene products, and massage oils. This includes a portion of its business, DONA by JO, that invites couples to try new forms of intimacy. To them, it’s not just about creating the products—it’s also about creating products that encourage intimacy, connection, and exploration. 

I had the fantastic opportunity to try out many of these products. I found four types of lube that really showcase System Jo’s attention to detail and variety. These four are their water-based lube, silicone lube, strawberry-flavored lube, and salted caramel lube from their extremely popular Gelato collection! 

Let’s start with their water-based & silicone-based lubes.

In general, we recommend water-based lubes for most activities. However, silicone-based lube is fantastic for play where you need it to last a little longer, with a thicker consistency. A great example of this is anal play!

However, silicone lube doesn’t play well with silicone toys. So if you’re introducing a silicone toy to the mix, we recommend using a water-based lubricant!

Both of JO’s lubes are amazing, high-quality examples of each product type at its purest! 

This brings me to System JO’s Flavored lubricants. Now, usually I’m not a huge fan of flavored lubes for several reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that they often contain glycerin. 

Glycerin is basically sugar and helps flavored lubes taste sweet. However, it can sometimes be irritating, particularly for vulva owners. 

Here’s the thing: Not all Glycerin is created equal. 

System JO uses high-quality, plant-based glycerin that is much less likely to irritate a vagina. However, we still recommend that if you or your partner(s) have sensitive skin or are prone to BV or UTI’s, stick to products without glycerin! 

The wonderful thing about System JO is that not all of their lubes contain glycerin—including their NaturaLove strawberry-flavored lube!!! Which, I’m a huge fan of! 

I’m not a big dessert person, so I definitely liked the strawberry lube over the salted caramel. However, JO’s Gelato collection has a cult following, and I CAN tell you it has some amazingly accurate flavors!! 

The through-line in these four products? Quality & Variety. 

The best thing about this company is that since the beginning, they have been passionate about creating truly quality products. They have always had the intention of encouraging the average ‘jo’ to experiment, learn, and have fun in their sex life. 

Staci Cruse is an account manager, sex educator, and writer at System JO. She has been a fan of the company’s products since she began educating consumers through part-time work at a retail store. 

“JO was my favorite because I knew it was a pharmaceutical company,” says Cruse. “I knew that it was a trusted brand and it was something that I always recommended to the consumers that came into the store.”

After leaving her part-time job, Cruse got a call about a position JO was looking to fill. 

She applied right away and, after about 6 months, was hired as a brand ambassador; 3 years later, Cruse moved up the ranks to her current position as an Account Manager, where she focuses on traveling around the country, leading training sessions, educating JO’s team about products, helping with marketing, and more! 

Cruse explains that what makes System JO so special is their commitment to making products that its consumers can fully trust.

“JO really does just strive to be a company that is concerned with the ingredients and the quality of their products and what people are using inside of their bodies,” says Cruse

She explains that JO creates this trust in many ways but particularly in their dedication to safety;  The company still holds an over-the-counter pharmaceutical license, has an on-staff chemist who creates and test formulas, and holds the most 510(k) certifications than any other company in the sexuality industry—aka almost all of their products are FDA approved (most products in the sex industry are not because the certification is a long, difficult, and expensive process)!  

The company has also created a vast variety of products since first starting with just JO PREMIUM.

“Not everybody is the same, so what works great for one person doesn’t necessarily work amazingly for the other,” says Cruse. 

She explains that one way the company works to add more diverse products is through its goal of providing high-quality products for everyone at an annual summit. 

The entire JO team, spanning not only the country but the world, meets once a year for a roundtable where everyone comes together to brainstorm new products they would like to create in the upcoming year.

Most recently, JO added the “Xtra Silky” line, more flavor options, and Vitamin E & moisturizers to their products. 

Their newest line, Natural Massage Oils, launched in December 2021 and is a brand-new massage line created with essential oils. They are made with natural, vegan ingredients designed to moisturize, rejuvenate, restore, and uplift. They come in Coconut & Lime, Lavender & Tahitian Vanilla, and Peppermint & Eucalyptus.

The next tier of JO’s work and the one Cruse says is their current focus for expansion? Education! 

Cruse says that one of the most essential facets of her job is implementing customer feedback and handling JO’s Satisfaction Guarantee. 

She explains that the company takes customer and retailer feedback very seriously by either implementing a change in product design (she notes that the company recently changed the warming & cool labels because they were difficult to read) or by finding new ways to provide education, such as through its new blog. 

Cruse says that the blog mostly features written work by Dr. Michael Krychman, their in-house *doctor?* but will soon also feature some of her own work. It will be written to give the perspective of a southern woman who wants to help provide better sex education to those who live in areas where talking about sex just doesn’t happen.

“I just kinda throw in my y’alls and just make it fun & easy to read, so you’ll be seeing more of those,” says Cruse, “That’s one thing that we’re hoping to do is kinda open up that channel of communication so people can ask questions or learn a little more without having to ask somebody or having to go into a store & be embarrassed by not knowing something about their body.”

Cruse, her story, and her mission show the hard work and dedication the individuals behind the label have towards creating a better, sex-positive, pleasure-centered space, and System JO itself is an excellent example of a company that has evolved with the sex industry & is truly putting their audience first. 

The ability to provide products for everybody, to provide sex education, & to continue developing products that create intimacy is so special & important. Plus, we love supporting companies at Team RW who are all about making waves in the sexual wellness industry. System JO does just that!

If you want more writing like this, you can browse my posts on mental health and sex.