Page 31 - AVN Intimate Summer 2019

Making a Splash
Rob Novinger of the adult boutique Chi Chi
LaRue’s and pleasure product manufacturer
Boneyard Toys knows a lot about catering to
the male consumer. For the past decade he’s
been involved with the operation of the West
Hollywood boutique named after famed director
LaRue.
“Obviously, Michael Trigg changed the lube
industry for men by coming out with Wet,”
Novinger recalled. Trigg’s company debuted
in 1989, and Novinger says that the products
became very popular in the gay community. “I
remember when I was 20 years old, every gay
guy got it.”
Particularly in the United States, Wet became
a dominant brand quickly. “They did market to
gays,” Novinger said. “They were at Pride; they
hosted gay events. That was super innovative at
the time. What a great idea!”
Another milestone was Eros, a silicone lube
formulated in Germany in 1994. The following
year saw the arrival of the pjur name—and
more than 20 years later, CEO Alexander Giebel
still runs the company out of its headquarters
in Luxembourg. The products are widely
distributed in the United States by Pjur Group
USA, including seven SKUs in the pjur Man line:
silicone and water-based formulas, including two
specifically for anal sex, and specialty formulas
one laced with ginkgo and ginseng, and another
with paprika and menthol.
“I am enthusiastic and
applaud the efforts that are being made to be more inclusive of various
niches within the market.”
—Dennis Paradise, Paradise Marketing
“We try to stock pretty much every lube at
the store,” Novinger said. “Not that they all sell
the same, but it makes people feel like you’re
the authority.” In that spirit, Chi Chi’s offers all
the biggest brands—Astroglide, ID Lubricants,
Intimate Earth, pjur, Sliquid, System JO, Swiss
Navy, Uberlube, Wet and Wicked Sensual Care—
as well as some brands with a specific focus on
male consumers, including Boy Butter, Elbow
Grease, Gun Oil and J-Lube.
Also on the list is a product designed by
Boneyard Toys: the “O” Award-winning Snake
Cum Lube. “It just continues to sell really well
for us. I think the packaging is pretty unique.
People think it’s clever and cool-looking and that
helps it more than anything,” Novinger said.
Repping the Brands Top, Pjur CEO Alexander Giebel at the Adult Novelty Manufacturers Expo (ANME). Other regulars at the show include Dennis
Paradise of Paradise Marketing (right) and Buck Angel (left, at the Perfect Fit booth at ANME), who inspired Sliquid’s T-Lube for trans men.
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