Smile Makers Collection is expanding its mission from pleasure to pelvic health with the launch of Pelvic Partner — a friendly, intuitive tool designed to bring clarity to an overlooked part of the body. In this conversation, Head of Brand Samantha Marshall discusses why pelvic care matters, how the device was developed, and the broader shift happening in women’s health today.
Smile Makers Collection is known for breaking taboos around female pleasure. What inspired the brand to expand into pelvic health, and how did Pelvic Partner come to life?
Pelvic health comes up in our conversations naturally. Not just because pleasure can support the pelvic floor through the contractions that happen during orgasm, but because pelvic health is woven into so many parts of our lives. Motherhood, perimenopause, menopause, discomfort during sex; it all circles back to the pelvic floor.
When we started speaking to experts and our community, one thing became very clear: there’s so little awareness, almost no open conversation, and very few accessible, affordable tools that help us understand and connect with this part of our anatomy. Most people only think about their pelvic floor when something goes wrong, and even then, the solutions can feel clinical, overwhelming, or out of reach.
We believe pelvic health is part of whole-body health; something to tune into throughout life, not only during specific chapters like birth or menopause. So, we wanted to do for pelvic health what we’ve done for pleasure: bring it into the light, make it approachable, and shift the focus from fixing issues after they appear to proactively caring for this essential part of our wellbeing.
That intention is what sparked Pelvic Partner – a tool that feels intuitive, friendly, and genuinely helpful for anyone wanting to understand their pelvic floor better.
Pelvic floor care is often overlooked or seen as clinical. How did you approach creating a product that feels approachable and stigma-free?
We started by stripping away everything that makes pelvic health feel intimidating. No medical jargon. No apps or gimmicky features that add overwhelm. No data tracking.
Instead, we focused on applying the Smile Makers DNA: a soft, supple touch, bright colours, and a design that encourages curiosity. If pleasure products can be joyful, there’s no reason pelvic care can’t be. We put a lot of thought into making Pelvic Partner warm, reassuring, and friendly – more like a companion than a device.
The device was developed over two years and eight design iterations. What were the biggest design or engineering challenges you faced?
One of the biggest challenges was getting the balance right between simplicity and meaningful feedback. We wanted Pelvic Partner to be incredibly easy and intuitive to use, but also genuinely insightful. Not a gadget with endless modes or data, but something that gives you a real sense of connection to your pelvic floor.
Finding the right way to use our squeeze sensors was also a journey. We’re using haptic technology as the feedback loop for squeezing and relaxing the pelvic floor, and sensor placement was crucial. After several rounds with testers, a first-of-its-kind 360 wraparound squeeze sensor is what felt the most responsive and intuitive.
Research shows that one in three women experience pelvic floor issues, yet most have never received proper education. How can brands like Smile Makers Collection help close that knowledge gap?
By making the conversation feel normal and accessible. Not niche. Not clinical. Not something you only learn about when you have a problem.
When brands open the door with approachable language and tools that feel easy to use, it signals that pelvic health isn’t something to whisper about. And when we share bite-sized, curious information — the “did you know?” moments – people actually want to learn more. It makes education feel like an invitation, not a lecture.
As Head of Brand, how do you balance playfulness and credibility when communicating about intimate wellness?
I always say my job is to demystify intimate wellness. When people hear what I do, there’s often a raised eyebrow or a little ooo, as if it’s supposed to be scandalous. But pleasure and sexual wellness are actually very everyday. They don’t need to be a tehe moment.
Smile Makers is joyful and playful, yes – but the heart of what we do is normalising something very human. We’re not here for shock value. You don’t need to be shouting I love sex from the rooftops to talk openly about your body.
We lead with curiosity. Instead of “you should know this,” we prefer “did you know…?” That simple shift removes shame and invites learning. Shame usually comes from old scripts and pop culture moments we grew up with, not from anything we’ve chosen ourselves.
Ironically, by lightening the mood, we’ve helped people take sexual wellness more seriously. We don’t add to the heaviness; we take it away. Whether through retail experiences, products that nod to real fantasies, or even stickers that spark conversations in unexpected places, our goal is to replace the tehe with the aha moment – so people feel informed and seen.
The launch comes at a time when women’s health — from menopause to sexual wellness — is finally getting mainstream attention. What broader shifts are you seeing in the industry?
The menopause conversation has exploded, which makes me so happy. For most of us, menopause was something barely explained, let alone discussed with clarity or care. Now there’s a real push for transparency, symptom literacy, and support.
There’s also a growing understanding of hormones throughout the entire cycle — not just period tracking, but how our energy, appetite, concentration, and even nutrition shifts across the month. Wellness feels like it’s becoming much more holistic.
Another shift is prevention, especially with things like BRCA awareness or early education about the pelvic floor. People are becoming more proactive rather than reactive.
Kickstarter is an interesting launch route for such a personal-care device. What do you hope this community-driven approach will achieve?
Pelvic Partner began with conversations, so launching it through Kickstarter felt like a natural extension of that. It’s a way to debut something in a more open, dialogue-driven space — one where people can ask questions, share their experiences, and be part of shaping the future of pelvic wellbeing.
It’s also a chance to bring our community along for the journey. Pelvic health is often overlooked, so taking a less traditional route helps spotlight the topic in a fresh, people-first way.
Finally, what’s your vision for Smile Makers Collection in 2026 and beyond? How do you see the brand evolving within the wider women’s health and wellbeing space?
Our vision is to continue expanding what intimate wellness means – moving beyond single moments of pleasure into the broader ecosystem of how we understand our bodies. From sexual wellness to pelvic care to everyday routines that support long-term wellbeing.
We want to keep breaking down the barriers that make intimate health feel complicated or hush hush, and instead build a world where these conversations feel as everyday as skincare.
What I still think is missing is a softer approach to “routine.” Wellness can feel quite rigid and exclusive – the 5am club, the perfect morning ritual. But our bodies aren’t designed to operate like that, nor everyday and especially not women’s bodies. I’d love to see routines become more flexible and intuitive.
And of course, we’ll keep creating products that feel genuinely helpful, beautiful, and intuitive- tools that meet people wherever they are in their journey, and help them feel more connected to themselves.
In short: more curiosity, more clarity, more care. And products that make it all feel a little less daunting and a lot more human.
Samantha Marshall is Head of Brand at Smile Makers Collection. The new Pelvic Partner is available for pre-order on Kickstarter HERE, with early bird pledges starting at $34/£25 (50% off RRP). Pelvic Partner will also be available for purchase from www.SmileMakersCollection.comand select retailers in January 2026.
