Pure Romance
Pure Romance is an American sexual-wellness company that sells intimate products, personal lubricants, body-care items, and related cosmetics.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Pure Romance is an American sexual-wellness company founded by Patty Brisben in Loveland, Ohio, in 1993. The business originally operated under the name Slumber Parties and built its sales model around hosted gatherings in private homes. Contract sales representatives presented sexual-wellness products, including intimate devices, lotions, and massage oils, to consumers in a social and educational setting. This approach positioned the company between direct selling, relationship marketing, and personal-wellness retail. The company remained relatively small during its early years. By 2000, it reportedly had six full-time employees and annual sales below $2 million. Brisben's son, Chris Cicchinelli, joined the business that year and encouraged expansion beyond its initial local base. Under this broader strategy, the company entered additional American markets, including St. Louis, Missouri. By 2003, it reported $30 million in sales, approximately 3,500 consultants, and activity in 46 U.S. states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company adopted the Pure Romance name in 2003, giving the business a brand identity more directly associated with intimacy, relationships, and sexual wellness. Pure Romance expanded internationally during the 2010s, entering South Africa and Australia in 2011. Cicchinelli became president and chief executive officer in 2012, while Brisben continued as chair. At that point, the company described itself as having approximately $100 million in annual sales and 75,000 consultants. Its growth coincided with increased mainstream attention to erotic fiction and sexual-wellness products, including the cultural impact of the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. The company moved its headquarters to downtown Cincinnati in February 2014. It also pursued consolidation within the direct-selling sector. In 2014, it acquired a separate Louisiana-based business that also used the Slumber Parties name and sold a related product range. In 2016, Pure Romance acquired Passion Parties, another direct-selling company focused on intimate products, helping extend its reach into Canada. The company was also among direct-selling businesses that reached an arrangement with Hawaii's Department of Taxation in 2016 concerning general excise licensing and tax collection for independent sellers. Pure Romance reported sales of approximately $217.92 million in 2017 and $237 million in 2018, alongside a consultant network reported at more than 30,000 people in 2017. These figures were associated with the company's former multi-level-marketing structure, in which independent consultants sold products and could participate in compensation arrangements connected to sales activity and team development. The direct-selling model attracted criticism, particularly from commentators who argued that many participants in multi-level-marketing organizations earn little or lose money after expenses. Pure Romance was also criticized for its outreach to U.S. military spouses, a group that can face employment barriers caused by frequent relocations. In May 2023, the company announced that it was ending its multi-level-marketing model and transitioning to a fully direct-to-consumer business. The change marked a major strategic shift from consultant-led home parties toward centralized online and other consumer-direct sales channels.
History
Patty Brisben established the company in Loveland, Ohio, in 1993. Originally called Slumber Parties, it used contract salespeople to organize at-home presentations of sexual-wellness products. The format enabled customers to purchase intimate devices, lotions, and massage oils in a private social environment, while consultants could operate with comparatively flexible schedules. The business was still modest in 2000, when it reportedly employed six full-time workers and generated less than $2 million in annual sales. That year, Brisben's son Chris Cicchinelli joined the company and promoted geographic expansion. The company moved beyond its original local market and developed a larger U.S. consultant network. By 2003, it reported $30 million in sales, approximately 3,500 consultants, and activity across 46 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It also changed its name from Slumber Parties to Pure Romance. International growth followed in 2011, when the company expanded into South Africa and Australia. In 2012, Cicchinelli became president and CEO, with Brisben remaining chair. The company reported approximately $100 million in annual sales and 75,000 consultants at that stage. Wider public interest in sexual-wellness products, including interest associated with the Fifty Shades of Grey publishing phenomenon, provided a favorable cultural environment for the category. Pure Romance relocated its headquarters to downtown Cincinnati in February 2014. It then acquired businesses with similar products and sales structures. A separate Slumber Parties operation based in Baton Rouge was purchased in 2014. In 2016, the company purchased Passion Parties, another multi-level-marketing business, and expanded its reach into Canada. The same year, Pure Romance participated in a Hawaii Department of Taxation arrangement under which a single general excise license could cover the company and the tax-collection role it performed for direct sellers. The company reported approximately $217.92 million in sales in 2017 and $237 million in 2018. Its consultant count was reported as more than 30,000 in 2017. The business model attracted criticism common to multi-level marketing, including claims that most participants earn little or lose money after costs. Pure Romance was specifically criticized for recruiting or targeting military spouses, who may find conventional employment difficult because of frequent relocations. In May 2023, Pure Romance announced a fundamental change in its commercial model. It said it would leave multi-level marketing and operate as a 100% direct-to-consumer business. This transition shifted emphasis away from independent consultants and home-party selling toward company-controlled consumer-direct distribution. The brand remains active as a sexual-wellness seller, although current leadership, ownership details, and the full implementation of its post-2023 structure are not established by the supplied sources.
- 2023
Transition to direct-to-consumer commerce
[2]Pure Romance announced that it would discontinue its multi-level-marketing model and become fully direct to consumer.
- 2016
Acquisition of Passion Parties
[1]The acquisition expanded Pure Romance's related product and consultant network, including into Canada.
- 2014
Headquarters move to Cincinnati
[1]The company moved its headquarters to downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.
- 2014
Acquisition of a Slumber Parties business
[1]Pure Romance acquired a Baton Rouge-based direct-selling company with a similar name and product range.
- 2012
Cicchinelli becomes president and CEO
[1]Chris Cicchinelli assumed the president and CEO role while Patty Brisben remained chair.
- 2011
International expansion
[1]Pure Romance expanded into South Africa and Australia.
- 2003
Business adopts the Pure Romance name
[1]The company was renamed Pure Romance after reporting substantial growth in sales, consultants, and U.S. geographic coverage.
- 2000
Chris Cicchinelli joins the business
[1]Brisben's son joined the company and encouraged expansion beyond its initial local market.
- 1993
Company founded as Slumber Parties
[1]Patty Brisben founded the business in Loveland, Ohio, using at-home parties to sell intimate and body-care products.
Products and positioning
A consumer sexual-wellness brand combining intimate products with relationship-oriented education and, historically, consultant-led social selling. Since 2023, the company has positioned itself for a direct-to-consumer operating model.
Sexual wellness · 1993
Intimate products
The company's core range consists of sexual-wellness products, including intimate devices and related products intended for individual and partnered use. Historically, these products were introduced through consultant presentations and private home gatherings; the company later announced a shift toward direct-to-consumer distribution.
Personal care · 1993
Lubricants and massage products
Pure Romance has sold personal lubricants, massage oils, lotions, and similar products alongside its intimate devices. These items broaden the brand beyond hardware and support its positioning around sexual wellness, intimacy, and relationship-oriented self-care.
Beauty and body care
Cosmetic and body-care products
The company's product scope includes cosmetic and body-care items connected to intimacy and personal wellness. Specific current formulations and product names are not identified in the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
2023
End of the multi-level-marketing modelStrategyBackground
Pure Romance had historically relied on independent consultants and at-home parties to distribute sexual-wellness products. The model had attracted criticism regarding participant earnings and the recruitment of military spouses.
Action taken
The company announced that it would become a 100% direct-to-consumer business, moving away from multi-level marketing.
Aftermath
The announcement represented a structural shift toward company-controlled consumer-direct sales. The supplied sources do not establish the full operational outcome or current management structure.
2016
Acquisition of Passion PartiesM&ABackground
Passion Parties operated in a related intimate-products and direct-selling category.
Action taken
Pure Romance acquired Passion Parties, expanding its business into the Canadian market.
Aftermath
The transaction increased Pure Romance's presence in the sexual-wellness direct-selling sector.
Recent events
- 2023
Pure Romance announces transition away from multi-level marketing[2]
Other
Pure Romance announced that it would move from its consultant-based multi-level-marketing structure to a fully direct-to-consumer business.
- 2016
Pure Romance acquires Passion Parties[1]
M&A
Pure Romance acquired Passion Parties, another direct-selling company in the intimate-products category, expanding its presence into Canada.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/pure-romance · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled