Brett Heyman On Flower By Edie Parker’s Move Into Sexual Wellness

CBD is booming business; amidst the heightened stress of the past year, people can’t get enough of cannabidiol in all forms. The breakout and anxiety-relieving benefits of CBD specifically have catapulted cannabis products into the mainstream—by 2025, the CBD skincare market is estimated to reach a value of $1.7 billion, according to Grand View Research. But the de-stigmatization of cannabis remains dependent on viewing it through a health and wellness lens; few brands embrace the act of getting high.

“Yes, there are lots of health and wellness benefits [to cannabis] but people talk about that already,” Brett Heyman, the founder of cannabis accessory line Flower by Edie Parker, tells Forbes. “Our brand headline is ‘for a good time;’ there is no shame in wanting to get high.” Since launching in 2019, Flower by Edie Parker has been redefining cannabis use by designing eye-catching accessories meant to be proudly displayed.  

Heyman wants people to enjoy themselves; it’s been the overarching theme of parent company Edie Parker for the past 11 years. Whether it’s their signature acrylic bags, chic home collection or colorful cannabis accoutrements, Edie Parker remains innovative by being boldly self-indulgent. It comes as no surprise then, that Flower by Edie Parker is extending their “for a good time” approach with a new line of CBD sexual wellness topicals, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The movement into sexual wellness feels like a natural next step for Flower by Edie Parker, given the brand’s promotion of unapologetic pleasure. “You are allowed to enjoy yourself, you are allowed to wear the colorful bag with your name on it, you are allowed to get high, you are allowed to have sex with yourself or someone else, have at it. Especially now, what are we waiting for? Life is so dark,” Heyman tells Forbes.

While these dark times may be sparking cannabis curiosity, Heyman thinks there remains a heavy stigma. “People are still afraid of cannabis. But there are so many things cannabis is good for,” Heyman tells Forbes. “Cannabis a pain-killer, it’s non-addictive; it’s a plant that’s been used as a medicine for hundreds of years.” But the benefits, for Heyman, don’t stop at CBD. She finds pleasure in simply getting high, “Cannabis is a study in sensations. You take a walk outside, the colors are better, the wind feels better, anybody touching you feels better. It just makes things feel better.”

That pleasure naturally extends into the bedroom. “I mean, com’on. Cannabis makes sex better, period, full-stop. There is no debate on that,” Heyman laughs. The brand’s experience redefining cannabis use makes Heyman optimistic they can do the same with female sexual pleasure. “I hope we can help with the de-stigmatization of cannabis use and sexual wellness, because for us they go hand-in-hand,” says Heyman. “Allowing yourself to have pleasure; allowing yourself to want to get high and have sex, there’s no shame in that.”

In an increasingly sex-positive beauty industry, the—what Heyman likes to call—“mainstreamification” of female pleasure may be less of an uphill battle for Flower by Edie than it’s been with cannabis, “I think there is less of a stigma around women’s sexual wellness than there is around cannabis use,” she says. The founder is encouraged to see women embracing pleasure in the form of sex, “This new focus on female pleasure and sex positivity is fantastic. We really deserve it. It is about time.”

Delivered in bright, feel-good packaging, Flower by Edie Parker’s new topicals are all about maximizing pleasure. The CBD Hot Pot Body Salve is an herbal blend of CBD, jojoba and sunflower oil that eases sore muscles while keeping skin soft. The Sleepover Spray—what Heyman refers to as a “passion potion”— is made with 250mg of CBD and hyaluronic acid to help with lubrication.

The trio is rounded out with the CBD Super Bloom Tincture. Frustrated with the “strong plant taste” of many CBD tinctures, Heyman purposely designed this formula, which contains a generous 1400mg of CBD, to be flavorless. “You can put it in your coffee in the morning, in your cocktail at night—we wanted CBD to compliment how we use cannabis currently,” says Heyman.

How will these topicals stand out in an already-saturated CBD market? “The difference is we are a female-founded, female-run brand that developed something we wanted ourselves,” Heyman says. Whether creating a companion to her cocktail or bedtime routine, Heyman always asks, “What will we use? What do we want to display and be proud of?” Perhaps it’s this personal investment in everything she makes, that has made Edie Parker such a success; the designer is genuinely interested in created products that she—and by extension her customers—want and need. 

Heyman’s perceptiveness isn’t surprising given her roots in fashion, an industry that is all about anticipating consumer interests. “Fashion, at its best, is a marker of what’s happening in the world. For cannabis and sexual wellness, this is the direction we’re heading in,” says the designer who, prior to launching Edie Parker, held senior positions at Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana. “Like fashion, there is a forwardness with the trend and a sense of community building up around it.”

Always taking cues from her own values as a consumer, Heyman has become increasingly concerned with the transparency of brands she buys from and intends to apply that same ethos to Edie Parker. “Everything we do—whether it’s handbags, home, cannabis—we work in small-batch with skilled artisans, we care about paying people a living wage,” says Heyman. But the founder expresses a desire to do better. “When we started Edie Parker, it was a different time. There was always a bag where 100% of sales went to an organization, but it wasn’t something I talked about all the time.”

Flower by Edie Parker has given Heyman the opportunity to find inspiration in the cannabis community, where she says “there is such a sense of activism and community. Everybody cares about transparency, sustainability, criminal justice in such a real, big way.” With a sense that “the tide is shifting,” Heyman wants to become even more committed to social change. “With cannabis, it’s a chance to do it over, to really talk about the things that are important to us and the community. We’re going to try to make sure all of our customers, across both channels, really understand who we’re supporting and why we’re supporting them.”

At first glance, Flower by Edie Parker’s vibrant, light-hearted aesthetic make it easy to dismiss the brand as simply being all about “letting the good times roll.” But amidst a wellness market that preferences the health benefits of CBD over the enjoyment of getting high and a beauty industry that is only just starting to promote female sexual wellness, Flower by Edie Parker’s unapologetic embrace of pleasure feels revolutionary.