BUSINESS THREADS

HerTurn claims to be “the first product for women to create sexual desire in under four minutes.” Obviously there are plenty of vibrators out there capable of providing sexual satisfaction in a matter of minutes.BUSINESS THREADS

HerTurn claims to be “the first product for women to create sexual desire in under four minutes.” Obviously there are plenty of vibrators out there capable of providing sexual satisfaction in a matter of minutes. But regardless, the promise of a “4 Minute Miracle” is awfully tempting to a lot of women out there… as well as to many men who would like their female partners to climax more quickly.

HerTurn is a part of a larger group whose holdings include the Global Wellness Center, WellnessValue.com, and Kwikmed.com (which claims to be the web’s #1 source for the original Viagra for the third year in a row). The HerTurn cream has many of the same ingredients as Viacreme, namely L-Arginine (an amino acid that may stimulate clitoral tissue, which may result in increased blood flow and ultimately result in sexual arousal). Interestingly, it also includes L-Histidine, another amino acid that may be responsible for mental focus and concentration. However, HerTurn also claims that when L-Histidine is converted to histimine it becomes a vasodialator (the substance that increases blood flow to the genital area). This should result in the triggering of an orgasm.

Of course, HerTurn also includes menthol (the same ingredient found in all of the other clitoral creams), which may be more responsible for the tingling sensation they all promise you’ll experience than any of the other ingredients. Again, think of a diluted version of Ben Gay. The HerTurn website states that the cream is “natural, topically applied, physician developed, clinically tested, causes no secondary effects, and no prescription is needed.” However, they do not offer specifics as to what physician developed it and what they mean by clinically tested.

According to their website, the tingling sensation usually occurs in under four minutes after the application of the cream directly to the clitoris. HerTurn says that this sensation signifies that it’s “working,” but it could just be the fact that you’re applying menthol to your clitoris. Anyway, they say arousal should last between 15 to 30 minutes. Of course what they mean by arousal may be sketchy. Does that mean that someone is experiencing a full arousal or just the physical sensation of the menthol in the cream? Is it just a physiological experience or as is inferred, there’s a mental component as well?

My personal experience with HerTurn was similar to that of the Viacreme. Although, this time there seemed to be more of a cooling effect and less of an initial stinging sensation. I used it several times. Each time seemed to involve the same effects – no progressive improvement as it indicated there might be. I also found it interesting that HerTurn doesn’t promise any improvement in orgasmic response as some of the other creams do. I don’t know if perhaps that’s because it’s different from the other creams so it doesn’t focus on the orgasm issue, or that it’s pretty much the same as the others except just more honest about it’s effectiveness.

HerTurn currently sells the cream in tubes of 60 applications. A single tube can run between $60-$90, depending on the specials being offered at the time. The packaging is fairly attractive and contains the product and instructions for use. Interestingly, the website and packaging are full of images of attractive “younger” women in their twenties and thirties. Which makes me wonder whom HerTurn is targeting. They have positioned the cream as the female alternative to Viagra, which targets older men with erection problems. There doesn’t seem to be much representation of older women in their materials. Does their market research indicate that older women wouldn’t be interested in such a product? Perhaps the product doesn’t work as well on mature women? Or maybe there isn’t as much money to be made in that market? Unfortunately, a HerTurn representative couldn’t be reached in time for this article to address these issues.

The packing is attractive and discreet. It includes consistent instructions on the use of the product. The cream is currently not available in sample packs (as Viacreme is). Therefore, you wouldn’t be able to try the cream without committing to spending $60-90 first. Luckily, they do offer a 30-day money back guarantee. Most customer service issues are handled through the website and less noticeably they offer a phone number as well.

Etailers may choose to join the HerTurn affiliate program. You can sign up easily on their site (herturn.org). They then e-mail you a link-code to begin generating sales. However, they also offer a storefront you can use if you don’t yet have a website. The affiliate program is two-tier. If you recruit other webmasters you qualify for one third of every commission check they generate. There is no limit to the number of sub-affiliates you can sign up for. HerTurn promises that if you make 5 sales a day, your referral fee would be $3,000 per month. Your pay out per sale from your own site is $15 per order; while you make $5 on orders made by your sub-affiliates. Many Etailers may prefer this traditional affiliate model versus Viacreme’s distributorship model.

When it comes down to it, I wouldn’t rely upon this product to increase my sexual desire. The sensation, like Viacreme, was interesting but not as initially unpleasant. I may choose to become an affiliate but would be sure to advise my users of the wide range of responses associated with these creams. I would also consider positioning the product on my site as more of a sexual enhancer versus a “medical” product designed to treat female sexual function issues. However, just the fact that these products exist and are represented on various websites bolsters the belief that female sexuality is just as important an issue as is erection difficulties in men. This reason alone may be good enough to become a HerTurn affiliate.

If you’re interested in becoming a HerTurn affiliate you can sign up at: http://www.herturn.org or call 866-443-7887.

Sexologist Dr. Kathleen Van Kirk, is also a Marriage and Family Therapist and serves as the VP and Director of Content for the progressive women’s sexuality site www.libida.com. You can reach her at kathleen@libida.com for any questions or comments.