How Christopher Von Huben is lighting the future of intimacy

Under new ownership and with a decisive move into the product realm, Paradise ushered in the new year by unveiling Body Illumination and reimaginging sensory pleasure.

(Note: This article appears in the February issue of SE Magazine.)

When Christopher Von Huben acquired Paradise Marketing in September 2022, it wasn’t just a business transaction. It was a signal. Across the adult retail landscape, the move raised eyebrows, not because Paradise lacked credibility, but because it had so much of it. For decades, under the stewardship of founder Dennis Paradise, the company had earned its reputation as a dependable distributor of condoms and prophylactics. Von Huben, however, wasn’t interested in preserving a legacy in amber. He saw an opportunity to reframe it, injecting new momentum and ambition to transform Paradise from a trusted supplier into a forward-driving brand intent on shaping the future of sexual wellness.

With a 25-year career rooted in consumer electronics and video game hardware, Von Huben brought with him a design-forward, technology-driven mindset rarely seen in adult product development. Now, with the launch of the Illumination Collection under the newly formed Paradise Pleasure Products, he’s introducing what he calls the world’s first RGB LED–enhanced pleasure product line and with it, an entirely new category of products for adult retailers: Body Illumination.

This isn’t about novelty for novelty’s sake. It’s about rethinking how intimacy looks, feels and is ultimately experienced. Stepping into original product development was a strategic evolution for the company, as it was for someone who considers himself first and foremost an idea man.

“What a lot of people don’t know is that I spent the last 25 years in consumer electronics,” Von Huben explains. “Most of that time was in video game hardware. In that space, I created multiple brands with iconic products, and that’s my passion.”

In gaming, innovation isn’t optional. A player’s hardware lives or dies by differentiation, emotional engagement and visual identity. Von Huben saw an opportunity to apply those same principles to an adult category that, in his view, had grown visually stagnant.

The idea for the Illumination Collection didn’t come from a lab or a whiteboard session. It came from walking a trade show floor. “Most everything looks the same,” he recalls. “The only real differences were color, packaging and price point.”

That observation triggered a memory from his gaming days. Around 2012, LED lighting transformed video game hardware. Suddenly, consoles, keyboards and accessories weren’t just functional, they were expressive, immersive and emotionally engaging. For gamers, console and controller lighting helped shape their identity.

“That’s when it hit me,” he says. “A page straight out of video game hardware.” From that moment, the patent-pending concept behind the Illumination Collection was born.

Lighting the spark

Initially, the idea was deceptively simple: solve the consumer’s buying dilemma of color choice. “What color do I want? That’s one of the biggest decision points in this category,” Von Huben notes. But as prototypes came to life and real interaction began, something unexpected happened. The lighting wasn’t just customizable, it was transformative.

“We recognized an entirely new element that the product created,” he says. “That’s what we call Body Illumination.”

Body Illumination bridges ambient lighting with intimacy. The product doesn’t just touch the body, it quite literally lights it. The glow interacts with skin, movement and environment, creating a visual experience that has never been meaningfully explored in pleasure products. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Illumination Wand. (And we know, the lightsaber jokes nearly write themselves.)

“Wands are a pretty easy product to figure out,” Von Huben says. “They all do the same thing. And there’s been one clear front-runner for over 40 years.” The Illumination Wand doesn’t attempt to reinvent vibration; it redefines interaction. As light moves across the body, it changes how users engage with both the product and each other.

“It creates an entirely new visual experience between the product and the body,” he explains. “That changes everything.” Integrating customizable RGB lighting fundamentally shifts the sensory experience of pleasure. Users can adjust both color and intensity, tailoring the mood to their environment and desires.

“During day play, the product can be almost any color you want,” Von Huben explains. “In low light or no light, it creates an entirely new experience. The subtle glow of light against the body is something we’ve never seen brought to market at this level.”

The result is a product that feels as much like foreplay as function, visual stimulation layered seamlessly with physical sensation.

“The subtle glow of light against the body is something we’ve never seen brought to market at this level.”

— Christopher Von Huben

Lighting the way

From the outset, Von Huben approached the Illumination Collection like a premium consumer electronics launch. He began by selecting top-selling product categories, those entry point products that consumers already understood. From there, he personally sketched the industrial designs, “drenching” key areas in RGB lighting while adding subtle illumination details to handles and contours. But aesthetics were only part of the equation.

“Functionally, I set the bar that we wanted to perform as well as the best in each category,” he says. “And from an engineering standpoint, we took extreme measures to ensure everything is 100% body safe.”

Materials, seals and finishes were scrutinized to meet both safety standards and long-term durability with zero compromises. Customization is the heart of the Illumination Collection. Each product offers on-device control for ease of use, while the companion mobile app unlocks deeper personalization.

“To choose from millions of colors, there’s no other way but the app,” Von Huben says. “But I wanted users to be able to store those settings directly on the product.” Users can customize color, lighting intensity, vibration patterns and profiles, saving them in programmable memory slots. Once stored, the product remembers; no phone required.

App integration in sexual wellness has often been hit or miss, and Von Huben is keenly aware of that. “With some products, the app is counterintuitive and frustrating,” he admits. “With the Illumination Collection, the app provides real substance.”

As the product line grows, so will the digital ecosystem, adding features that enhance experience rather than complicate it. In Von Huben’s view, thoughtful technology integration isn’t a gimmick; it’s the future.

Development was intentionally discreet, shared only with a small circle of trusted confidants. The response exceeded expectations. “The engagement and feedback blew me away,” Von Huben says. “People were excited. It elevated engagement, arousal and desire.” That validation confirmed what he suspected all along: lighting isn’t just new. It brings these products alive, and it’s powerful.

The Illumination Collection debuts with four distinct product categories, each chosen for accessibility and market strength. “These are top-selling beginner products,” Von Huben explains. “We believe the Illumination Collection can bring in users who weren’t even thinking about buying an adult novelty product.”

At the same time, Paradise aims to be a category leader, not a niche experiment. Again, these are staple products along your slat wall, just elevated. Despite premium motors, waterproofing and app control, Von Huben doesn’t hesitate when asked what will surprise users most. “The lighting effects,” he says. “Bringing ambient lighting to the body is an absolute turn-on. It’s a new way to foreplay and engage in intimacy.”

Lighting has integrated into nearly every other aspect of modern life. For Von Hueben, intimacy was the obvious next frontier.

Manufacturing the Illumination Series required a different approach. Von Huben partnered with a high-tech manufacturer with no adult novelty background but deep experience in advanced electronics. “We didn’t want these products to feel like a gimmick,” he says. “They had to deliver real performance.”

The products are IPX7 waterproof, designed for wet play and feature low-noise motors—because distraction has no place in intimacy. As for positioning? “We’re not Rolls-Royce,” Von Huben says. “We’re more like Mercedes. Premium performance, you know, thoughtfully priced.”

“Self-expression through color, first-to-market technology and thoughtfully designed interaction, that’s where entertainment and sexual wellness are heading.”

— Christopher Von Huben

Built to be seen

One of the most striking aspects of the Illumination Collection is its display-ready nature, including display stands that allow products to double as ambient room lighting. “Look at how RGB lighting exists in our lives today,” Von Huben says. “From light bulbs to cars to pools to gaming hardware—it’s everywhere.”

With careful experimentation, Paradise realized its products could live beyond the nightstand drawer, enhancing a space before, during or after use. Retailers, he believes, will see immediate visual impact on shelves and displays. With pre-orders now open and shipping expected mid-January 2026, anticipation is high. The line will be sold through exclusive launch partners including Eldorado for distribution and Adam & Eve for major online retail.

“I think we’re onto something really special,” Von Huben says. “We hope this is industry-uplifting. Very few opportunities come along that make perfect sense with no direct competition.”

The Illumination Collection aligns seamlessly with broader trends in sexual wellness: self-expression, design-forward thinking and technology integration. “Self-expression through color, first-to-market technology and thoughtfully designed interaction, that’s where entertainment and sexual wellness are heading,” Von Huben says. And Body Illumination is just the beginning.

From condoms to full-on color pleasure integration designed for an industry looking for real innovation rather than variation, Paradise Pleasure Products isn’t just launching a collection; it’s lighting the way forward to attract new consumers walking through your doors.

“You can expect to see more products in the Illumination Collection and possibly other series as well,” he reveals. “We’ll continue focusing on unique offerings that carry the ‘wow’ factor.”

For more information, please visit paradisepleasureproducts.com.