Here is FE’s review of sexual lubricants.
As mentioned in a previous blog, Product Reviews, a reader asked us for advice about lubricants. She wanted to know what we thought were the best on the market.
In order to answer her question, we considered purchasing top rated products, testing them ourselves and sharing what we found. But, it didn’t take long to realize we weren’t equipped to take on an operation of that size.
Then, we had an idea, we can summarize what’s online and save our readers the time, frustration, aggravation of doing all of that work.
After mining through gads of articles, recommendations, and reviews, we at FE condensed what we discovered into manageable steps that will guide your search for the lubricant that that best fits your needs. Given concerns about reliability of product reviews, we chose to share Amazon’s. Although they faced and addressed their own reliability issues, Amazon presents the largest sample of customer comments and the widest range of user experience from those who love products and those who detest them. If you desire review comments beyond what we offer, we attached an extensive bibliography that will aid your search.
What We All Need to Know FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
Clearly, the perfect lubricant does not exist. No matter how wild some folks might be about a particular product or category of products, they all have detractors. Where most lubricants claim to be free of significant side effects, those same products might cause reactions like itching, swelling, infections and physical discomfort for others. Needless to say, if a negative reaction occurs you should stop using that product immediately and wash the afflicted area with soap and water. Negative side effects can be minimized by steering clear of the following ingredients: Joan Price- Glycerin
- Nonoxynol-9
- Propylene Glycol
- Chlorhexidine gluconate
- Polyquaternium-15
- Petroleum products
- Parabens
The Most Frequently Recommended Sexual Lubricants FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
Silicone lubricants are effective for penetrative vaginal and anal sex. Dimethicone, a manufactured silicone polymer, is the main ingredient in silicone lubes. It also appears in a surprisingly large array of products including a number of skin moisturizers. In short, silicone lubricants:- Tend not to irritate sensitive body parts
- Are generally more expensive than their counterparts (especially those with higher amounts of dimethicone)
- Don’t ingest during oral sex
- Don’t play well with silicone sex toys
- Last longer
The top rated silicone lubricants FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
Uberlube: Reviewers and users alike say that this product does everything a silicone lube promises to do, many rank it as their favorite.- 78% of Amazon reviews gave the product five out of five stars, and as many positive reviews tend to do, sang its praises.
- Negative reviews (5% gave one star) focus on packaging problems. In addition, warnings exist prior to purchase. For instance, being a silicone lube, it doesn’t work well with silicone toys. Some customers did report that it caused discomfort while others said the opposite.
- Although it is pricey ($10.59/1.7 fl oz) on Amazon Prime or at uberlube.com it lasts a long time.
- 78% of Amazon customers gave this product five stars.
- Biggest complaints (7% gave one star) focus on the recent price hike and on packaging issues.
- The cost recently increased much to the dismay of long time users ($27.97 for 8 fl oz). Still, it is the lube of choice for a large number of repeat customers.
FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
Wet Platinum: This is Amazon’s top selling silicone lube. Consumers tend to love the lube but detest the shoddy packaging.- 77% of Amazon reviewers gave this product five stars.
- Again, the recurring theme in negative reviews (6% gave one star) is packaging, so much that customers refuse to purchase again. Issues with stained bedsheets are also prominent.
- Price is very affordable ($15.98 for 9 fl oz on Amazon).
FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
Gun Oil: Like many customers, once we worked our way past the name and package design, we discovered a very popular, effective product with a loyal following of satisfied customers.- 76% of Amazon customers awarded this product five stars.
- Its price point tends toward the high end ($21.75/4 fl oz). Gun Oil is sold in quantities up to 32 ounces which lessens the price per ounce considerably.
- Biggest complaints (5% of Amazon customers awarded one star) stemmed largely from faulty packaging meaning product arrived in some state of disrepair sometimes with leakage.
- 76% of Amazon customers gave Sliquids Silver five stars.
- Those who gave one star (5%) cited problems with packaging, problems encountered during oral sex and stained bedsheets, again, information available prior to purchase.
- Price is more affordable ($15.20/ 4.2 fl oz on Amazon Prime) and product is economical, a little bit goes a long way.
Water-based Lubricants: FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
Finding the right water-based lubricant is a challenge. Even though they rank as top sellers on Amazon, far more users complain of problematic side effects than their silicone counterparts. As a rule, water-based lubes:- Don’t maintain their moisture as well as silicone lubes
- More affordable
- Easy to clean up and don’t stain sheets
- Are compatible with silicone sex toys as well as latex condoms
- Can be ingested in small doses during oral sex
- Some reports say that water based products can carry a higher risk of irritation, others claim they’re safe.
- 83% of Amazon reviewers gave this product five stars.
- Only 3% gave Astroglide Liquid one star despite the fact that it contains a number of ingredients that researchers say should be avoided like glycerin, propylene glycol and polyquaternium 15 that cause genital irritation. A number of complaints included vaginal burning sensation.
- Price is $8.64/1.73 fl oz. on Amazon Prime.
FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
KY Jelly Personal Lubricant: is advertised as the #1 doctor recommended personal lubricant in the U.S. (Walmart, Acme, Amazon) It is inexpensive, easy to use but it contains propylene glycol listed above as an ingredient to avoid and, according to bestlube.net, can irritate sensitive parts of female genitalia.- 76% of Amazon reviews gave KY Jelly five stars citing product satisfaction across a number of criteria.
- 6% awarded the product one star. Criticism focused on faulty packaging and poor product performance rather than negative side effects like skin irritation which is interesting given that KY Jelly contains methylparaben, an ingredient to be avoided.
- Price is $6.99/4 fl oz.
FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
Isabel Fay: A natural, water-based personal lubricant that is free of fragrances, dyes, glycerin, and parabens, it is mentioned positively in every article we read about lubes. Though it offers a risk-free purchase, some complaints focus on the company’s lack of follow through.- 77% of Amazon reviewers gave this product five stars. Notably, comments from women with a history of “uti’s” and vaginal irritation say this product gave them no problems whatsoever.
- 6% gave one star. Complaints ranged from faulty packaging to odor to skin irritation to the fact that despite it not including glycerin and parabens the product does contain sodium benzoate and citric acid, a combination that has caused concerns with consumers.
- Price is $16.96/8 fl oz.
- 74% of Amazon reviewers gave this product five stars.
- 7% awarded one star. Again, complaints range from packaging problems to performance issues to a number of women saying that Sliquid H2O caused a burning sensation and vaginal irritation despite what positive reviewers stated.
- Price is $12.85/8.5 fl/oz
FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
Aloe Cadabra Natural Personal Lube: Ingredients contain 95% aloe vera along with Vitamin E, and the preservative sodium benzoate. It is vegan compatible and will not degrade silicone toys or latex condoms. (https://aloecadabra.com/)- 68% of Amazon reviewers gave this product five stars. Women who have had a history of problems with lubes say that Aloe Cadabra is the first one that has worked without side effects.
- 8% awarded one star, many with scathing reviews citing irritation, dryness, bad odor among other concerns. The ingredient sodium benzoate was cited as one of the ‘other’ concerns since it has been shown to be a cause of skin swelling and irritation.
- Price is $10.95/2.5 fl oz
Hybrid Blends:
Attempt to combine the best of both worlds. The products that have garnered the highest recommendations are the following: Spunk Hybrid Lube: According to Amazon Spunk, a water based silicone lube, has won many awards including the most recent BEST LUBE at Erotica Awards 2020.- 71% of Amazon reviewers gave Spunk five stars.
- 5% gave it one star. Complaints focused on one issue: it dries up really quickly and turns into lumps.https://amzn.to/36p5zzZ
- Price is $26.00/16 fl oz.
- 72% of Amazon reviewers gave this product a minimum of four stars
- 7% awarded one star, by far the most common complaint was the product burned sensitive vaginal parts and caused irritation despite its claim of being “hypoallergenic”.
- Price is $8.69/4.2 fl oz. on Amazon Prime
- 68% of Amazon reviewers gave this product five stars.
- 12% awarded one star. Comments varied from complaints that it was “too thin” to comments saying it was “too thick”. A number of women complained about irritation and infection.
- Price is $21.16/3 fl oz.
FE’s Review of Sexual Lubricants
Turn On Water and Silicone Infused Hybrid Lubricant: Water-based silicone infused product that promises to be gentle on the skin.- 56% of Amazon reviewers awarded five stars.
- 15% awarded one star. Most of the negative comments focused on the fact, that despite claims to the opposite, this product caused considerable skin irritation and burning long after usage.
- Price is $7.89/8 fl oz. on Amazon Prime
- Only 22 reviews appear on Amazon and they are very positive but should be taken in the context of the small sample size. Wicked Hybrid is also available through Adam and Eve. Their review sample is also small containing only 24 comments. Overall, Adam and Eve reviewers gave this product a 4.2 stars.
- Negative reviews cited side effect of burning sensation, one on user’s cervix that persisted after intercourse. O% of Amazon users gave one star.
- Best price on Amazon is $12.95/3.25 fl oz. Adam and Eve retails the product for $17.95.
