If you don’t use sex toys, chances are you have used an intimate, personal, sexual lubricant during masturbation and/or sex. That’s because lubes are pretty well essential and turn regular sex into an erotic adventure, making all your naughty bits more slippery and sexy, as well as enhancing sensation and pleasure. Yah for lube!
However, just like sex toys, there are numerous types of lubes and not all lubes are created equally. Some, in fact, are made from inferior ingredients, even toxins (that’s right—nasty chemical cocktails) that should never go near a woman’s sensitive vagina.
Sixty percent of all chemicals we put on our skin ends up in the blood stream and lubricants may be absorbed through the mucus membranes of the vagina and anus even more so because there is no barrier for protection. Many personal lubricants and sensual products contain hazardous chemicals that create chemical body burden which is responsible for numerous health ailments.
In my search for the perfect lubricant for women, I have reviewed over 50 different types of personal lubricants, many of which that are marketed for women, as “natural” and body-safe. However, during my research I found various toxics chemicals in lubricants including parabens and glycerins or sugars.
Here are just a few of the ingredients you should avoid in lubricants:
Parabens- Parabens (including Methylparabens and Propylparabens) are a group of chemicals used as preservatives in the cosmetics and are used for their bacteriocidal and fungicidal properties. Studies have found that parabens can be absorbed through the skin and can mimic the hormone estrogen, which has been linked to breast cancer. Grapefruit seed extract (although natural, also called Citrus seed extract and Citrus grandis) is a paraben and should be avoided as it has known to be an irritant in low concentrations. “Parabens are rapidly absorbed by the skin, metabolized, but not always readily excreted. The major metabolites of parabens have shown to accumulate in human body, especially in tissue of women’s reproductive organs such as breasts and ovaries. This happens because parabens act as environmental estrogens, substances that mimic estrogen hormones and break havoc on women’s hormonal balance. In studies on breast cancer patients, parabens were found in samples of breast tumors…”—The Green Beauty Guide
DEA- Diethanolamine is a chemical wetting agent in cosmetics that helps keep a creamy consistency in lotions and creams. DEA can react with other ingredients in cosmetic formulations to form carcinogens that are readily absorbed through the skin and have been linked with various types of cancer.
Glycerine- Glycerine (a close relation to glucose or sugar, also called Glycerine or Glycerol) is used as a sweetener and preservative in cosmetics and has been linked to yeast infections in women who are prone to them and they can also damage mucus membranes.
Menthol- Synthetic menthol as well as natural Peppermint Oil can be irritating and drying to a woman’s genitals and damages mucus membranes.
Petrochemicals- Petrochemicals in oil-based products such as Mineral Oil (Liquidum Paraffinum) and Petrolatum (petroleum jelly), coat the skin halting the vagina’s ability to “flush” itself, leaving you open to bacterial or other infections. It can take the vagina 3-5 days to break down and get rid of oils, so oil-based lubes should not be used for vaginal or anal sex and are only recommended as male masturbatory aids. They are also linked to cancer or other significant health problems. Petrochemicals have been restricted in cosmetic manufacturing; however oil-based lubricants are made with petrochemicals.
Propylene Glycol- Found in brake fluid, anti-freeze, and paint solvents, Propylene Glycol is used as a solvent in many pharmaceuticals, and is used as a humectant food additive, emulsification agent, and moisturizer in cosmetics. The oral toxicity of propylene glycol is low, but large quantities can cause perceptible health damage in humans and is an irritant to the eyes and skin.
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) – PEG is used as a thickener and is the basis of many skin creams, as cetomacrogol, and sexual lubricants, frequently combined with glycerin. It strips the skin’s natural moisture, is an eye and skin irritant, a possible carcinogen and can produce severe acidosis, central nervous system damage and congestion.
Nonoxynol-9- Nonoxynol-9 is an abrasive detergent and was developed as a spermicide used in condoms, lubricants and sex toy cleaners. It was also shown to help kill the AIDs virus in clinical tests (in test tubes). However, it has been found to leave abrasions and lesions in the vagina and to strip away the protective rectal lining in the anus, both of which could potentially increase chances of get AIDs, STDs and skin irritations, leading to infections.
Methylisothiazolinone – Methylisothiazolinone is a widely-used preservative and has been associated with allergic reactions. Lab studies on the brain cells of mammals also suggest that methylisothiazolinone may be a neurotoxin (which damages the nervous system, ie: brain).
Fragrance – Fragrance has a toxicity level of 8 out of 10 (extremely high) in the Cosmetic Database. Synthetic fragrances are a toxic mixture of “evil phthalates” (you thought these were just in cheap jelly sex toys, right?) and “poisonous chemicals”. Just what poisonous chemicals go into an individual fragrance can vary, as companies do not need to list what they put into a fragrance due to patents. “The word “fragrance” or “parfum” on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate. Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system.”—Cosmetic Database
Just because it “Claims” to be Natural, Doesn’t Mean it is Body Safe
Just because a product claims to be natural doesn’t mean it is safe to put on your body. After all, you wouldn’t rub poison ivy all over your vulva, would you?
I been reading “Eco-Sex” by Stefanie Iris Weiss who maintains that many companies are doing what is called “green-washing” (that is brainwashing you into believing they are “green” and body-safe) by jumping on the “green” movement for profits and sales, rather than actually making a product that is healthy. In fact, a company can make claims of their product(s) being certified organic and/or natural even if they have “a hundred other dangerous chemicals… with one single organic ingredient appearing last on the list” because beauty, cosmetic and personal care products are unregulated (just like sex toys) in North America.
One of the companies doing this is good old Astroglide. Yes, you’ve heard of it. You’ve probably used it, as it is one of the most readily available and best selling personal lubricants on the market. Astroglide was criticized a lot because it contained a bunch of nasty stuff that was not “favorable” to a woman’s genitals.
“Researchers found that one brand of lubricant – Astroglide – appeared actively to enhance HIV replication in cells. This… can be explained by the fact that, like nonoxynol-9, some lubricant ingredients destroy viruses by dissolving their containing membrane – but do the same thing to cell membranes, and thus have a net harmful effect.”—AidsMap
So, Astroglide came out with an all new “Natural” Astroglide, basically in a green-washing attempt to trick you into thinking it was safe. However, they forgot to remove the parabens (Methylparaben to be exact) which is linked to gene mutations and cancer.
It is therefore important to read the labels of personal lubricants before you use them. Reputable companies will list their FULL ingredients on their websites, where you have easy access before you buy. If you have a hard time finding the full list of ingredients, take that as a warning sign. You can find out more about toxic chemicals in cosmetics and personal products in the Cosmetics Database and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
So what’s a Girl to Use?
Personally, I like to stick with “natural”, water-based lubricants myself. As noted above oil-based lubricants should stay clear of the vagina as they can attract bacteria and cause infections. Silicone lubricants, like petrochemicals, also coat the skin and do not allow it to breathe. Also, “silicone is toxic in both animals and man… [and] degrades into silica, [which] in the body is a toxic, carcinogenic substance, damaging the immune system, killing cells, and producing silicosis.”—Silicone Poison
I also try to stay away from lubricants with a long list of ingredients. Usually, the longer the list, the more chemicals go into it.
The best “natural” lubricants on the market that I have tested include: Yes, Good Clean Love, Sliquid, Aloe Cadabra, Blossom Organics, and Hathor Aphodisia.
So please choose your personal lubricants wisely, read product labels and beware of green-washing attempts to get you to buy so-called “natural” products that are not so body-safe. Hey, you only have one vagina (unless you are really lucky!).
