Gel discontinued
by Sinclair Intimacy Institute

Thick and lubricious, but not delicious.

This wonderfully thick, slippery lubricant won't drip, which makes it easy to apply. It lasts a long time and feels great as a lubricant. But it tastes terrible. Its glycerin-free but not paraben-free. Some ingredients may be an issue for sensitive users.
Published:
Pros
Drip-free, L-Arginine and glycerin free, not tested on animals, hypoallergenic, non-staining.
Cons
Tastes terrible, contains methylparaben.
Rating by reviewer:
4
extremely useful review
This lube is wonderfully thick, even thicker than hair gel. After applying it to a toy or a partner, it stays put until it's spread. I love this about it. With other lubes it's necessary to be quick to spread it before it drips. There are no such worries with this lube.

It has no scent at all. Thinking that perhaps allergies had affected my ability to smell - how can it have no scent? - I applied some to my hand and waved it under my cats' noses. Neither responded. Trust me, with their uber-sensitive noses they would have reacted had there been any scent.

The taste, on the other hand, is horrendous. It reminds me of the smell of bitter apple spray, a taste deterrent used to keep dogs from biting their fur. Perhaps this product could serve a double purpose. This lubricant is definitely not suitable for sessions where a mouth will go where this product has been.

The ingredients are: Water, Carbomer (thickening agent), Hydroxyethylcellulose (a thickening agent derived from cellulose), Methylparaben (preservative), Trieti Ianolamine (used to make it slick), Propylene Glycol (solvent), Aloe Vera Extract, Sodium Benzoate (preservative commonly used in food), Peg-8 (another thickener, often used in toothpaste), Citric Acid (a natural preservative).

It contains one paraben, a possible concern. Parabens have been widely used for decades in many products intended for use on the body. In fact, a quick search through my bathroom reveals that parabens are in my mascara, eyeliner, foundation, hand cream, eye cream and vitamin E cream. I slather myself with them daily it seems. Given the popularity of Maximus, which contains four parabens, sensitivity to them must not be a problem for most people. Sinclair Institute responded to my email question that it contains no more than 5% methylparaben. Kudos to them for a fast, honest response.

In an effort to attempt a fair comparison of this lube with Maximus, my workhorse lube, I applied 1/4 teaspoon of each to a leg and rubbed with my hands. After each was spread and the friction experiment was underway you would be hard pressed to tell which lube was on which leg. They truly felt the same. Both lasted for quite a while. But eventually, tiny clumps began forming on the Better Sex leg where lint (?) began adhering together. This didn't happen on the Maximus leg, so Maximus wins in longevity. It was equal to Maximus in that it only became very slightly sticky after extended use. Both regenerated nicely with a few drops of water. In actual use with anything going inside me though, I find that after a while both lubes disappear or are absorbed. I have never understood how one is supposed to add water during use with a partner. Do you keep a bowl of water handy? Disrupt your session by running into the bathroom? Use a mood-killing spray bottle? Visions of hosing down dogs in heat come to mind. But it doesn't matter. You can't regenerate what has vanished.

After the friction trial, I was alarmed to see how red both legs were. I'm forced to revise my thinking about the safety of parabens or perhaps another ingredient used in both lubes. If Better Sex can make my legs red, what on earth is happening inside me where I can't see? I have always had very sensitive skin, so this may well not happen to others. I repeated the friction trial using just water - no experiment is complete without a control - and no redness resulted on the water leg, even though there was considerably more friction.

I used this lubricant with a large dildo to test how well it could ease that experience. I believe it worked slightly better than Maximus for this purpose. But with both lubes, after a few minutes there is no lubricant left at all. I'm convinced they are absorbing into my apparently sponge-like interior.

This lubricant is L-arginine free (a plus for those with herpes), glycerin free (good for those like me who are prone to yeast infections), non-staining, water-based and non-toxic. It is safe to use with any toy or condom and will wash off easily. It was not tested on animals, which means it contains only ingredients that have already been established as safe enough for human use.

Due its thickness and the fact that it stays slick for a long time, it would be an excellent choice for anal play, although I did not try it for that purpose.
This product was provided free of charge to the reviewer. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

EdenFantasys Review Program

  • Get Free Toys
  • Enjoy Special Deals
Become a Reviewer
Comments
Subscribe to comments
  • Contributor: LicentiouslyYours
    Nice review!

    Just F.Y.I. the reason for concern about parabens, as I understand it, is because it's been identified as estrogenic (it mimics natural estrogen in the body) and can disrupt normal hormone function. Also, as the link you mentioned in your review says, there is concern about it's link to breast cancer.

    The minor amount contained in this product is probably nothing to be concerned about, until you add it to the levels contained in your mascara, your eyeliner, your hand cream, etc. etc.

    How much is too much? Who knows, but I figure it's worth mentioning it's estrogenic.
  • Contributor: Tuesday
    I almost went into the fact that its estrogenic. I had several sentences written about that. But I thought it was straying too far from the product review. I use an estrogen patch, drink a soy shake and take flax seeds daily. I'm sure that overwhelms the weakly estrogenic powers of the parabens in this lube.
  • Contributor: Backseat Boohoo
    This sounds like a good lube, but not good enough to bump Maximus out of its high position. Great, thorough review! Loved the "large dildo" test. Tongue out
  • Contributor: Tuesday
    Thanks Backseat. You're exactly right.
  • Contributor: Lady Neshamah
    thanks for the review
  • Contributor: Review It
    Thanks for the awesome Review!
  • Contributor: Kdlips
    great review
  • Contributor: P'Gell
    I love all the research you did for this review. Thank you. I'm still one who is sensitive to parabens in lube and a lot of cosmetics bother me, I can't read the ingredients on my cosmetics because they are written to small, but maybe it's that.
  • Contributor: dsumrow1
    TY
  • Contributor: goback2urmammy
    thanks!
  • Contributor: Cynthia Jordan
    great review I love the fact its glycerin free
  • Contributor: Dustin LaBorde
    Nice review!
Forum
Discussion Posts Last Update
What is the smell to this! 2
Thank you for viewing Better sex essentials gel lubricant – gel discontinued review page!