Hydra - lubricant discontinued by Intimate Organics - review by ~LaUr3n~

I am a vegetarian, although not 100% perfect. I have been trying to improve this in a lot of ways, so I was thrilled to discover this lubricant by Intimate Organics. Hydra is organic and very safe for the body. A main ingredient is plant cellulose so it is natural. It is water based and therefore safe for all toy types and condoms. It is one of the best water based lubricants I have tried, and I have tried a lot! It works for toys and sex as well as being ok for the shower. Hydra is a great choice even if you don't usually support organic products. Also PETA would be proud (of which I am a member) to know that it is not tested on animals and it is vegan safe!

The ingredients are all certified organic and are as follows:

Aqua, Propanediol (Natural Humectant), Cellulose Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Phenethyl Alcohol, PPG-2-Methyl Ether, Methylisothiazolinone, Alcohol, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hydroxide.

Those ingredients may sound like harmful chemicals, but really they are natural organic ones safe for you and the environment. Notice that this lubricant contains no parabens or glycerin.

Ever do that luggie thing when you were little? I didn't but I watched my brother do it. You can do this with the lubricant. Squeeze a bit and then can suck it back in the bottle right before it is going to drop. I don't think I have ever been able to do this with a water based lubricant. Why is this silly analogy important? Well, this is one of the reasons Hydra is a great water based lubricant-it is thicker than most. It is smooth and silky and easy to pour without running amok out the bottle. Because of its decent thickness, it stays where you put it and doesn't make you feel greasy or sticky.

Hydra has a very unique smell. I don't think this is on purpose, but just a result of all the organic natural plant materials. It smells like the fresh roses I just got from my boyfriend! I love the smell of this. It smells natural and not like a nasty fake fruit smell, soap, baby powder, or chemicals. The smell lingers on the skin too which I don't mind at all. The label says that this is safe to ingest so I tried it without hesitation. At first there is a bit of a bitter taste, but it goes away and doesn't taste like anything at all.

When I rubbed it on the backside of my hand, it took about 5 minutes to absorb as if it were never there, but during sex with other natural lubricants being added it lasted a long time. I only had to reapply with non-silicone, or glass toys and long sessions of sex. The lubricant felt extremely natural and after sex the lubricant didn't linger, it quickly absorbed into my skin without the extra moisture to keep it rejuvenated.

With toys, I liked using this lubricant because it stayed in place and didn't drip on to parts of the toy that I didn't want to be slippery. Hydra works well for small to moderate anal toys, but not larger ones and is not ideal for anal sex.

Even though I didn't feel any irritation and it absorbed nicely, I still washed this lube off. Just using a damp cloth and warm water does the trick.

The bottle is very sophisticated. The bottle is a hard and clear plastic. It has a sexy picture of a fit woman's tummy in the front and says the company, and name of the product as well as a certified USDA organic stamp. The bottle top opens like suntan lotion, a push top. It didn't leak at all. The back has a shorter version of the ingredients and a blurb about the product. It is made in Canada. It also says that is it not tested on animals, is recyclable, and has an expiration date. I received this last month (May 2010) and it says that it will expire in 03/2013. So this will last a long time, if it takes you a while to use it. You need to use about a dime drop of it for average use so the 4 fluid ounce bottle should last you a long time. I have the 2 ounce bottle and it came in an additional box with the same info and pictures as the bottle. It looks like shampoo so it is discreet enough to sit out.

Conclusion:

4/5 for longevity
5/5 for ingredients
4/5 for price/size
5/5 overall

So I give this lubricant 5 stars. It doesn't last as long as other lubricants, but longer than most. The ingredients and safeness for the body make me push to give it 5 stars. The size is good and the price isn't bad either. Plus...I love the smell of roses!