This is what is worth knowing before you buy, not after. What lubes are made of, what goes with what, and why one mistake costs you a ruined toy while another costs you a torn condom.
In this section
What you will not find here
Top-ten lists, stars and ratings. An honest top list means holding products in your hands and comparing them against each other, and we do not do that. So instead of scores you get material properties, manufacturer wording and industry standards, and you choose for yourself, in any store and in any country.
No health promises either. When something depends on personal tolerance or on the formula of one particular bottle, we say so in the text, not in a footnote at the bottom.
Where to start
If you only have a minute, open the compatibility table: it settles the most common question in one look. The pages on water-based and silicone lube matter later, when you are standing in front of two bottles and choosing between them.
In the US, personal lubricants are regulated by the FDA as medical devices, so a proper bottle names itself as a personal lubricant and lists its ingredients. Every guide here tells you which line of that list to read first.
The section grows to a plan, not to a mood. When the question is which bottle to take home, start with how to choose a lube, and for after, with toy care. Everything else for couples, from quizzes to calculators, lives in Resources, and the games themselves are in the games catalog.
Frequently asked questions
Have you tried the products you write about?
No, and that is why there are no rankings, no stars and no claims of personal experience here. We describe material properties and what manufacturers and industry standards state. Where personal tolerance decides, we say so plainly.
Why are there no lists of the top products?
An honest top list means holding products in your hands and comparing them against each other. Instead we explain how materials behave and what goes with what, so you can choose for yourself in any store.
Where should I start if I only have a minute?
With the compatibility table. It answers the most common question, what goes with what, in about a minute. The pages on water-based and silicone lube help once you are choosing between two bottles.