Personal Lubricants & Moisturizers

A slippery solution for every situation: choosing the right personal lubricant or moisturizer for you

Personal lubricant can be a helpful (and important) tool for symptoms of vaginal dryness, increasing pleasure and comfort, facilitating use of pelvic health tools or sex toys etc. With so many on the market, how do you choose? Are there some we should avoid? We breakdown the science and explain the best lube for every situation.  

Understanding why you may need more moisture

Like anything, your personal goals, symptoms and experiences will play a role in what you should choose. Vaginal dryness is a common reason for seeking a lubricant and although it is common, understanding the root cause can guide us in how we support you.

Vaginal dryness can occur as part of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause – a collection of symptoms related to the fluctuations and eventual decline of estrogen, specifically related to the genitourinary system. Symptoms can include burning, irritation, vaginal dryness, urinary symptoms or frequent urinary tract infections. As estrogen falls, the vaginal walls atrophy, which decreases natural secretions and lubrication. This can lead to some inflammation and result in irritation or discomfort for many women.

Low estrogen is also a factor in vaginal dryness or discomfort in other conditions too! We see this in breastfeeding moms (low estrogen being the result of elevated prolactin levels) or after birth. Other conditions, including having high stress levels, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, heart failure, or hypothalamic amenorrhea, can all be related to atrophy in the vaginal wall.

Some factors to consider when choosing a lubricant or moisturizer:

If you are menopausal/perimenopausal and have symptoms of vaginal atrophy/dryness

You have postpartum/breastfeeding related vaginal dryness

You are experiencing/have been diagnosed with vulvodynia/vestibulodynia

You are trying to conceive

You are interested in making sex more pleasurable

The kind of sex you are having makes a difference – vaginal/anal, using condoms or not, sex toy/aide use

If you have been prescribed accommodators/dilators, vaginal wands or other pelvic health tools.

There are options out there to support you no matter which factors may be impacting your choices. To start, although we are primarily talking about personal lubricants, it’s important to mention moisturizers as well. The choice between these options matters because they are very different! First, let’s explore the difference:

 A moisturizer – as the name suggests - is meant to be absorbed by the tissue to hydrate. These products are typically used as non-hormonal relief for vaginal dryness. They reduce discomfort and irritation by rehydrating mucosal tissues and mimicking vaginal secretions. The effects last much longer than a lubricant – even providing relief up to 2-3 days. These are meant for general use, not just with sexual activity. Most are water-based but have polymers that help the water stick to the vaginal mucosa. Most products also contain other ingredients that help with texture, pH and prevent microbial contamination and spoiling. 

 Lubricants, on the other hand, are meant to reduce friction and therefore prevent trauma to tissues and reduce pain. They come in a variety of forms and the one you pick will be dependent on how you are using it. Lubricants come in water, silicone, mineral oil or plant oil bases. Someone whose primary concern is pain or discomfort with sex, would likely choose a lubricant for this purpose.

Choosing your lubricant

Water-based:

Water based is slippery and can reduce friction but it may need more frequent applications as it can be absorbed. That said, it is easy to clean, safe with silicone-based sex aids/toys and accommodators/dilators (like you might have been prescribed in pelvic floor appointments!) as well as latex-condoms.

Silicone-based:

Sililcone-based lubricants will require less reapplication and may be preferred by those in peri/menopause. The downside is they do require a little soap and water to clean. Perhaps the biggest note is that they can’t be used with silicone products. This means no sex toys/aids or with accommodators prescribed at the clinic. Silicone is really only for use with a partner.

Aloe:

Aloe is often added to water-based lubricatns to make them last longer. They are safe with latex condoms and silicone-based products. The con is that some people are sensitive to aloe. You can test this on your inner arm - If you notice burning or stinging, best to find an alternative!

Oil-based:

Oil-based lubricants last longer but are less desirable as they can’t be used with condoms, and they tend to stain.

Other factors to consider 

pH (acidity)

The vagina and the rectum have different acidities – and choice of lubricant will be different depending on your usage. When we are considering vaginal health, we want to opt for a product with a pH between about 3.8 and 4.5. Estrogen causes an increase in glycogen usage by lactobacillus bacteria, increasing their numbers. These bacteria produce lactic acid which acidifies the environment and helps protect from other microbial intruders. We want a lubricant that approximately matches this.

If your goal is fertility, you can opt for a slightly higher pH as this is closer to pH appropriate for sperm motility. There are a number of products that are marketed specifically to improving chances of conception – some fare better than others in experimental tests! Ultimately, most lubricants will impact sperm motility to some degree, but there are a few we would recommend if a lubricant is important for your experience.

Osmolality

Osmolality refers to the amount of dissolved particles in a substance. If you can think back to high school science – the more solutes (dissolved particles), the greater ability to draw water/moisture out. This is the opposite of what we are trying to do with a moisutrizer or lubricant! Drawing too much water from the cells that line the vagina can not only lead to irritation but also increase risk of infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the osmolality of lubricants not exceed 380mOsm/kg to minimize damage. Many products on the market exceed this value by a substantial amount. That said, an upper limit of 1200MOsm/kg has been deemed acceptable.

Ingredients to watch for

Glycerols

Glycerols are typically the main culprit for increasing the osmolality of a lubricant or moisturizer. When looking at this ingredient, we typically want it to no exceed 9.9% of the mass. Glycerols/glycerine may increase irritation and impact the vaginal microbes. There is some evidence that they may also impact sperm motility.

Parabens

Parabens are another additive – often found in personal-care products. They may be irritating and there are questions being raised about their safety. If we can avoid them, I would recommend avoiding. Typically, the products that are pH and osmolality-appropriate, without glycerols, will also be paraben-free anyways! On this note, we also want to avoid fragrance. This is also irritating.

So what are our top picks?

Keeping in mind that everyone is different and these are picks based on the composition, not experience, these are some suggestions for a few different situations:

Our favourite water-based lubricants (for vaginal use!)

Good Clean Love

This has good osmolality and pH for vaginal health. It is free of unwanted additives. It is safe to use with condoms and silicone-based toys/aides/supports. Most of these products include aloe - which may make them last longer before needing reapplication, but may be something to consider if you are sensitive.

YES WB Water-Based Lubricant

Also pH appropriate and low osmolality for vaginal health. Organic and free of unwanted additives. This one is also safe to be used with condoms and silicone devices.

Top choice for more sperm-friendly lubricant

YES Baby SF Sperm Friendly Lubricant

Because the pH is a bit higher, we wouldn’t recommend this one for regular use, but it would be a more fertility appropriate choice. As mentioned above, any lubricant has the potential to impede sperm getting where it needs to get, but we can opt for better choices if avoiding lubrication isn’t possible or desired.

Top Choice for a vaginal moisturizer

YES vaginal moisturizer

This has good osmolality and pH as well. The company suggests it can hydrate for up to 3 days. This is sometimes a good option before opting for hormone replacement therapy or if hormone replacement isn’t an option for you.

You can book an appointment to discuss vaginal health, recurrent infections, pain with intercourse, vaginal dryness, pelvic pain etc. with our pelvic health therapist and naturopathic doctor, Dr. Fiona. You are welcome to book a meet & greet appointment to see if she might be the right fit for your concerns