What to Know About Lube Before You Buy
It's me, Sara, the founder of Beloved. I’m going to take you behind the scenes of what I learned about personal lubrication during the process of creating Beloved.
I could not believe that I didn’t know some of these things as a 49-year-old, grown-ass woman who used this product. I was shocked and I feel compelled to share what I learned with as many women as possible.
How This All Started
My body was feeling pretty off and part of that was dryness. It was so uncomfortable that sometimes that I wanted to jump right out of my late-40's skin.
I had no idea that I was moving into the "change of life" (as my Grandma Mabel used to call it) and my hormones were out of whack.
My trusted doctor, Dr. Brooke, helped balance my hormones. She explained that it was normal. Moisture is tied to our hormones which go through all kinds of unpredictable ups and downs through our different stages of being women.
I still felt dry once in a while (again totally normal), so I started a search for some kind of a product that would help with that.
Here’s What I Found
LEWD LUBE
There is a huge number of lubes with in-your-face names (like Gun Oil and Squirtz) prominently printed in huge letters on the bottles. Imagine a TSA agent pulling that out of your toiletry bag at the airport. Yikes.
CLINICAL LUBE
The next category of lube are ones that are clinical and perfectly functional for situations when your legs are up in medical stirrups.
But is there anything less sexy than a cheap plastic squeeze bottle of KY Jelly that you bought on Amazon for $6.99? Nope.
QUESTIONABLE INGREDIENTS
Many lubes are made from sketchy and potentially harmful ingredients that you absolutely do not want on your most delicate tissue or inside of you. Your body absorbs what you put on and in it.
Some lube contains artificial flavors like creme brulee, blue raspberry. peppermint cocoa. Some are full of dye to make them a rainbow of neon colors. Others contain petrochemicals that create a warming effect on your skin.
Some contain harmful ingredients like parabens and glycerine (which can cause yeast infections).
Silicone lubes can be flammable. Honesty.
Many of the bestselling lubes out there contain some of the same ingredients that are also in brake fluid, antifreeze and oven cleaner.
Also, most were cheap. I personally question the quality of the ingredients in really inexpensive products—just like I do with my skincare. I buy the highest-quality skincare that I can for my face and it just seemed like I should do the same for a product that was not only going on my most sensitive skin, but also going inside.
Click here for even more detail about sketchy ingredients.
ILLEGAL
Many lubes are being sold illegally. Yes, illegally. I was surprised, too
Personal lubrication is considered a Class II Medical Device by the FDA and it has to be approved by the FDA for safety before being sold.
Some brands don’t go through this process and sell their lube anyway—which is absolutely not safe.
Some brands even skirt around the FDA’s safety requirement by calling the product something other than “personal lubrication.” Others don’t say outright that it can be used as lube, but rather they suggest it with carefully-worded marketing language.
NOT LUXURIOUS
No matter how much I searched, I could not find a beautiful, elegant option.
In my opinion, the packaging and bottles were tasteless and x-rated. I would never, ever leave them out on my nightstand. I’d be mortified if my cleaning lady or one of our teenagers found it.
Plus I’ve intentionally designed my nightstand and put pretty things on it—I don’t want some blatant, hideous bottle of lube ruining the design.
MOOD KILLER
Most lube out there does not add to a passionate, sensual mood. You have to pause the passion to search for it buried in the nightstand drawer. Then feel and see the cheap bottle and the porn or clinical vibe of it. Then finagle the bottle with two hands to open it, squirt some out and not let it touch your sheets and stain them.
And all the while your lover waits…
Lube, after all, is part of foreplay so it should support you in that and help you feel as sexy as possible.
BY MEN, FOR MEN
During my search, I kept thinking that it felt like these lubes were designed by men, for men. I found this strange because women are the ones with a lack of moisture. Weird.
In my obsessive search, I found nothing that was safe, high-quality, sensuous, discreet and luxurious.
So I decided to make it myself.
With a tremendous amount of counsel from our advisors who are top medical professionals, product formulation experts and the world’s best manufacturing professionals, Beloved was created.
Want even more information on how to choose a lube? Click here.