Disclaimer: I received this product free from Butter Wellness in exchange for my honest review.
About the Brand
Butter Wellness is a men’s sexual wellness brand headquartered in Chicago, IL. They’re a small business and relatively new to the market. Their product line consists of The Personal Massager, The Water-Based Lubricant, and a branded merchandise hat.
Areas of Consideration for This Review:
The Water-Based Lubricant's Ingredients
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propanediol, Gluconolactone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid
According to the bottle, this water-based lubricant is compatible with natural rubber latex and polyisoprene condoms. However, the lube is not compatible with polyurethane condoms. Most non-latex condoms are made with polyurethane.Â
Though the bottle is not labeled as such, based on the ingredients it’s vegan.
Product Specifications
- Glycerin-free
- Glycol paraben-free
- Fragrance-free
- pH-balanced
- Easy clean-up
- Natural sensation
- Size: 4oz
Source: Butter Wellness – The Water-Based Lubricant Product Specifications
Instructions for Use
Apply as needed to any area of the body “you would like to give some slip to”. Remove excess and clean-up with warm water.
Accessibility
I’m neurodivergent with sensory sensitivities. And, I live with chronic pain and skin sensitivity that is easily irritated. As such, finding lube that doesn’t ick me out, piss off my skin, or throw off my pH is a challenge – let alone lube that I actually like!Â
While your needs may vary, but here are some accessibility-specific details that may help you determine whether the water-based lube is accessible to you.
- Container: The Water-Based Lubricant comes in a squeeze bottle. It has a protective tamper-proof lining beneath the lid that needs to be removed before use. To use, pop down the disc top cap and squeeze.Â
- Fragrance: This lube is not only fragrance-free, it actually has no smell. Not even the “neutral” chemical smell.
- Texture/Sticky: This water-based lubricant is not sticky, even when dried.
- Price: At $12 USD per 4oz bottle, this water-based lube is in the mid-range pricing for similar products.
- Osmolality:Â 250 mOsm/kg. I confirmed this number with Butter Wellness directly. This is a great number!Â
Without getting too in-depth, a good osmolality level means a lube won’t cause inflammation or irritation of the skin or vaginal lining. This article does a fantastic job of breaking down the science.Â
Packaging
The Water-Based Lubricant comes packaged in a clear, plastic bottle. The label is an ivory-color, and has their royal blue Greco-Roman style branding. The front of the bottle has their logo with “butter” written below it.
The branding is actually one of my favorite things about this company. Often, products targeting men are obnoxiously hypermasculine or misogynistic and objectifying towards women – usually both. Butter Wellness does neither of these, using tasteful branding and imagery.Â
Product Testing
Though my partners did use this water-based lubricant when testing ‘The Personal Massager’, I had the opportunity to test this lube personally as well. I tested it on my hands to check for smell, consistency, and whether it was sticky when dried.
Consistency, Texture, & Smell
The lube’s consistency is pretty thin, though I’m happy to report that it was not sticky or smelly. The water-based lube has a slippery texture, and actually felt like water on the skin! You would think this would be the case with any water-based lubricant, but sadly that is less common than you’d think.Â
There was (fortunately) no warming sensation either. There’s a time and place for that, but I tend to not prefer it. As it dried, the lube did not get sticky – even when completely dried. It also washed out of the sheets with no issues.Â
During Partnered and Solo Sex
I also tested this during personal play with an external vibrator, and partnered oral and penetrative vaginal and (attempted) anal sex.Â
Partnered Sex (Oral, Vaginal, *almost* Anal)
For vaginal sex, the lube worked as expected. Importantly, we did not need to reapply – even after the romp had been going on. My partner switched between penetrative vaginal sex and oral sex periodically. They stated that the lube had an undetectable neutral taste. I also confirmed this, and tasted it straight out of the bottle. No weird aftertaste when dried, either!
Now, as for anal – rather, *almost* anal. This lube didn’t work out for me as the receiver. I tend to prefer thicker consistency lubricants when it comes to anal play. While this water-based lube wasn’t a total dud for the deed, it did require more reapplying than some of the other lubes that I prefer for anal sex.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I liked the Butter Wellness Water-Based Lubricant! The osmolality level, and the fact that it’s free of parabens and other harmful ingredients is a winner for me. My only hang up is that it’s not compatible with most latex-free condoms.Â
See below for my Butter Wellness 'The Personal Massager' review breakdown:
Disclaimer: I received this product free from Butter Wellness in exchange for my honest review.
