Flavored Lube Might Be Slowly Killing You: 4 Things To Know About Edible Sex Lube
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Melissa Thompson, PT, DPT, MTC
Dr. Thompson is board certified and the owner of Louisiana Pelvic Health. Her expertise is in alleviating bladder, bowel, and sexual pain symptoms during pregnancy, postpartum, and throughout a woman's life.
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You buy some flavored lube at the store.
Then, the first thing you do? You smell it.
If it passes the smell test, you might even have put a little on your finger (hopefully after you bought it and not in the store) and taste it.
“Yum!”
Here’s the deal, though:
There are many products on the market right now that claim to be the best lube for oral sex or what is also referred to lovingly as, “blowjob lube.”
Although the box says that it is edible, the lube might actually be slowly killing you. This guide shares more info.
Is lube edible?
Yes… it is edible in the same way that playdough or gum is edible. You can physically ingest it, but the real question is, should you?
Just because chocolate lube smells like chocolate and cherry lube has a red tent, doesn’t mean that they are natural ingredients in your lubrication.
Marketing companies are great at making a beautifully designed product with the words “Edible Body Oil” highlighted on the side, but make sure to do the research and find out exactly what makes up the lube before putting it anywhere on your body or in it.
With so many lubrication options, the search for the right one can be overwhelming but one good place to start is the list of ingredients.
What is edible lubricant made of? (these ingredients explain why it’s not edible…)
Not all lubricates are made the same. Even one that is the same color and consistency of another, may have different ingredients in it. Some of those ingredients are body-safe, some are safe to ingest and others should be avoided altogether.
Is lube poisonous?
In a way, kinda. Some of the ingredients in certain types of lubrication are also used to power cars, planes and even lubricate machines.
By definition, something is poisonous if it is capable of causing death or illness when taken into the body and while you may not drop dead immediately upon ingestion, certain commonly used ingredients have been causing awful side effects for women for years.
Let’s look at some of the popular ingredients more closely before you decide to ingest it.
1. You’re probably eating toxic petroleum
Don’t let the clear jelly-like look fool you. Petroleum can affect women in different ways, like altering the vagina’s pH balance as well as causing bacterial overgrowth.
Studies on ingested petroleum have found links to cancer and behavioral health problems in young people.
2. Phenoxyethanol might suppress your nervous system
Studies have shown that when this ingredient was found in nipple creams used by nursing mothers, there were some side effects like vomiting and diarrhea in infants that ingested it. Some also found that it actually depressed the central nervous system.
Although in terms of oral lubrication, it would be an adult ingesting it, that fact still causes me to pause and think about what I would be putting into my body.
3. Chlorhexidine can irritate your stomach lining
One thing that makes some long-lasting lubes so long-lasting is the fact that it is slow to be absorbed into your vagina. However, that is the same thing that is causing issues in your stomach when ingested.
When it is swallowed and not absorbed easily, this can cause irritation all the way from the esophagus down into the stomach lining.
Chlorhexidine is used in the medical world as an antiseptic and is considered a contact allergen. So it makes sense why some people have reactions to lubrication with this ingredient.
4. Glycerin isn’t absorbed properly when ingested
If used during intercourse, lubrication with glycerin in it may increase the chances of developing a yeast infection.
Glycerin is essentially a form of sugar alcohol and can’t be absorbed fully into the body. This factor is what can cause some women to have a higher risk of vaginal infections.
By consuming too much, either from your lube or even from different sources like certain foods, it can lead to side effects like gas, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Overall, there are many hidden ingredients in lubrications and it is important to know what you are putting into your body. While the idea of flavored lubrication may be something that sounds enticing, don’t buy lubrication on a whim, do the research first.
