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Silicone- vs. Water- vs. Natural Oil-Based Lube
Which One Is for You?
Best Water-Based Lube
Maude Shine Organic Water-Based Lube
Best Silicone-Based Lube
Maude Shine Silicone Lube
Best Natural Oil-Based Lube
Coconu Oil-Based Lube
I’ll scream it from the mountaintops as many times as I have to: Your bedroom should have a bottle of lube! Ideally more than one. Whether you’re flying solo or with a copilot(s), too much friction is a bad time for everyone. Even if it doesn’t seem like you need a lubricant, you’d be better off using a little just to protect yourself from chafing and micro-tears on sensitive tissues.
We’ve tested a handful of different kinds of lube, and below you’ll find our top recommendations. Be sure to check out our Best Sex Toys and Best Vibrators guides for more picks.
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Updated March 2024: We added the Coconu Oil-Based Lube, Kindred Black’s Gamine of Greenwich Village lube, an honorable mentions section, and updated advice and prices throughout.
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Photograph: Dame
Silicone- vs. Water- vs. Natural Oil-Based Lube
Which One Is for You?
There are two main kinds of lubes you should be aware of: Water-based and silicone-based.
Water-based lubes are by far the most common, most affordable options you’re going to find online or in a sex shop, and for most people they’re the way to go. High-quality water-based lubes might as well be called aloe-based lubes, because Aloe barbadensis leaf gel is the primary thickener in almost all of them. It provides a high degree of slickness without leaving behind a sticky residue. (Sometimes a mushroom extract is also used to help achieve a silky-smooth texture.) Not all water-based lubes are created equal, however, and some of them might feel sticky. They have a bad habit of getting absorbed by the skin quickly, so they need to be reapplied more frequently than other lubes. Still, they’re body-safe and toy-safe, so they’re by far the most no-fuss option.
Silicone lubes, on the other hand, are oil-based and they provide a much higher degree of friction abatement and last longer because they’re not as readily absorbed by the skin. Because they are oil-based though, you have to be careful not to stain your sheets or clothes when using them. Additionally, silicone lubes can degrade silicone toys over time, so it’s best to keep most of your toys away from silicone lube (though glass toys and silicone lube get along great).
Natural oil-based lubes are becoming more common, and they typically use plant oils like coconut oil or avocado oil to provide lubrication. The upside of these is that they play nicely with silicone toys and won’t degrade them like silicone-based lubes will, and because they’re made from natural oils they usually smell pretty good. The downside is that they’re a little more finicky and don’t provide as much lubrication as silicone-based lubes.
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Photograph: Maude
Maude Shine Organic Water-Based Lube
Cheap, no-name water-based lubes can leave a sticky residue and may have a weird texture, but Maude’s Shine avoids both of these pitfalls. It offers a silky-smooth texture that makes it our absolute favorite. The Shine is on the thicker side for a water-based lube, which I like because of how much friction abatement it provides. Thicker water-based lubes also typically last longer between applications. Using the thumb test, this lube gives you a slick but smooth cushion between your fingertips, which is a good indicator that it’s going to keep things nice and slick.
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Photograph: Maude
Best Silicone-Based Lube
Maude Shine Silicone Lube
Silicone lubes come in a wide variety of consistencies. Some are thinner and feel more tactile but don’t last very long. Others are a bit thick and kind of gloopy. Maude’s Shine Silicone lube is right in the sweet spot. It’s viscous, coming out almost like a gel, but smoothes right down into a silky sheen. It lasts for a long time, but it leaves you feeling soft rather than greasy. It’s even pretty good for preventing thigh chafing when you’re walking around in a skirt or dress.
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Photograph: Coconu
Best Natural Oil-Based Lube
Coconu Oil-Based Lube
The Coconu oil-based lube uses coconut oil to keep things nice and slick. It’s more stabilized than the coconut oil in your pantry, so it doesn’t solidify as easily. During testing, I left it outside overnight and it stayed liquid. Your mileage may vary if you live in a climate colder than the US Pacific Northwest, though.
On the skin, it feels light and never sticky. It just glides right on, and never gets thick enough to inhibit sensation. Because it’s coconut-oil-based, it works great with silicone toys. It provides slightly less overall slickness than a silicone-based lube, but still slightly more of a long-lasting lubrication than a water-based lube. Plus, it leaves you nice and moisturized. You can even just use a little bit as a moisturizer in a pinch.
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Photograph: Kindred Black
The Best Lube for Special Occasions
Kindred Black Gamine of Greenwich Village Personal Lube
Kindred Black’s Gamine of Greenwich Village is a lube that evokes the ephemeral. The “gamine” in its name is old-timey slang for someone who possesses a gender-bending kind of playful, teasing sensuality. It’s a good name. The smell of it conjures images of timeless, sexually liberated flirtation. It’s feminine and masculine and neither. It feels like it comes from a different century, maybe even from a different world.
It’s coconut-oil-based and comes in a hand-blown glass vial. It comes stoppered with a cork coated in wax, with a separate hand-blown glass dropper to use for application. Everything about this lube makes using it feel like a special occasion. A ritual to be performed under moonlight. It’s scented with apricot oil, and feels like liquid silk on the skin. I never thought I’d recommend a $125 lube, but this carefully crafted bit of alchemy is worth every cent.
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Photograph: Good Clean Love
Best Grocery Store Water-Based Lube
Good Clean Love Almost Naked Water-Based Lube
Premium lubes can get expensive, and it’s important to offer approachable alternatives that might be easier to get than some of the pricier picks on our list.
Good Clean Love’s H2O water-based lube provides just about everything I like about our top pick. It’s a nice consistency, almost like nice hand sanitizer, and rubs out into a slick sheen that gives you a good amount of slip-and-slide without absorbing into your skin too quickly. My only complaint is it can leave you a little bit sticky, but it washes off nicely with plain water (or a damp paper towel). Good Clean Love’s products are carried at major grocery chains, so chances are no matter where you are, you can get your hands on it.
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Photograph: Sliquid
An Upgraded Silicone Lube
Sliquid Silver Silicone-Based Lube
Sliquid is a tried-and-true brand you’ll find on the shelves of just about every sex shop in the world (yep, it’s a global brand!), and Sliquid Silver is one of the best silicone lubes we’ve tested.
Honestly, someone you know probably has some Sliquid lube sitting in a nightstand drawer somewhere. It’s ubiquitous and for good reason. Sliquid Silver lasts a long time, rubs down to a smooth, tactile finish, and washes off clean with some soap and water. It is a bit thin for my tastes—when you do the thumb test you can easily feel your thumbprint—but it works great, and I’ve been using it for years.
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Photograph: Dame
For a More Tactile Feel
Dame Alu Water-Based Lube
Dame’s Alu water-based lube is a good pick if you like a more tactile water-based lube. By that, I just mean it’s thinner so you can feel more texture between your fingertips, and you get a little bit of (good) friction, but you might have to reapply it more frequently. It dries nice and smooth and won’t leave you feeling sticky.
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Photograph: Rosebud Woman
Part Massage Balm, Part Lube
Rosebud Woman Honor Lubricating Balm
Rosebud’s Honor lubricating balm is unusual. It starts out very thick, but once you start applying it, the balm melts into a moisturizing oil-based lube that feels like giving your most intimate parts a spa treatment. You can even use it as a massage oil!
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Photograph: Pulse
A Hands-Free Dispenser
Pulse Warming Lube Dispenser
Sometimes applying lube can be a bit of a hassle, especially if your hands are already slippery and covered in lube. A cheap dispenser like this will do the trick.
But if you want to upgrade your setup, I like the Pulse Warming Lube Dispenser. It lets you get just the right amount of lube with a wave of your hand. Plus, it warms the lube up for you, so it’s not shockingly cold when you start using it. It’s a shame it’s so expensive.
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Photograph: Dame
Honorable Mentions
A few other picks we like
Over the years we’ve tested dozens of different lubes, and some of them are pretty good if not exactly the best in any particular category. For those, we have this section, our Honorable Mentions.
Coconu Water-Based ($25): This is a great water-based lube, providing lasting lubrication that doesn’t leave you feeling sticky. Plus, it’s made from coconut water, so it has a nice, mild fragrance.
Dame Arousal Serum ($23): I’m not a huge fan of warming or tingling lubes and have yet to try one that makes me a true believer. But Dame’s Arousal Serum comes close. This is a warming, tingling, water-based lube that uses peppermint oil, cinnamon leaf oil, and ginger oil to provide some extra sensation during sex. If you have sensitive skin, I’d leave these products alone, but if you don’t and you want to try a stimulating lube, this is the one I’d recommend. Definitely try it on a non-genital area first to make sure you know how your skin will react.
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Photograph: Mariya Borisova/Getty Images
How to Test a Lube’s Consistency
Try Before You Buy
Just about every sex shop has a couple of tester lubes available. Just like the makeup testers at Ulta or Sephora, they’re there so you can get an idea if it’s the right pick for you.
The way I usually do this is what I call the thumb test. Squirt a little droplet onto your thumb and rub it between your thumb and index or middle finger. You’re trying to get a sense of how the lube feels when it rubs out a bit. If you can feel the texture of your thumbprint, it’s a pretty thin lube, which will give you a more tactile feel. If it feels like the lube makes a bit of a cushion between your fingertips, it’s a thicker and, in my experience, slicker lube offering less friction.
Jaina Rodriguez Grey is a product writer and reviewer at WIRED covering coffee, sex tech, and gaming. Previously, she was a legal researcher for Thomson Reuters and a tech reporter for Digital Trends. She currently resides in Portland, Oregon, with her partner and a pet rabbit named Lola.
