How much are you actually paying for a bottle of slippery stuff?
Over the past decade, there’s been something of a lube revolution. Where before we had pretty limited personal lubricant options (K-Y Jelly, basically), we’re now able to choose from a mind-boggling array of products – organic, silicone-based, water-based, sperm-friendly, anal formulations … The options are seemingly endless.
Recently, however, I’ve noticed that there’s considerable variation in the cost of the products out there. Obviously, the ingredients used in the different manufacturer formulations affect price (and a bigger bottle will, generally, have more of an initial impact on your pocket than a smaller one) but what are we actually spending, ml for ml, on the slippery stuff? I decided to do a little experiment and compare a random bunch of popular personal lubricants from different retailers, ml for ml. Here are the results, from least to most expensive …
| Name | Bottle size | Bottle price* | Price per ml | Formulation notes |
| Boys Own Lube Silk Pump | 250ml | £8.49 | 3.396 pence per ml | Anal lube |
| Liquid Silk | 250ml | £9.99 | 3.996 pence per ml | Contains parabens |
| K-Y Lubricant | 82g | £3.99 | 4.865 pence per gram | Jelly |
| Lovehoney Discover Anal Lubricant | 100ml | £6.99 | 6.99 pence per ml | Anal lube |
| Durex Aloe Vera lube | 50ml | £3.99 | 7.98 pence per ml | Colour and frangrance free |
| Sliquid Organics Natural H2O Lubricant | 125ml | £10.99 | 8.792 pence per ml | Organic |
| Woohoo! | 50ml | £4.49 | 8.98 pence per ml | Organic |
| Gun Oil H2O Lubricant | 118ml | £10.99 | 9.313 pence per ml | Water-based |
| Give Lube LubeTube Premium Silicone Lubricant | 100ml | £11.99 | 11.99 pence per ml | Silicone lube |
| Yes Oil Based Lubricant | 125ml | £17.99 | 14.392 pence per ml | Oil based |
| Conceive Plus Fertility Lubricant | 75ml | £12.44 | 16.59 pence per ml | Sperm-friendly |
* List price may differ from retailer to retailer
That’s a pretty wide cost spectrum. Personally, I’m willing to spend a reasonable amount of money on a decent lube, but in these times of economic austerity I have to admit that I’m much more conscious of the bottom line (pun intended) and would only splash out on a more expensive option if it was truly exceptional. In any case, this little exercise has definitely encouraged me to do a little bit of simple maths before purchasing my next bottle to see just what sort of value I’m getting.
Sorry for commenting on an oldish post. Just a week ago went through all the high street shops (Boots etc.) in a mid-sized English town looking for the best option for lube.
With my girlfriend we use a lot of it! So we’re totally tired of tiny expensive lube packs slowly bankrupting us. Thus far the best I’ve found is the 200ml Durex Play 2 in one “massage and lube”. (The one in the purple bottle.) Awhile back we avoided it, as we wanted to stay clear of all kinds of possible extra ingredients. But actually, now we’ve realised it beats the competition in many ways. I was very surprised when I found out that it was also the cheapest one! At least in those high street shops.
The bottle is nice, easy to handle. It can be opened and applied easily with one hand. It’s transparent enough so you see how much there is left. (I totally hate the small blue Durex lubes, always when it’s running out, I feel like there’s still stuff inside but you can’t be sure.) The bottle even looks fairly pretty so we often don’t even bother putting it into our toy box. And the consistency! Really nice. Slippery and feels like it stays “wet” longer than some of them. Doesn’t leave behind any icky rubbery residue when it dries. Doesn’t really smell much of anything, and the taste is very neutral.
No I don’t work for Durex.
But after trying out several different lubes we’re – at least for now – sticking, or rather sliding, with this one.
Hi Jason. It’s totally fine to comment on older posts – please don’t apologise!
Yes, you’re absolutely right. The Durex Play 2-in-1 is very good value at around 2.995 pence per ml. (That’s based on the Boots price of £5.99.) I’ve used this in the past with my husband and, for the money, I agree with you; it’s a good value water-based lubricant. And, as you say, it’s easy to find on the High Street or in the supermarket.
For me, personally, the texture is where it falls down a little. I found it to be quite viscous and hard to wash off the hands afterwards. Our ‘star of the moment’ is Liquid Silk but I must say that the paraben content worries me a fair bit – especially after doing some research and speaking to a friend who is a nurse about absorption through mucous membranes. And you have to buy it online …
*Sigh* Finding the perfect lube is like searching for the holy grail, isn’t it?