Personal Lubricants Are All The Buzz. But Which Ones Are Safe?

America is having a love affair with personal lubricants. Both men and women are discovering the benefits of more pleasurable and comfortable sexual experiences provided by the variety of lubricants available. But most of these lubes contain dangerous ingredients that can turn healthy sex into toxic sex. More and more people are waking up to this issue.

Many lube ingredients are harmful because they were not intended for the human body.
Several authoritative health professionals agree that many of the personal lubes available on the market should be avoided. Even prominent politicians are voicing concern. California Senator Diane Feinstein and Senator Susan Collins of Maine, have introduced a bill (S.1014-the Personal Care Products Safety Act) that would require FDA review of some ingredients to “help ensure a safe marketplace for personal care products and reduce harms from exposure to toxic chemicals.”  Some ingredients were originally made for industrial or commercial use such as rocket ships, anti-freeze, insect repellants, and even oven cleaners.
Do any of these sound like substances you want to put on or inside your body? We hear you saying “NO” loud and clear. And some ingredients on the labels of these products are so confusing, you feel like you need a degree in chemistry to figure them out. Some manufacturers don’t even list all of the ingredients. (They know you’re smart enough to look them up.)

How Do You Know Which Lubes Are Safe Or Even Good For You?

It would take a long time—hours or even days—to research the good and the bad stuff, so we did it for you. The good news: Aloe Cadabra® is one of the few lubricants that is FDA-cleared and contains 100% food-grade, natural ingredients, including 95% high-quality organic aloe, Barbadensis. It contains none of the harmful ingredients that our expert sources tell us to avoid.
Here’s A Partial List Of Unhealthy Ingredients

Parabens If an ingredient ends with the suffix “paraben,” stay away! These are synthetic preservatives that extend the shelf life of common household products. In vaginal lubes, they mimic the effects of estrogen and have been found in breast tumors. The Feinstein-Collins bill highlights propylparaben “as an endocrine-disrupting chemical…that is linked to a wide range of health effects, including reproductive system disorders.” Parabens may also have links to higher risks of breast cancer.
Mineral Oil Sounds safe enough, right? But it is a petroleum by-product just like motor oil and it clogs the pores. Skin care consultant, Carol Lee, warns that “by coating and clogging the pores, mineral oil and its derivatives interfere with your skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, or even perspire.” Untreated mineral oil has been proven to cause cancer.

Phenoxyethanol Dr. Laurie Steelsmith tells us that phenoxethanol “can be harmful when absorbed through your skin, causes reproductive damage, and according to the FDA, depresses the central nervous system in newborns.” It can also adversely affect your immune system. Thankfully, this ingredient is not in Aloe Cadabra®!

Glycerin A form of sugar, glycerine is a drying agent and may increase the incidence of candida, which can result in vaginal yeast infections. The pain, discharge, and itchiness that accompanies this fungus is not something you want to deal with.

Benzoic acid Here is a preservative usually derived from trees but sometimes from animal urine! You’ll also find it in insect repellant. Need we say more?

Polyquaternium This is a synthetic polymer (polymers are compounds used to make plastics, concrete and glass) associated with severe irritation and disruption of skin surfaces. It also increases reproduction of viruses, including HIV.
Non-oxynol 9 This ingredient is an oil-based spermicide! It severely irritates skin surfaces and increases transmission of viruses, including HIV. Do NOT use it if you’re trying to conceive. And do not use it rectally. Better still, don’t use it at all!

Lidocaine Your dentist uses this to numb your gums before a procedure. In a vaginal lube, it irritates skin surfaces and increases the risk of skin trauma. Besides, who wants to feel numb in the vaginal area when you want to have pleasurable sex!

Capsaicin Better be ready to sink into a tub of cool water if you use this one. It’s the oil of very hot chili peppers and it’s used in warming lubes. It triggers a pain reaction in the nerves-which is bad enough—but then may last longer than the intimate experience and can be difficult to remove from skin once applied.

Chlorhexidine This preservative found in KY Jelly® and Surgilube®, destroys normal, protective genital bacteria that help fight infections. Ellen Barnard, co-owner of “A Woman’s Touch,” warns, “No way! It kills all your healthy vaginal bacteria.”
Propylene Glycol This component lets chemicals penetrate the body and get to the blood stream. It’s been linked to cancer, developmental problems, and toxicity of the human organs. It’s also used in some oven cleaners and antifreeze products. We can’t even imagine putting a substance that is used for automobile maintenance on your sensitive vaginal tissues. And why would you want to use a chemical that allows other chemicals to get even deeper under your skin?

Petroleum or petroleum-based ingredients It sounds harmless, but for vaginal use, this component can coat your skin and interfere with its normal functions. Some studies show links to cancer. Silicone-based ingredients also function like petroleum-based ingredients.

All Natural Aloe Cadabra® Contains Only Food-Grade Ingredients
In their book Great Sex, Naturally, Dr. Steelsmith and Alex Steelsmith describe Aloe Cadabra® as “a lovely lubricant… with a sleek quality that’s as magical as its name implies. It not only facilitates pleasurable sex, but if used often, can help keep your vaginal and vulvar tissue well nourished, moisturized, and healthy.”

Check https://aloecadabra.com/lubricant-comparison/ and https://aloecadabra.com/ingredients/ for more information on the harmful ingredients you may not know you’re using, and the good things in Aloe Cadabra®. And don’t confuse “all natural” with boring. Aloe Cadabra® comes in scents and fragrances to enhance your pleasure and delight the palate. Stay safe.

Copyright © Live Well Brands 2015

SOURCES

http://thegoodhuman.com/2007/06/21/what-are-parabens-and-why-should-you-avoid-them/

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/skin-and-lifestyle/parabens.htm

http://drlauriesteelsmith.com

http://www.oilsofyouth.com/dangers-of-mineral-oil-in-cosmetics/

http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/whats-best-natural-sexual-lubricant-you-might-be-surprised

http://www.naturalnews.com/040471_personal_lubricants_parabens_ingredients.html

http://www.holisticwisdom.com/sex-toys-lubricant.htm