Personal lubricant
substance or topical ointment used to reduce friction at sensitive skin areas & genitals
Personal lubricants (colloquially termed lube) are specialized lubricants used during sexual acts, such as intercourse and masturbation, to reduce friction to or between the penis and vagina, anus or other body parts, or applied to sex toys to reduce friction or to ease penetration.
Surgical or medical lubricants or gels, which are similar to personal lubricants but not usually referred to or labelled as "personal" lubricants, may be used for medical purposes, such as speculum insertion or introduction of a catheter, or for personal pleasure. The primary difference between personal lubricants and surgical lubricants is that surgical lubricants are thicker, sterile gels, typically containing a bacteriostatic agent.
Types
By composition
Water-based
Water-based personal lubricants are water-soluble and are the most widely used personal lubricants. The earliest water-based lubricants were cellulose ether or glycerin solutions. Products available today may have various agents added for even dispersal, moisture retention, and resistance to contamination. The viscosity of these products can be altered by adjusting their water content and concentration of cellulose or other gel-forming hydrophilic ingredient. Because water-based personal lubricants absorb into the skin and evaporate, most water-based lubricants have a tendency to dry out during use, but reapplication of the lubricant or application of water or saliva is usually sufficient to reactivate them. When the lubricant eventually dries out, it may leave behind a residue derived from the other ingredients in the formulation. This may require reapplication during sex, and/or removal of the residue with water.
The public source identifies “Personal lubricant” as substance or topical ointment used to reduce friction at sensitive skin areas & genitals. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Personal, lubricant and substance.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q942818. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Personal lubricant” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.