ASB Magazine

If you’ve been in adult retail for a while, you probably remember a time when you could meet every customer’s lubricant needs with one all-purpose tube o’ lube...

If you’ve been in adult retail for a while, you probably remember a time when you could meet every customer’s lubricant needs with one all-purpose tube o’ lube.

 But lately, a plethora of lubricants and related products have been pouring into the adult market, bringing higher sales and more customers for your store along with them. And with more customers come more questions.

 This is a good thing -- as long as you and your staff are prepared to answer them. The customer that’s educated about a purchase is bound to be happier with that purchase. Particularly in the case of lubricants, since they are not only a fun novelty item, but for some users, a medical necessity.

 And, with heavy advertising companies like Johnson and Johnson promoting lubricant items such as their warming gel, you can expect more and more customers to begin asking about lubricants. Your ability or inability to answer their questions can make the difference between them becoming repeat customers, or forever buying their lube at the grocery store.

 To make sure your staffers are prepared to answer anything and everything about lubricants that your customers may ask, we suggest that you enroll them in this quick but effective Lubricant 101 course. Upon graduation, they’ll slip and slide through any lube-related question!

What Exactly Fits Under the Lube Umbrella?

 If you’re like many of your customers, you might think of “Lube” simply as the slippery stuff used to ease (or enhance) friction during sex. But the true definition of a lubricant is much broader: “Any substance that reduces friction when applied as a surface coating to moving parts.”

 Which means that beyond personal intimate lubricants, substances like massage oils and even Pennzoil, technically, are lubricants; while a lot of the flavored and/or stimulatory gels thought of as lubricants, technically, are not. But sometimes they can be. Confusing, huh? It’s no wonder a customer staring up at a shelf of lubricants may feel overwhelmed! They’ll see that intimate lubricants differ in viscosity, (some are thicker than others), some last longer than others, some are flavored, some get hot, some are meant for external use only ... the list goes on. But what’s meant for what purpose, and which is best for them?

 One of the most common misconceptions you could help clear up for customers is that “massage oils” double as intimate lubricants. An understandable assumption, since massage oils usually have ambiguous labels that say things like “perfect for sensual massage” (whatever that means).

 But, as a general rule of thumb, massage products that are oil-based are intended for external, topical massage only. There are plenty of wonderful massage oils on the market that are available in all types of packaging to suit various markets. System JO has a great line of massage oils featuring invigorating scents and a smooth, moisturizing texture; Intimo massage oils by WET also smell delicious and have non-greasy formulas.

 System JO’s Personal Lubricant is one of few products that “go both ways.” It can be used either as massage oil or as personal lubricant. Described as “100 percent latex-safe and manufactured under strict US FDA guidelines,” System JO Personal Lubricant “is designed for multiple uses: to enhance your personal pleasure, plus, it functions as a “skin conditioner and therapeutic massage formula.”

 Many additional “massage” products (also categorized as lubes) don’t contain oil, but are still meant for, or at least are safest, when used externally only. These types of products often contain sugar and flavorings, which makes them ideal for fun tasty massage/foreplay, but probably not the best choice for a ‘true’ clinical massage. For example, WET Fun Flavors (which get warm on contact) are a delicious, lick-able way to warm-up for the main course, and sure, you could give a massage with them... but you’re not going to see a sports massage therapist whip out a bottle at your next appointment. Fun is the operative word here.

 Oil-based lubricants are usually clearly labeled as LUBES (and not massage products). First introduced in the 1970s, oil-based lubes still have a loyal fan-base, but because they are not compatible with latex condoms, their use has narrowed somewhat over the years. Make sure customers are aware that oil-based lubes should be used with polyurethane condoms.

 A few other lube-confusions to make note of: stimulatory agents (gels, creams, etc.), which have proliferated at an unbelievable rate recently, are usually sold within the lube category, but don’t really provide the slickness or longevity of a “genuine lube.” However, in many cases, they help to increase a woman’s natural fluid-production, and thus have similar functionality.

 To help your customers know “what’s what” among lubricants and related products, you may want to place signage noting which items are, “Perfect for Oral Pleasure,” or, “Fun for Flavorful Foreplay,” etc. Take the mystery out of the slippery, and you’ll help take any hesitation out of your customer’s purchase.

Why Use Lube?

 For many consumers, personal lubricants are a God-send. They are not only an exciting addition to the bedroom; they can be used to alleviate a host of medical concerns. HealthSquare.com sites that, in particular, women going through menopause and/or pre-menopause, lactating mothers, women on the birth control pill, women on anti-depressants, and those with diabetes often use lubricants for medical purposes.

 Besides serving as a doctor-recommended medical device, literature from the super-power lube company WETsays, “Lubricants help your intimate experiences last longer. They enhance the experience. Both partners benefit by using a lubricant during sex. Why not maximize your pleasure?”

 In other words, the simplest reason to buy lubes is that they’re a fun, romantic, and non-obtrusive way to enhance an intimate experience, whether purchased as a necessity or a novelty. Many companies offer great display systems that help communicate that to customers while serving as an eye-catching focal point for your store.

Where Did They Come From?

 Lubricants were first popularized within the gay community during the 1970s; their wide use among heterosexual couples followed soon afterwards. Irene Campana, National Sales Manager for B. Cumming Company (makers of the Elbow Grease and Encounter lubricant lines) explains that with no readily-available alternative at the time, couples of the 70’s were using just about any ‘slick’ substance they could find as intimate lube, including products like Vaseline and Crisco. With an obvious need for an alternative, companies like B. Cumming introduced products including Elbow Grease, the original mineral-oil based lubricant.

 As the years passed and the dangers of HIV and AIDS surfaced, people began requesting latex-friendly lubes to use with condoms. In the past couple of decades, dozens of different lubes have been developed to fulfill that need and many others.

 More recently, several lubricant products featuring “enhancing” ingredients like warming and tingling agents have arrived on the market. These products are transitioning lubricants’ functionality in public perception. Now, lubes are thought of not only as a means of simulating/increasing the body’s natural fluids, but as a means of inducing thrilling erotic sensations.

 From a retail standpoint, this means even greater sales! Major advertising campaigns have helped get the word out about the new, sensational breed of warming and tingling lubricants, and people from all walks of life are going to adult stores asking about them. Sinclair Intimacy Institute Wholesale Sales Executive Rebecca Cook says, “Our company advertises in 30 mainstream magazines each month. People are not only aware and accepting of lubricants, they’re looking for them.” Sinclair, “the leading source of sex education videos for adults who want to improve the quality of intimacy and sex in their relationships,” private-labels their own line of lubricants because, as Cook says, “We are known for our expertise in sexual well-being, and we try to offer all of the products to round out that category. Lubricants are one of the most important and basic sexual health and well-being products.”

 Cook adds, “Beyond the clinical side, lubricants are a natural add-on to any adult or erotic purchase. Not to mention they’re non-gender specific, so they’ll appeal to both your male and female shoppers. All of our products are very couple-oriented, very sensual, [and are] almost cosmetic looking in appearance.”

There Are So Many Choices Out There, What Makes One Lube Different From Another?

 In a word, ingredients! Lube makers offer so many different types of products because they’re striving to meet the unique needs of each consumer. As one retailer explained, referencing the five or six different lube brands carried at her store, “Different strokes for different folks!”

 Because no two people have the same physiological makeup, there is no end-all, be-all lubricant that will perfectly suit every consumer. So how do you know what type of lube to recommend? Good Vibrations, a women and worker-owned distribution company on a mission to “Provide (consumers) with accurate sex information and quality sex toys, books and videos,” carries several types of lubricants, including their own private-labeled line. Good Vibrations Senior Toy Buyer Coyote Days says, “There are a few key factors I focus on when I consider carrying a new lubrication for Good Vibrations. One important detail is the list of ingredients, which helps me to determine who will be able to use this lubrication comfortably. What is in the lubrication will also determine how our customer will use the lubrication and what other products it is compatible with. Equally important is texture, viscosity, and taste of the lubricant. A lubricant has to appeal in every way to our customers. Every person has individual tastes and I want to make sure any lube I carry will feel right for our customers.”

 Adds Good Vibrations Staff Sexologist Dr. Carol Queen, “Not everyone likes the same kind of lube, because each affects the sexual experience a bit differently—plus, everyone’s body is different, and what’s perfect for one person won’t appeal to, or might even irritate, another. For many years we’ve listened to our customers’ feedback about their lubricant preferences and experiences, which always affected our decisions about which products to carry. When we decided to bring our own branded lubes to market, therefore, we developed three, not one. We make a liquid lube, a cream, and a gel, because there are customers who love each type and wouldn’t want to substitute one of the others for their preferred lubricant experience.”

The Lube For All Lovers

 Every lubricant has its own unique selling points, and some will work better than others for certain purposes. But without getting into the ’ins and outs’ of each type when you’re helping your customers, there are a few key things to keep in mind if you want to stock a basic, all-around lubricant you can recommend to anyone for sexual intercourse. Please note that these are the broadest recommendations possible, and that certain ingredients which may result in irritation in some individuals will have no negative effects whatsoever when used by another person.

 But, just to be on the safe side, an all-around intimate lubricant, safe for use by anyone, anywhere should be: Simple. The more “enhancing” properties a lubricant includes, the more likely it is to adversely affect a sensitive individual. Water-based. Water-based lubes work for all body chemistries and flush out quickly and naturally.

Personal Preference & Packaging

 Beyond the basic ingredients, a laundry-list of subtle and major differences makes certain lubes more attractive to certain customers than others. Campana at B. Cumming says that every lubricant maker has their own niche: “Some companies’ lubricants are a little thicker... some are a little slicker; each has its own unique attributes.” In general, lubes are one of three types: Liquid, Gel, or Cream. In most cases, each type gets successively thicker. Campana adds, “What it really comes down to is personal preference, and for some people, the packaging.” B. Cumming, for instance, offers two complete lubricant lines: Elbow Grease and Encounter. While each line features similar products with similar properties, Irene says that the “Elbow Grease” line had been so widely embraced by the gay community by the time lubes became everyday household items that B. Cumming couldn’t really cross over the product into the female and couple-oriented market.

 To secure some of that market’s lucrative sales, B. Cumming introduced the cute and flirty looking “Encounter” line; one of few lubricant lines specifically targeting women. Campana says the company did heavy research before introducing the female-oriented packaging. “We wanted women to feel sexy buying the product; not like, ‘Oh, I have a problem with lubrication so I have to use this medication.’” Campana says Encounter’s candy-colored lips (in three shades to reflect various ethnicities) have the opposite effect as some of the clinical, over-the-counter lubes: “Say your partner brought Encounter into the bedroom, or noticed it on your nightstand. It doesn’t have that ‘clinical’ connotation; it looks fun and romantic. If my man showed up with it, I’d be intrigued and wonder what fun he had in store! Adversely, if he showed up with some of the other ‘drugstore’ brands out there, I might feel like, ‘What’s this? Is there something wrong with me?’”

 Campana says the introduction of a female-geared line was needed. “There’s a large number of women that wanted and needed the products, but didn’t really feel comfortable discussing all the medicinal or unisex products out there. This line sort of invites them to enjoy the experience... it makes it fun and romantic to use lubricant.”

 Every lubricant line is uniquely packaged to appeal to different consumers. WET products feature bright, fun packaging in cool, curvy bottles; System JO’s packaging is very spa-like in appearance: clean and fresh. Sinclair describes their packaging as “soft, sensual, almost cosmetic looking,” while Tickle Kitty’s Slippery Kitty line is bottled in “Sassy and sexy ‘come-hither’ packaging.” Good Vibrations lubes are charmingly packaged in almost retro-styled, Mom-and-Pop-market packaging: very inviting with kitschy flair.

 Somewhat newer to the market—and booming—are lubricants with a little something extra, like warming and tingling agents or flavors. Although the B. Cumming company has offered Elbow Grease Hot Gel for eight years, and Warm Encounter since the Encounter line was introduced more a year ago, Campana notes that the heavy marketing KY has done for its warming lube has really helped sales of the warming lubes go through the roof.

 Warming lubricants are a fun way to bring something new to the bedroom, but users should be sure to check out the ingredients of each before using. Some warming lubes include high amounts of glycerin, which can lead to bacteria growth in sensitive individuals. Others, however, will have no problem with the glycerin content. Encounter and Elbow Grease include Menthol as a warming/tingling agent, and Campana mentions she’s seen other companies use honey, cinnamon, and a variety of other ingredients to spice things up. She suggests that retailers have shoppers try the lube topically as a tester before using it intimately. “If it’s too intense on your topical skin, it’s obviously going to be way too much down below.” Campana also suggests sampling a few drops on your gums to experience a similar sensation.

 Flavored products are a little trickier because not all are suitable for internal usage, although they’re usually marketed within the lube category. Some flavored products, like WET Fun Flavors (which heats up on contact), are perfect for scrumptious foreplay, but are intended for use as external “massage lotions only.”

 Dr. Sadie Allison formulated Strawberry Lust, a Slippery Kitty Lube from Tickle Kitty, to go hand in hand with her best-selling books, Tickle Your Fancy, Toygasms! and Tickle His Pickle. Dr. Allison says lube companies are often cautious about promoting flavored products that contain sugar for internal usage because a few individuals may experience adverse effects from using them. However, Allison notes that the majority of users will have no problem with flavored lubricants.

 “Flavored lubes are often promoted to be used topically because they usually contain sugar, which for some extra sensitive women can cause infections if used internally. We present it this way to simply remind women to consider that before they use it for sex. However, most women are well aware if they are that sensitive, and know their preferences.”

 Additional flavored lubricants promoted as safe for use anywhere include Sinclair’s Strawberry Kiss Warming Lotion, which is described as “water-soluble, perfect for your most intimate massages—and safe for use with condoms and toys.”

 Flavored-lubes that don’t contain sugar are the safest bet for delicious usage, inside or out. WET Flavored Lubricants, for example, are non-staining, sugar free, color free, and latex friendly. WET’s five top-selling flavors “were just reformulated and the taste is awesome,” says Wet Vice President of Marketing Joe White. Five “real-fruit” flavors—Cherry, Kiwi-Strawberry, Passion Fruit Punch, Pina Colada, and Blueberry—each come in colorful, fruit wrapped, designer grip bottles. Encounter also has a water-based, sugar free line of edible lubricants scheduled for release in Fall 2005.

 You may want to clarify for customers which flavored lubes are intended for internal usage, external usage, or both, simply by grouping them in different categories or placing them on separate shelves.

 Finally, retailers are reporting tremendous success with the slew of “stimulatory” gels that have recently hit the shelves. Though not necessarily intended to function as lubricants, many stimulatory gels and creams are made with similar substances and do provide some lubrication along with stimulation, besides increasing a woman’s natural fluid production. Coquette introduced the stimulatory gel Arouze in April 2005 to great praise and high sales. “Our clients have reported that they love the gel so much that they can’t even keep it in stock. We hope to widen our consumer base with this product and use Arouze to expand our offerings to clients,” says Paige Horea, Vice President of Sales at Coquette. System JO offers a Clitoris Stimulation Gel “shown to improve sexual sensitivity with continued use. The Gel’s naturally derived ingredients will cause a warm tingling sensation resulting in increased pleasure and satisfaction.”

 Many women report that they can achieve orgasm or even become multi-orgasmic through using these products. “I loved the warm tingling sensation,” says Tammy, a 28-year old user of ‘Touch Me There’ stimulatory gel. “It helped me achieve an orgasm with intercourse!”

 Again, users should keep the ingredients in mind when selecting a stimulatory product. Menthol and the amino acid L-Arginine are commonly found ingredients in these products.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

 Along with a lubricant’s ingredients and functionality, consider these stand-out features when you’re thinking about carrying a new type of lubricant. Some stores offer ‘testers’ (even taste testers!) so that shoppers can try a few different types to find their best match. Your customers may also factor in the following when they’re determining which lube is best for them:

How long does it last?

 Silicone based products like WET Platinum are generally considered to be the longest lasting lubricants. WET International VP of Marketing Joe White says, “Platinum stays slick longer than any lubricant.” Silicone lubricants have been widely used for intercourse for more than 15 years, but have not yet been FDA approved. Most people consider them very safe for usage anywhere, however.

 Water-based products usually do not last as long as silicone-based lubes, but many can be “rejuvenated” just by adding a few drops of water.

How thick is it?

 Cream lubricants are usually the thickest. Gel lubricants vary in viscosity and can range from very thin to thick. Liquid lubricants generally have the thinnest consistency. Deciding which type is best is a matter of personal preference. Manufacturers do say that the thicker and/or creamier types are most popular for anal sex.

What is the texture like?

The texture of each lube can be a sale-maker or breaker. Some individuals like the rich feel of cream lubricants; others will prefer thinner lubes like Slippery Kitty’s Au Natural formula. Still, others like the super-slick feel of silicone-based products. To some, a non-drip formula that thicker gels and creams provide is very important. Some stores let customers sample different types before buying.

How does the lube feel as it dries?

 Products like System JO Personal Lubricant, formulated with Vitamin E, dry to “leave your skin feeling silky and smooth.” Wet Original is also formulated with Vitamin E and Aloe Vera and is said to dry to a more “oily” feeling (similar to lotion) than most lubricants. Some products may leave a tacky or sticky feel once dried, which will be a turn-off to some customers.

Will it be used with latex or silicone?

 If it will be latex, make sure the lubricant isn’t an oil-based product, which will cause corrosion. Silicone-based lubricants will deteriorate other silicone products like toys.

Will it stain?

 Some silicone-based and colored lubricants may stain sheets, especially when used in large quantities. Lube makers suggest putting small amounts on your sheets (or whatever you’ll be on) before using with abandon. Lubes that don’t stain usually say so on the label.

Is it FDA approved?

 Good Lubrications (by Good Vibrations), System JO, and Tickle Kitty each promote their lines as FDA-approved. WET lubricants are doctor-recommended worldwide. Additional lines are undergoing review to meet approval.

Is it multi-functional?

 Lubes with many powers are popular with consumers. System JO Personal Lubricant is “designed for multiple uses,” and works as a skin conditioner, moisturizer, and therapeutic massage formula, besides being a personal lubricant. Along with being an excellent lube, WET Platinum can be used to add shine and moisture to latex and leather... who’d have thought?