Most personal lubricants and other “sexual enhancement” products are made with chemicals originally invented for industrial uses, not for the human body. Here is a list of the worst offenders, compiled by Wendy Strgar, chief executive officer of Good Clean Love, Inc., a Eugene, Oregon-based maker of organic and natural sexual enhancement products.

Propylene Glycol. Used to draw moisture into the skin. Found in automatic and hydraulic brake fluid and used to make industrial anti-freeze and de-icing solution for cars, airplanes, and boats. May be harmful by ingestion, inhalation, or through skin contact, and can irritate the eyes and skin.

Methylparabens and Propylparabens. In laboratory studies on mice and rats and human cells, these preservatives have been identified as mimicking estrogen and disrupting normal hormone functions. Some studies link them to breast cancer tumors. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a research advocate arm of the Breast Cancer Fund, has identified parabens as potentially carcinogenic and is trying to ban their usage in all personal care products. 

Phenoxyethanol. Used as a preservative, it is harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. It may cause reproductive defects. It can also severely irritate the eyes and skin.

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG). This thickener strips the skin’s natural moisture and causes eye irritation. PEGs may be carcinogenic and can produce severe acidosis, central nervous system damage and congestion.

Polyscorbate 60/Carboxymethylcellulose. Also used as a thickener, the first of these compounds has been shown to cause cancer in animals. Inhalation could cause chemical pneumonia. They have also been shown to cause antibody reaction.

Check the ingredients on your products, and consider using natural and organic alternatives. We like the lubes by Good Clean Love, Sympathical Formulas, Collective Wellbeing, Emerita, and O’My.