12 Best Water-Based Lubes, According to Sex Experts

Best Overall

Bloomi Smooth Water-Based Personal Lubricant

Luquin’s favorite thing about Bloomi is that the brand is as clean as it gets, meaning that their products are all formulated with the least amount of harmful products. “They really did a great job at making sure that it’s healthier and that it’s going to not throw off your pH balance,” says Luquin. And since it’s water-based, it’s also compatible with most condoms and sex toys.

I’ve used Bloomi for myself and I love that it feels luxurious while having an affordable price point. This lube does its job of keeping you slippery and doesn’t get tacky. Additionally, the brand is founded by a sexologist—which means that it has a sex-positive ethos, and we can certainly get behind that.

Key ingredients: Water, sunflower seed extract, and green tea extract
Size: 3 oz.
Flavored/Scented: No

Best Hydrating

Maude Shine Organic Aloe- and Water-Based Lubricant

Maude’s Shine Organic is truly one of the best water-based lubes you’ll ever find. Aside from gliding on ever so smoothly, it helps keep your vulva in good shape. “The nice thing about having an aloe-based lube is that it’s going to be more hydrating,” says Luquin. “It’s going to make sure the skin is still healthy, moist, and lubricated—even after you wipe away.” 

We love that this product is available in two, four, and eight ounces and that it’s free of parabens, fragrances, and glycerin. It’s also vegan, cruelty-free, and pH balanced. Unlike products that come in a tube, this bottle’s dispenser makes it easy to get even the very last drop of lube. 

Key ingredients: Water, aloe extract
Size: 2, 4, or 8 oz.
Flavored/Scented: No

Best for Sensitive Skin

Pjur Woman Aqua

This earned the Best for Sensitive Skin award because it’s one of the few lubes that’s undergone the rigorous process of dermatological testing. “They’ve actually done the testing to make sure that there’s no irritation to the skin,” says Luquin. “This has proven to be moisturizing and makes it easier and more fun to play around.”

Pjur Aqua, admittedly, may not have the most chic packaging, but you’ll easily look past that when you see its star-studded ingredients list.

Key ingredients: Water, glycerin
Size: 3.4 oz.
Flavored/Scented: No

Best Wellness

Playground Love Sesh

In case you didn’t know, Playground is a sexual wellness brand that’s backed by pop superstar Christina Aguilera. “This is almost like a sexual skincare brand and it’s been clinically tested,” says Luquin. “This lube includes adaptogens, which are herbs that enhance pleasure.” 

The star ingredients are Ashwagandha, which is fabulous for de-stressing and easing your nervous system; black cohosh, “which decreases vaginal dryness,” says Luquin; and horny goat weed, which is pretty self-explanatory. “I don’t think I’ve seen any other brand include those types of things into a lubricant,” Luquin shares. There are also skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and fermented bamboo extract. 

Key ingredients: Ashwagandha, black cohosh, horny goat weed, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and fermented bamboo extract
Size: 3.7 oz.
Flavored/scented: No

Best Gel

Smile Makers Generous Gel

Since they’re water-based, most of the lubes we tried had a rather liquidy consistency. However, that can get a little too slippery—making it difficult to stay on hands or body parts. That’s why we love Smile Makers Generous Gel, which is fragrance-free, cruelty-free, vegan, and formulated without parabens. 

This lube is silky, sensual, and long-lasting. In fact, one of my former partners dubbed this his favorite lube ( I have more than a dozen) and commented on how slick this stays. Needless to say, this pick remains in my nightstand.

Dipotassium glycyrrhizate and methyl propanediol—the key ingredients here—respectively work to regenerate the skin and maintain that silky feeling.

Key ingredients: Dipotassium glycyrrhizate, methyl propanediol
Size: 1 oz.
Flavored/Scented: No

Best Antimicrobial

Coconu Water-Based Personal Lubricant

Coconu is one of the best personal lubricant brands around and offers water- and oil-based options, so make sure you’re grabbing the option with the all-white packaging.  (The light blue box is oil-based and not what we tested for this article.) As you might’ve guessed from the name, Coconu uses coconut water as its base. 

“Fans of drinking coconut water for its nutrients, electrolyte content, and antimicrobial and antioxidant potential may be enthusiastic about trying it in lube form,” says Dr. Queen. Since it’s applied topically, it may not deliver the nutrients or electrolytes in the same way as ingesting it. But it’s still good as an antimicrobial. Plus, “This brand pH-balances their product, too,” Dr. Queen adds.

Key ingredients: Coconut water
Size: 3 oz.
Flavored/Scented: No

Best on Amazon

LubeLife Water-Based Lubricant

Talk about bang for your buck—pun absolutely intended. While most of the lubes on this list are around three ounces, the #LubeLife water-based lube comes in a whopping five different sizes. You can get a 2-, 4-, 8-, 12-, or 32-ounce bottle of this Amazon best seller. Sadly, only the biggest size comes with a dispenser, so you’ll have to squeeze the last drop out of other bottles. We love that this product isn’t formulated with parabens, glycerin, or silicone. If you won’t take our word for it, perhaps you’ll trust the more than 150,000 people who’ve awarded this 4.5 stars.

Key ingredients: Water
Size: 2, 4, 8, 12, or 32 oz.
Flavored/Scented: No

Best for Vaginal Dryness

Lola Personal Lubricant

There is a lot to love about this lube, especially that it’s hydrating and moisturizing without containing additives. The formula doesn’t have any synthetic flavors or fragrances, and it’s pH-balanced so as to not cause a reaction in your genital area. I’ve used this lube during my solo love sessions and noticed that it absorbs easily and leaves my vulva and vagina feeling like they just drank the most refreshing glass of water.  

Key ingredients: Water
Size: 1.7 oz.
Flavored/Scented: No

Best Flavored

Wicked Simply Passion Fruit

This is Dr. Queen’s favorite flavored lube. “It’s delicious—like, I-would-flavor-my-water-with-it delicious,” she laughs. “Sorbitol and stevia add sweetness, and it’s enhanced with olive leaf extract, which may have an antimicrobial effect.” 

There are a couple of things to point out here. For one, Wicked says folks can use this lube internally. “I never recommend flavored lube use in the vagina or anus,” says Dr. Queen. “In my opinion, it should be kept to oral play.” Also, while Dr. Queen thinks that this has a really nice flavor, she points out that some people may find it too sweet.

Key ingredients: Water, olive leaf extract, and stevia
Size: 2.3 and 4 oz.
Flavored/Scented: Flavored

Most Like Body Fluids

Personal Fav Whet

Though I’ve tried dozens of lubricants, I’d never heard of Personal Fave. In testing it for this article, I was really impressed with how life-like it is. This plant-based sex serum, as Personal Fav branded the product, contains horny goat weed and hemp. It also comes in a chic, matte black bottle with sky blue font on it. It has a single-hand dispenser, which makes it so easy to use, and hydrating aloe to soothe any friction you feel. I used this with a wand vibrator and didn’t notice any damage to it—but I did notice how sultry this lube felt.

Key ingredients: Aloe vera, chamomile, horny goat weed, ginseng, and hemp
Size: 1 oz.
Flavored/Scented: No

Thickest Consistency

Good Vibes Good Lube Gel Lubricant

“Our Good Lube Gel is thicker than most lubricants, and we tested it to be as safe for sensitive individuals as possible,” says Dr. Queen, adding that this pick is also pH-balanced. Because it’s a thicker consistency, you feel more cushion, so to speak. According to Dr. Queen, this water-based lube would work especially well for anal play. This formula doesn’t contain glycerin, flavors, or fragrances, which makes it perfect for those who have sensitivities. One thing about this, though, is that the squeeze top isn’t ideal—especially since this has a thicker consistency. If you have trouble squeezing the product out, take the top off and try that way.

Key ingredients: Water, plant cellulose
Size: 2 and 8.5 oz. 
Flavored/Scented: No

Best Organic

Good Clean Love Almost Naked Personal Lubricant

Dr. Queen likes the Good Clean Love Almost Naked water-based lube because it’s “really comfortable to use.” It’s also pH-balanced, organic, non-sticky, good for those with sensitivities, and lightly flavored. Since it does have a slight taste, you might not want to grab this if you’re looking for something more straightforward. This is the best organic pick because it’s 95 percent certified organic ingredients and free of petrochemicals, parabens, glycerin, and artificial fragrances. I tried this for myself and found that it was a bit too sticky for my liking, but there are troves of others who swear by this natural lube. 

Key ingredients: Aloe, agar
Size: 4 oz.
Flavored/Scented: Light flavor