I review sex toys for mypleasure.com. You can find Pjur Power Cream and other lubricants on their site. Disclaimer: Though I am not paid for these reviews (unless you purchase a toy via one of my affiliate links), I do receive free toys in return for my honest opinion.
In 2011 I made one of my goals as a sex toy reviewer to try out a variety of new sexual lubricants. MyPleasure.com just started selling this new “hybrid” lubricant from Pjur. It is considered a hybrid because it has ingredients found both in water-based and in silicone lubes. This stuff is extra thick, some of the thickest lube I have ever seen; it’s so thick that rather than a squeeze bottle or dispenser, the Pjur Power Cream is sold in a little black pot which you scoop from with your fingers. It’s advertised as being especially good for anal play and penetration with large toys.
This lubricant is a thick goop that Pet romantically described as having a snot-like appearance. It has essentially neither flavor nor scent. Power Cream is free of glycerin and parabens, two ingredients which cause yeast infections or allergic reactions in many users. The pot is nice and secure — it closes with a snug snapping sound, and has been left in the bed a few times without leaking.
Before I talk about experience of using Power Cream, let’s talk about what is in the ingredients:
- Water
- Dimethicone, a silicone based lubricating agent
- Dimethoconol, another related silicone chemical
- Carbomer, one of various polymers used for thickening
- Sodium Hydroxide, also known as lye. Scary in quantity but commonly used for ph-balancing in tiny quantities.
- Propylene Glycol, a moistening agent found in many water-based lubes and other body products. There are some reports of it causing irritation or yeast infections (more rarely than glycerine).
- Benzyl alcohol, a preservative.
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone, another preservative. It was removed from some cosmetics due to irritation.
- Methylisothiazolinone, another preservative commonly used in cosmetics but about which there are mixed reports of its safety.
As with almost all of these products, they are a mixture of very safe ingredients with those which might be questionable. This still has better ingredients than most of the products you’ll find in your average lube you’d buy next to the condoms at the grocery store. However, I think it’s up to the individual consumer to educate themselves and decide what they want to put in their bodies, as always. You can read more about this topic in this great article by Domina Doll.
Sadly, despite its thickness Pjur Cream was disappointing in action. It feels good going on, and has a nice slick texture. It’s true that it dries without any sticky residue, but unfortunately it’s a too good at that — its staying power is nothing like what I expected. I tried this lube a number of ways, from masturbation to anal play to fisting, and it dried on skin or in orifices rapidly and needed to be reapplied frequently, even if I started with an excessive amount.
Another drawback of this toy is its jar. While it’s fun to scoop the lube from inside, it presents increased potential health risks if you’re planning to use it with more than one lover. It would be one thing if you only needed to apply once, using clean hands, but the need to reapply so liberally means there is a great chance for contamination to get into the jar.
Honestly I favor purely water-based lubes over silicone for most uses. I love toys so much that I just don’t want to have to worry. The label on the jar of the Power Cream says it is safe for toys, but the truth is I would want to keep it off of all but the highest quality silicone, and even then would be nervous and want to test an area first. Silicone lubes can cause permanent damage to cheap silicone toys.
I wish I could recommend Pjur Power Cream because I had high hopes for it, but in the end the benefits just don’t add up.
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