I review sex toys for sextoy.com. You can find Aloe Cadabra and other lubricants on their site.
Lubes are part of a healthy sex life. Even though most of my current sex partners are women with little trouble growing wet (and my circle is sadly lacking in boys right now), there are still times when lube comes in handy, such as during fisting or during initial penetration with a dildo. I’m a bit of a lube snob — I only want the best by my bedside table — but I’m trying to broaden my horizons (such slippery, slippery horizons) by trying new products this year.
It’s become an oft-repeated statement that just because something is natural doesn’t mean that it is good for you. Many substances can be created with minimal human intervention that still aren’t safe to put into our bodies. The debate over whether humans, who are animals after all, should separate themselves this way is for another day. I will agree, however, that the desire to put simpler substances with fewer and simpler ingredients in our bodies is understandable and overall beneficial. Advertised as being made from 95% organic aloe, Aloe Cadabra was recommended as a possible entry in my search for the greatest sex lube.
Aloe Cadabra comes in a few flavors or scents like lavender and Tahitian vanilla but I avoid scented or flavored products which can interfere with a woman’s natural chemistry. I ordered the “natural” variety but unfortunately the results were less than satisfactory. Let’s examine the 5% of this lube which isn’t aloe. What’s on the ingredients list?
- Organic aloe vera gel, as advertised
- Vitamin E oil, which can soothe or protect irritated skin. So far so good, right?
- Xanthan gum, a polysaccharide.
- Citric Acid, for pH balancing.
- Potassium Sorbate, a preservative
- Sodium Benzoate, another preservative
- Organic vanilla essential oil
So even though Live Well Brands advertises this lubricant as “as natural as nature,” they still managed to take a safe, healthy substance (aloe!) add all kinds of adulterants. Why?
Unfortunately, I didn’t do this research until after testing this lube. Aloe Cadabra has a nice, thick texture and I tried it out with Pet on one of her visits, using it with a clean non-porous ceramic sex toy and the condoms we always use. We had barely finished with our play when she began to complain of itching and irritation, and within days she was seeking treatment for a yeast infection.
Now that I am finished with this review, this lube is going somewhere far away where I won’t accidentally use it. Still if you are sure the ingredients are safe for you — or you know you won’t be involving women in your sex play — then this stuff does have a slick, gooey texture that stays wet for a while.
The manufacturers donate 2% of sales to World Health causes (like curing yeast infections?). The packaging is also some of the most discreet I have ever seen. Once you take it out of the box, the bottle says only ‘Aloe Cadabra, Natural Aloe.’ If you’re concerned about prying eyes, there would be nothing to separate it from any other cosmetics product.
Aloe Cadabra is not a good choice for lube, at least where women are concerned. If you’d like a lube which contains aloe but is free from sugars, I recommend Hydra, which I reviewed earlier this year.
Update: The science of this review in its original form was criticized so I’ve removed language blaming any specific ingredient for the irritation. Suffice to say I cannot recommend this lube and its ingredients.
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Disclaimer: I am not paid for these reviews (unless your purchase something via an affiliate link) but I am given free products in return for my honest opinion.
