Are Edible Lubricants Really Edible?

As I was updating the links on this fantastic article about edible personal lubricant, I decided to move it to my main website at Vibrator Gifts.  Please review it there.

You would assume that something which is called "flavored" is really safe to eat. However, there are many things which are flavored that are not designed to be consumed. Take, for instance, flavored mouth wash: tastes great, but you're supposed to spit it out when you are done. Is it the same with sex lubes that are flavored, or are you really allowed to eat them? This hub explains the differences between edible and non-edible lubricants so you can decide whether your personal lubricant is acceptable to swallow, or if you should only taste it. This article contains the following information:

• Can you swallow water-based lubricants?
• KY Jelly Ingredients
• Can you swallow silicone personal lubricant?
• Silicone Personal Lubricant Ingredients
• Can you swallow flavored lubricant?
• Are Petroleum Based Lubricants edible?
• Are Oil-Based Lubricants edible?

Eating Personal Lubricant

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Just about any water-based or silicone based lubricant is safe to eat. The base ingredients of both water-based and silicone lubricants are either digestible or inert, which means they will not react with your digestive tract and pass through your body.

Can you swallow water-based lubricants?

Just about any water-based lubricant is safe to eat. It is safe to consume residue amounts that would occur from engaging in oral sex (unless it is flavored edible lubricant, which are designed to be consumed in larger amounts). The base ingredients of most water-based lubricant are digestible, but there are a few chemicals you don't want to consume large amounts of. For example, lets examine one of the most widely used water-based sexual lubricants -- KY Jelly. The ingredients of KY Jelly are glycerine, hydroxyethyl cellulose, chlorhexidine gluconate, glucono delta-lactone, methylparaben and sodium hydroxide.

KY Jelly Ingredients

Glycerine

Glycerine is also known as glycerol and glycerin. If you look at the wrapper of a Hershey's chocolate bar, you will find glycerin as an ingredient. Glycerine is a byproduct of vegetables and safe to eat.

Hydroxyethyl Cellulose

This is a gelling and thickening agent produced from cellulose. Cellulose is a tasteless, odorless, colorless substance found in the cell walls of green plants. Cellulose is similar in composition to sugar; like sugar its base elements are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. We eat cellulose every day when we consume soft green plants. This ingredient is safe to digest.

Chlorhexidine Gluconate

This is an anti-bacterial substance found in many mouthwashes. It is used in KY Jelly for anti-septic purposes. According to official FDA information at drugs.com regarding Chlorhexidine Gluconate:

Ingestion of 1 or 2 ounces of Chlorhexidine gluconate oral rinse by a small child (~10 kg body weight) might result in gastric distress, including nausea, or signs of alcohol intoxication. Medical attention should be sought if more than 4 ounces of Chlorhexidine gluconate oral rinse is ingested by a small child or if signs of alcohol intoxication develop.

This sounds to be a little concerning. However, you would have to consume large quantities of KY Jelly for this to be a problem. This says you should seek medical attention if a small child consumes more than 4 ounces. KY Jelly is often sold in 2 oz bottles. That means you would have to break open 2 new tubes of KY Jelly and consume both entirely to be bothered with seeking medical attention. That is assuming the contents was 100% chlorhexidine gluconate, which being 3rd ingredient on the list is impossible (it cannot consist of more than 32% at most). Chlorhexidine gloconate is safe to consume in the small quantity that would be associated with residue KY Jelly being accidentally swallowed during oral sex.

Glucono Delta-Lactone

Gluco delta-lactone, is also known as gdl. Gluco delta-lactone is a food additive and is considered GRAS (generally recognized as safe) by the FDA. It is most commonly used in honey, wine and fruit juice. Nutritionally, gdl is a carbohydrate.

Methylparabe

Methylparaben is another food additive that is recognized by the FDA as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) for ingestion. Methylparaben is a substance allowed by the FDA to be used as an artificial flavor.

Sodium Hydroxide

Normally, consumption of Sodium Hydroxide isn't a good idea. In its concentrated form, this is lye. It is very caustic and can severely damage skin. However, did you know that sodium hydroxide is sometimes added to drinking water to make it potable? There are also food preparation uses of sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide, in small quantities, can be used to stabilize pH levels. Materials that are heavily acidic (low pH) or heavily caustic (high pH) can damage skin. However, using sodium hydroxide to raise an overly-acidic mixture to neutral pH makes its end result non-damaging to skin or the digestive tract.
The purpose of KY Jelly is to provide a pleasant-feeling lubrication for the skin. A high pH mixture of sodium hydroxide would not be very pleasant feeling. In fact, lye (concentrated form of sodium hydroxide) is what some criminals use to dissolve skin tissue of people they've murdered, to hide the bodies. We can assume that KY Jelly is using sodium hydroxide to balance the pH of its formula to be a safe neutral pH (neither caustic or acidic).
This is the most exhaustive explanation of the ingredients of KY Jelly you will find on the internet, in regards to the safety of consuming KY Jelly. In conclusion, there are two ingredients that have the potential of being problematic, chlorhexidine gloconate and sodium hydroxide. The amount of chlorhexidine gloconate found in KY Jelly will not cause serious problems; there isn't enough in an entire tube to give a <>
Therefore, is it safe to consume a small quantity of KY Jelly that may be accidentally ingested during oral sex? Yes, it is entirely safe.

Can you swallow silicone personal lubricant?

The base ingredients of all silicone lubricants are entirely safe to eat. This is not to say that some products might not have additional chemicals to be concerned with. In general, the ingredients of silicone based lubricants are inert, meaning they do not react with skin or digestion whatsoever.

Silicone Personal Lubricant Ingredients

All silicone sex lube is comprised of at least three base ingredients, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, and Cyclomethicone. When these three ingredients are combined, it becomes silicone personal lubricant. All of these ingredients are inert.
Metis Black is the owner of Tantus Silicone, the largest silicone toy manufacturer in the US. She says the following regarding using silicone as a personal lubricant in this 2005 article:

How can silicone be so safe when leaking silicone breast implants can be fatal? Let me explain what happens regarding implants.
Theoretically, silicone breast implants should be safe because the silicone encapsulated in the breast form is inert, right? Even when leaking they shouldn’t interfere with any chemistry. Here’s what no one counted on this loose silicone in your blood system, while inert, is still a foreign body. It isn’t absorbed into your blood like saline. Your white blood cells recognize the silicone and try to fight this nvader. If the silicone adheres to a bone; your white blood cells attack the bone. Silicone lube never hits your bloodstream. It’s in your digestive tract and protected by skin no matter which orifice you put it in-even if you swallow a little. (emphasis mine)

Silicone lubricant is inert. Its safety is reflected in its many medical uses. Silicone is used to lubricate hypodermic needles so they are more easily injected. In addition, silicone lube is used by fertility clinics to aid in insemination. Being inert, the silicone does not interfere with the implanted egg. "No matter which orifice you put it in", means it is safe when used vaginally, anally or in your mouth and ingested.

Can you swallow Flavored Lubricant?

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Thus far I've discussed consuming personal lubricant that isn't specifically designed to be eaten, and came to the conclusion that, in general, water-based and silicone based lubricants are safe to digest in quantities typically expected when engaging in oral sex after sex lube is applied. Now we come to flavored lubricants and ask the same question, are they safe to swallow?
Unless the package says otherwise, flavored lubricants are safe to consume. With the possibilities of being ingested in mind, flavored lubes are that much more likely to be safe for consumption. There are federally mandated regulations that are required to be met by companies producing items that are edible or flavored, and all mainstream quality personal lubricants that are flavored will be produced to meet FDA required guidelines. Flavored mouthwashes specifically state they are not to be ingested. If your flavored lube doesn't say "do not swallow" or otherwise warns of potential risks of consumption, then the flavored lubricant is safe to eat.
The most popular flavors of sex lube are cherry and strawberry, which comprise nearly 84% of the searches for specific flavored personal lubricants.

Are Petroleum Based Lubricants Edible?

Do not eat them. Petroleum is a by-product of refining oil. While mineral oil may be considered good for conditioning the skin, the MSDS sheet for mineral oil (material data safety sheet - required by the US Federal Occupational Safety Health Administration) states the following

IF INGESTED: Do NOT induce vomiting because of aspiration hazard. If victim is
conscious,give 1 to 3 glasses of water or milk and contact physician or Poison Control
Center. May act as laxative.

If the recommended course of action on ingestion is to call the poison control center, I'd say that its a good bet petroleum based lubes are not safe to consume.

Are Oil-Based Lubricants Edible?

This one is a little tricky. It depends on the ingredients of the lubricant.
On one hand, olive oil is popularly used as a personal lubricant, contains oil and you can certainly eat it. If you read this article about using olive oil as a personal lubricant, the general consensus is that it works great. Another example that comes to mind that are food-based oils and popular as sex lube is coconut oil. I would not recommend using these types of oils if you have ever had a problem with yeast infection.
On the other hand, I have a personal lubricant sales business and I don't have any product available to me that is flavored or marketed as edible that is also oil-based. I've done some research and I haven't found any products that are flavored and oil-based. I've researched the internet and haven't found anyone saying that any commercially available oil-based lubricants are safe to eat or flavored.
Why is this? Is it because they may become rancid if they are produced to be edible? I'm not exactly sure, if anyone knows the answer I'm sure everyone would appreciate you leaving a comment. Otherwise, I'd recommend that you do not eat oil-based lubricant unless the product specifically states that it is edible.
In conclusion: of the many types of personal lubricant available today, flavored lubricants are exciting and can spice up oral sex, making it enjoyable. Other ideas to make sex more enjoyable -- consider using sex toys. Do not be concerned if you accidentally ingest small amounts of sex lube that are water based or silicone based.

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