What's Really In Your Lubricant? (You Might Want to Sit Down for This)

There is something that isn't being talked about - and I'm going to change that.

As I was developing Private Glow to launch Soluna For Women, part of my process was making sure the formula was truly unique: something that could provide real moisture both during sex and for daily use. I even have the concept patent pending.

To create something different, you have to research the competition - what ingredients they're using, what those ingredients actually do, and where they come from. What I found was shocking, disturbing, and honestly… pretty gross.

Let me be upfront: I am not a chemist, a biochemist, or a doctor. But I do have common sense - and that turned out to be enough.

The companies I researched are counting on the fact that most people don't look deeper than the surface. These products are often used in the heat of the moment, and nobody's stopping to Google the ingredient list. This is where I came in.

I set out to create an all-natural product. But what I discovered along the way is that what other major companies are doing is, in my opinion, deeply unethical.

The Ingredients You Deserve to Know About

The companies I researched are among the top 10 in intimate moisture - lubricants designed for internal use. I won't name them here, but they're easy to find. What's harder to find is a plain-language breakdown of what's actually inside those bottles.

Here's what the majority of them share:

Propylene Glycol - Derived from propylene oxide, a byproduct of petroleum refining and biodiesel production.

Carbomer - An acrylic acid polymer, also derived from petroleum refining.

Polyquaternium-7 and -15 - Polyquaternium-7 is made from rubber, plastic, and nylon. Polyquaternium-15 may appear safe in its original form, but as it breaks down with use, it converts to formaldehyde. Both are lab-created.

Dimethicone - A synthetic silicone-based polymer that is non-biodegradable and classified as a microplastic.

Cyclomethicone D4 and D5 - Considered safe for human use, but flagged for environmental persistence, bio-accumulation, and low-level endocrine disruption.

Sodium Hydroxide - A highly corrosive substance in concentrated form, commonly found in drain cleaners and oven cleaners. Even in refined form, it can cause skin irritation and burns - and is typically handled with gloves.

What's even more shocking? Many of these products combine several of these ingredients in a single formula. And here's something you may not know: those same companies reformulate their products for the European Union, where these ingredients aren't permitted, using more natural, less harmful alternatives. In the US, however, the FDA deems them "safe."

The Part That Really Got Me

I cannot market my all-natural product as a lubricant without paying for an FDA medical device license. That's right - lubricants are regulated as medical devices. Which means the FDA is officially approving petroleum derivatives, synthetic polymers, and formaldehyde-releasing compounds for intimate internal use.

I'll let that sink in.

It's hard not to connect the dots when you look at the rise in PCOS diagnoses, fertility challenges in both men and women, increasing rates of prostate issues, hysterectomies being performed at younger and younger ages, and the uptick in uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancers. Is it a stretch to wonder whether the repeated breakdown of our body's natural barriers - caused by the very products designed to support intimacy - could be playing a role? Maybe. But common sense says it's worth asking.

Of the top companies in this space, only two use fully natural formulations. One is mine. The other is currently being pushed out by larger players in the industry.

What's Next

I'm planning a deep dive - real research, real experts, chemists, doctors, and patients - and I intend to bring this to the media and produce a documentary on this topic.

Until then: read your labels. Research what you're putting in and on your body. You deserve to know.