Lubricants
Silicone based
The longest lasting option, unaffected by water, and the one formula with a genuine material restriction attached to it.
A silicone lubricant is built from silicone polymers, commonly dimethicone and cyclopentasiloxane, with no water in the formula. Nothing evaporates and nothing absorbs, so the layer stays put until it is washed off. That single property makes it the obvious choice in water, for long sessions, and for anyone who finds constant reapplication distracting.
The conflict with silicone objects
Silicone lubricant and silicone objects are chemically related. In contact, the lubricant can swell and soften the surface of the object, producing a tacky patch that does not recover. The severity depends on the formulation of both, which is why some people report no problem and others ruin a favourite piece.
The reliable approach is not to test each combination but to keep the two apart. Water based lubricant with silicone objects, silicone lubricant with glass, steel and rigid plastic, and the question never has to be asked again. The compatibility grid sets out every combination, including barrier methods.
Where it is the better tool
- In a bath or shower, where a water based formula washes away immediately.
- For anal use, where a longer lasting layer reduces the need to interrupt.
- For massage that turns into something else, since the layer survives the transition.
- For anyone whose skin reacts to glycerine or propylene glycol.
Practical drawbacks
Silicone is slippery in ways that reach beyond the intended surface. It makes a bath floor genuinely dangerous, it marks some sheets, and it needs soap rather than water to remove. On skin it feels smooth and slightly powdery once the excess is gone, which some people prefer and others find odd.
Latex condoms are unaffected by silicone lubricant, which is worth stating clearly, since the oil rule is often misremembered as applying to everything that is not water based. Oil degrades latex. Silicone does not. Ranges such as the inWonderstate listing state condom compatibility on each product page.
Storage
Silicone formulas are stable and have long shelf lives, since there is no water to support growth. A bottle left in a drawer for two years is normally fine, which is not true of every water based formula. Keep the nozzle clean, since a residue of silicone collects dust and the bottle becomes unpleasant to handle long before the contents go off.
Removing it afterwards
Silicone does not rinse away with water alone, which is the one practical annoyance. Soap handles it on skin. Fabric is less forgiving: a hot wash with a decent detergent usually works, and repeating the wash before drying is better than treating a stain that has already been through a dryer. Dark towels are a sensible precaution.
On a bath or shower floor, silicone stays slippery long after the session ends. A rinse with hot water and a wipe down is the sensible habit, particularly in a household where somebody else uses the same bath next.