The 6 Best Lubes & Oils Of 2023

If you’re not already regularly using lubricants or sex oils, you need to get on this. It reduces friction and makes the whole experience that much more pleasurable, whether you’re with a partner or engaging in some quality one-on-one time with a toy. Plus, modern sexual wellness brands have placed their lubes in pretty packaging, which several of our testers said could easily pass for luxe skin care items. (Though, isn’t a good lube essentially a skin care item?) Here, BDG staffers highlight some of our favorite lubes and oils of 2023, from a tingly gel to a CBD-infused oil to a champagne-scented lubricant. Come on, slide on in.

Don’t fear the “champagne and vanilla” scent. This plant-based, vegan, water-based lubricant has a subtle strawberries-and-cream note that’s sensual, not saccharine or overpowering. “The lube itself is silky smooth and delightfully thick, so it doesn’t immediately drip off (onto your freshly washed sheets) when you apply it to a finger,” says Bustle senior fashion editor Kelsey Stiegman. Another BDG staffer loved that she only needed to apply it once, no awkward midcoitus reapplication necessary. Our testers also loved the playful packaging. As Stiegman put it: “Finally, a lube I can display on my nightstand!”

This handy little kit includes three of Foria’s popular CBD-infused sexual wellness products, perfect for anyone who wants to dabble in the experience. (The idea is that CBD enhances blood flow, theoretically enhancing pleasure and sensation when used in a lube.) You’ve got the Awaken Arousal Oil and the Sex Oil, both of which were effective at getting the job done. The kit also includes two Intimacy Melts, which you insert vaginally or anally about 30 to 60 minutes before go time, “allowing you to simply get down to business without needing to stop and apply lubricant,” says one BDG staffer who especially liked that feature.

A water-based personal lubricant, this one “glides on like a face serum, and I love a product that feels like skin care,” says Alyssa Lapid, a Bustle staff writer. It looks like a high-end serum, too, with a clear glass bottle that gives the product such a luxe look that even a shyer tester felt comfortable leaving it out on her nightstand. Our testers appreciated the fact that it’s unscented and felt slippery, not sticky. “You’re definitely not left feeling like you need to run to the shower to wash it off right after,” Lapid said.

A water-based lubricant made with 95% organic ingredients, Unbound’s Jelly lubricant was effective and non-irritating (with a pH between 4.3 and 4.8), a relief for some of our more sensitive testers. “I’m picky about lubes because my skin sometimes reacts poorly, but this wasn’t irritating at all,” says one tester. The lube’s consistency is on the thicker side, “which seemed to pair well when used with some of the toys,” that tester adds.

If you like some extra sensation in a lube, this one might be for you. Made with organic peppermint oil extract, Unbound’s Jolt Gel gives “a pleasing little tingle,” one tester says, describing it as not too strong but not too subtle, either. “It felt a little weird at first, honestly, but after a few seconds I ended up loving it,” says another BDG staffer. “There was also this warming sensation after applying, which I loved immediately.”

“Why don’t more lubes come with a pump?” says one tester who loved the packaging on this one. Bonus: The chic amber bottle wouldn’t look out of place in and amongst your other luxe skin care products. This is a vegan, cruelty-free personal lubricant that is slippery, not sticky, and creates a lovely warming sensation in case you’d like to literally heat things up in the bedroom. “After trying a few scented options, I ended up loving that this one was unscented,” one BDG staffer says. “It made things feel sexier somehow.”