.svg)
 (1).svg)
You choose an anal lubricant with three questions: what base it has (water, silicone, hybrid), what your toy is made of and how long it needs to last. To start, and for silicone toys, begin with a water-based one and use plenty. Pain is a signal to stop, and a numbing lubricant hides it without fixing it.
THE BASICS IN 30 SECONDS
- Material: silicone lube on a silicone toy damages the toy. Water-based suits all materials, according to the BCMJ.
- Amount: plenty, on the toy and on the body, and again when you feel friction. No source gives a figure in ml.
- Numbing lubes: the ISSM advises avoiding them, because pain warns you.
- Stop at pain. An object that gets stuck is a reason for the emergency room.
- Clean the toy after use.
In our site chat, questions about anal play split into two: what should a beginner buy, and is there something that won't hurt. The second has an honest answer that not everyone will like, and you will find it in its own section. Products and information for adults, 18+.
Anal lubricant: why it is not like the others
The rectum makes no lubricant of its own and its lining is easily injured by friction, writes the BC Medical Journal (BCMJ, Canada, November 2024). That is why lubricant here is a precondition. We explain the why in the general lubricant guide and how a couple gets started in the article on anal pleasure. Here we stay with choosing the lubricant.
Water, silicone, hybrid: what each one does here
Water-based lubricant suits condoms and silicone toys, does not stain and rinses off, but lasts less time and needs reapplying, according to the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM). Silicone-based lasts longer and the same source calls it often the preferred choice for anal sex, but it damages silicone toys.
A hybrid combines water and silicone. The formula differs from product to product, so the label sets the rule. You will find it in our water-based or silicone lubricant: the general comparison.
The BCMJ also notes drawbacks of water-based lubes: some contain polymers that raise osmolality, and many contain preservatives that may irritate. This does not apply to all of them and the label rarely says so. If you are sensitive, ask a pharmacist.
In practice, and as a shop opinion rather than a medical claim: if you are starting out or own a silicone toy, go with water-based. If you have glass, metal or hard plastic and want it to last longer, look at silicone after reading the toy's instructions. Hybrid is the middle road, with the same label check. Oil with a latex condom, never.
Toy material × lubricant type
The table rests on two sources: the table in the BCMJ (Correia, Rabicki, November 2024) and the ISSM. Where neither says anything, we say so openly.
| Material | Water-based | Silicone-based | Hybrid | Oil-based |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicone toy | OK | NO, damages the material | Read the label | The BCMJ accepts it for high-grade silicone |
| Glass | OK | Manufacturer's instructions | Manufacturer's instructions | Manufacturer's instructions |
| Metal | OK | Manufacturer's instructions | Manufacturer's instructions | Manufacturer's instructions |
| ABS, hard plastic | OK | Manufacturer's instructions | Manufacturer's instructions | The BCMJ does not accept it for "other materials or mixed plastics": follow the manufacturer's instructions |
| TPE, TPR, jelly | OK | Manufacturer's instructions | Manufacturer's instructions | As above (BCMJ): follow the manufacturer's instructions |
| Latex condom | OK | OK | Read the label | NO, you risk tearing |
| Polyurethane condom | OK | OK | Read the label | OK according to the BCMJ |
For glass, metal, ABS and TPE we found no medical source that approves or rules out silicone lube, and we won't say "yes" from memory. There, the manufacturer's instruction on the packaging counts. Water-based is the rule that rarely lets you down.
Numbing and "relax" lubricants: what we say honestly
The ISSM writes that lubricants with numbing properties should be avoided, because pain can prevent an injury by showing you when to stop. We agree, even though we sell such products.
If it hurts every time, numbing is not the answer. Check the basics first: add lubricant, go slower and start with a smaller toy, which the ISSM also advises. If it carries on, talk to a doctor.
Products in the numbing anal lubricants category are not all the same. The Mister B LUBE Extreme page says it contains ingredients with "analgesic and anaesthetic action" and that Laureth-9 is not a heavy anaesthetic. The Black Hole page (Analgesic Anal Lubricant, water based) describes it both as "mildly analgesic" and as "the analgesic lubricant par excellence", without naming an ingredient. These are the manufacturers' claims. We won't tell you what a product contains when its page doesn't say, and we won't generalise to all of them.
We wouldn't give a numbing lubricant to someone who is starting out, nor to help them endure something that hurts. If you choose one anyway, remember that your body's alarm is turned down: slower, smaller, and at the first uncomfortable sign you stop.
How much to use and when to reapply
The ISSM speaks of "plenty" of lubricant, not millilitres, and no source we read gives a figure. The guide from the Wellness Centre of the University of British Columbia recommends a generous amount on both toy and body. What we tell people in the shop, as a practice and not a measurement: use more than you think.
Water-based dries sooner, so you reapply as soon as you feel friction or drag. Silicone lasts longer, but the rule in the table applies. For plugs and larger toys, a thicker gel stays in place better.
Don't swap lubricant for whatever you have at home. The BCMJ lists baby oil, petroleum jelly, body and hand lotions and haemorrhoid cream as unsuitable.
When to stop and when to ask a doctor
You stop when it hurts, because that is the signal. The sphincter needs time to relax, so you start small and slow, according to the ISSM. The same source says not to put objects in the rectum that were not made for it, and if something gets stuck, to go straight to emergency care.
Bleeding or pain that persists is a matter for a doctor. We don't give our own criteria and we don't replace an examination. After use, the ISSM asks you to clean the toy every time, to lower the risk of bacterial infection. The ISSM recommends a condom for every anal encounter, to reduce the risk of STIs (it does not protect 100%). You will find more in the lubricant guide.
What we have in the shop
If you are starting out, this is water-based, thick and suits condoms, according to its page:
A cheaper water-based anal gel, which the manufacturer states is latex safe:
INTIMATELINE | SENSILIGHT | Anal Sliding Gel - 150ml
€9.90 €14.90 -34%
In stock, last 2 units
View productA hybrid, for those who want lasting power without staying with pure silicone. The manufacturer says it is compatible with latex and sex toys, but check the label for your own material:
Intimateline | Lubrax | Hybrid Anal Lubricant - 100ml
€14.90 €18.90 -21%
In stock, last 4 units
View productAnd the spray to clean the toy after use (there are more in toy cleaners):
All the anal lubricants are in one category, and the whole range is in lubricants for sex.
Frequently asked questions
Which anal lube should I buy the first time?Water-based, thick, and plenty of it. It suits all materials and condoms, according to the BCMJ. Start with a small toy, slowly.
No lubricant promises that. Amount, speed and size matter more. If it hurts every time, talk to a doctor instead of covering up the pain.
No. The ISSM, the BCMJ and UBC agree that it damages the material. With a silicone plug choose water-based. For glass or metal, ask the manufacturer.
Not with a latex condom, because it raises the risk of tearing, according to the ISSM. The BCMJ accepts it only with certain materials, such as high-grade silicone and polyurethane condoms. We don't recommend it.
Plenty, with no official figure. Put it on the toy and the body, and add more when you feel friction. Water-based needs reapplying more often.
The ISSM says the WHO recommends osmolality below 380 mOsm/kg, but most lubricants exceed it and the label rarely states it. Ask the manufacturer. On glycerin, what is reported concerns the vagina, and we don't transfer it to the rectum.
Have a question?