Welcome to Leafly’s Product Reviews, where we take a closer look at a cannabis gadget, accessory, or consumable, and give it a test spin. Today we’re trying out Good Clean Love’s CBD-infused personal lubricant, CBD CaraGold.
Disclosure: I’m a lot pickier about lube and, by extension, lube companies, than the average consumer. I’ve tried dozens of lubes and know exactly what I like and what I refuse to tolerate.
With that said, I recently tested a new CBD-infused lube from Good Clean Love. The company claims that this lube is a long-lasting silicone alternative which, because of the the addition of CBD, also features analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
CBD CaraGold at a Glance
Product Type: CBD-infused personal lubricant
Manufacturer:Good Clean Love
Ingredients: Organic aloe barbadensis leaf juice, xanthan gum, carrageenan, organic-compliant flavor (EU: aroma), lactic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, dimethyl isosorbide, organic cannabis sativa seed oil
Relevant Ingredient: CBD hemp oil
Initial Impressions
Pros:
- It’s free of irritating chemicals. No glycerin, parabens, propylene glycol, or other nasty chemicals that I warned against in my previous lube recommendations.
- I appreciate the gel texture that stays where you put it. It has a nice viscosity and will sit in a mound on your finger even when it’s upside down. Runny lubes can be so messy and this lube does not have that issue. It also doesn’t get tacky as it dries, which is the downfall of many water-dominant lubes on the market today.
- Good Clean Love is the first personal lubricant company to combine CBD with its lube formulation, which is smart and forward-thinking.
- Because it only contains CBD and not THC, it can be shipped through the mail and sold at any retailer.
Cons:
- The texture leaves much to be desired (for me, at least), and while it transfers sensation well, it almost feels powdery to me, but not in a good way. I don’t think it lasts nearly long enough to be accurately marketed as a “silicone alternative.” I did a couple tests (see below) and was a bit underwhelmed by the results.
- There’s no indication of how many milligrams of CBD are in a bottle of lube and no way to tell how much CBD you’re getting in a “dose” because it’s a self-serve (vs. pre-portioned) container. I’d like to see lab results showing how much CBD is in each bottle.
- It’s being tentatively marketed as latex-friendly. The product’s marketing materials state, “CBD CaraGold is currently in testing for condom compatibility. As it is 90% similar to our other FDA-approved lubricants, we anticipate that CBD CaraGold will also be safe with all condom types.” My sex educator brain is positively screaming about this. Oil degrades latex, and until I see extensive testing that shows that there isn’t enough oil to impact the integrity of the latex, I’m going to suggest that anyone using this lube consider it an oil-containing lube and use non-latex barrier options like nitrile or polyurethane.
- I like my lube to smell like nothing at all. This lubricant smells like aloe and whatever the added aroma (per ingredients) is meant to smell like. I prefer lube to be as unobtrusive as possible, so having a noticeable scent makes the product less appealing for me.
Trying the CBD CaraGold Lubricant
I tried this lube out a few different ways to get a full range of experiences with the product. First, I rubbed it between my fingers, which was disappointing. A pea-sized amount lasted two minutes and fifteen seconds before drying to the point of needing either to be reapplied or to be revived with some water. It absorbs pretty readily into the skin, which is both good for clean up and bad for staying power.
Next, I paired CBD CaraGold with a silicone dildo. A quarter-sized amount of lubricant only lasted through five minutes and eight seconds of stroking before drying to the point of necessary reapplication. (Since I know most dildos–and certainly this one in particular–are larger than the average penis, I only used about 5 inches of the dildo for stroking. The average length of an erect penis is between 5.1 and 5.6 inches, for those curious.)
I used about a half-dollar-sized amount of lubricant on my partner for a hand job, and within a few minutes he requested that I switch to a different lube. He didn’t like the way it felt, either, and it dried out really quickly with skin-to-skin contact. Since I typically use silicone lube for hand jobs with this partner, the experience punched a pretty big hole in Good Clean Love’s “silicone alternative” claim.
Last but not least, I wanted to test how well CBD CaraGold paired with a metal sex toy. Since metal stays incredibly slippery with only a minimal amount of lube, I knew that the lubricant would have plenty of staying power. With that in mind, I wanted to test the product’s other marketed feature: the analgesic properties of CBD. Like many survivors of sexual trauma, I experience vaginismus, or pain with penetration, so I was hoping the CBD present in the lube could provide some pain relief.
I lubed up the toy, inserted it, and felt pain, as usual. The pain eventually dissipated, but it always does for me once I’m warmed up. The difference for me is that when I use a THC-infused coconut oil spray 25 minutes prior to vaginal penetration, I don’t experience the pain that typically comes with initial insertion. With CBD CaraGold, there’s no indication on the box or on the company’s website that this lube requires time to absorb in order to benefit from the CBD. Because of this omission and my personal experience with the product, there’s no reason to think that anyone treating this as a normal lube would benefit instantaneously from whatever CBD is present in the formulation.
My Verdict
Overall, I was underwhelmed by the CBD CaraGold personal lube. If you’re someone who uses metal or glass toys regularly, this product could be useful for you because the otherwise quick absorption will be less of a factor with those materials.
While I appreciate the company’s commitment to creating body-safe lubes and their foresight in getting into the realm of cannabinoid-infused products, there is plenty of room for improvement. I would like to see test results indicating the amount of CBD in each bottle, a distancing from the “silicone alternative” marketing language, and a clear warning on the side of the bottle that this product does contain oil which could degrade latex barriers until testing indicates otherwise.
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