As I’m sure you can imagine lube is one of the most important things for my work. Everyone needs lube with condoms – I know that some women feel self conscious about needing lube, but condoms dry up natural and artificial lubrication and it needs to be replenished regularly during sex with a condom.

Many, many years ago I came across Sylk personal lubricant. It’s made in New Zealand, based on an extract from kiwi fruit (just think how slippery the inside of a kiwi fruit peel is!), it’s organic and PH appropriate – and it feels as natural as any lube I have ever used. I love Sylk and generally buy it in boxes of 50.

Sadly though I have just discovered that Sylk is not currently available – anywhere! Again!

Some years ago the company that manufactures Sylk was sold to an American interest, who (if I remember the story correctly) promptly changed the source of the glycerin used in Sylk to one derived from palm oil (which was cheaper I expect), causing Sylk’s “organic” status to be lost, so the product was withdrawn from sale in Australia. Eventually that issue was resolved and Sylk became available in Australia again.

In the mean time I would buy Sylk online direct from New Zealand and all was well.

However something is rotten in the state of Denmark…

I tend to buy Sylk in bulk once every year or two and my supply is currently running low. So today, I decided to order some more. Sylk is still listed in many online stores, but all but one listed it as “out of stock”. This lead me to ask Google the question “why is Sylk not available”.

The answer is that back in early 2023 Sylk (after another change of ownership) had to recall three batches of their product due to an issue with mold being found in some bottles in the UK. This is extremely disappointing of course as I have used and trusted Sylk literally for the fourteen years I have been a sex worker.

Production still has not been restored and there is only a trickle of supply available globally.

So we come to the “Denmark” question. I was very disappointed to hear that the company had been sold back in 2016. I can understand the original owner’s desire to make the most of their creation, but what is perfectly clear now is that management of the company is not what it used to be and customers who love and rely on the brand are being forced to go else where. To make matters worse the company was sold again in 2023. It really feels like Sylk as a business has lost its way.

Which is where I am left today – trying to figure out the best option for the single most important product that I use almost every day.

So far the best I can find is this: YES Organic Water Based Natural Lubricant 50ml

People online seem to like it as an alternative, so I have bought a bottle and will give it a go. I *really* hope that it is a good as it claims, but only time will tell. Sadly it’s about twice the price that I used to be able to buy Sylk for, although at least part of that will be recent inflation I expect.

I will report back when I receive it and know more.

In the mean time please feel free to drop a comment below on your favourite lube. I’m interested to hear your thoughts: water based, or silicon? Thick, or thin? What works best for you?

John