Astroglide vs KY: Choose the Perfect Lube

There are a wide variety of personal lubricants on the market, which makes it hard to choose the perfect one for your bedroom needs. Of course, one of the most common comparisons is Astroglide vs KY, due to the popularity of these two brands and how long they’ve been on the market. If you’re considering adding some lube to your sexual adventures but aren’t sure which one to choose, check out the information we’ve found on what each brand has to offer.

Quick Comparison

The creation of Astroglide wasn’t intentional. Daniel X Wray, a young rocket scientist who was working on the Space Shuttle Enterprise, accidentally produced it when creating a substance to improve heat transfer in the shuttle orbiter’s cooling system. After hundreds of experimental versions were tested, he finally found the perfect formula, which has been updated and altered to create the various Astroglide products used today.

KY Jelly was created in New York City in 1904, though it wasn’t allowed to be sold in stores until 1980. This brand prides itself on being part of the world’s sexual revolution, even though their popular lubricant didn’t get its first ad until 1997. Since then, KY has become one of the top names in terms of sexual health, with a range of products to choose from.

Lube Comparison

Main Features Comparison

If you’re going to compare KY lubricant vs Astroglide, there are several features that you may want to look at. This will help you determine which the best one to meet your needs is.

Flavors

When comparing the flavors of KY Jelly vs Astroglide, you’ll notice that KY doesn’t have any tasty flavor options to choose from. They only have the regular flavor, which many people don’t find to be very pleasant, so you likely won’t want to use this before oral sex.

Astroglide has a variety of options, though it also doesn’t have a lot to offer when it comes to flavored lube. They do have their Astroglide Strawberry Liquid, though, which offers both the taste and scent of strawberry for you to enjoy.

Both Astroglide and KY feature a wide choice of flavors to try

Basic ingredients

Astroglide X comes in 2 types. The ingredients are different when you compare the Astroglide gel vs Astroglide liquid. The gel contains Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, and coconut oil. The liquid has a much simpler formula, containing only Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, and Cyclohexasiloxane.

KY Jelly’s premium lube also comes in two types. The liquid contains water, PEG-400, propylene glycol, xanthan gum, carbomer, benzoic acid, sodium saccharin, and sodium hydroxide. The KY Jelly gel formula consists of water, propylene glycol, hydroxyethylcellulose, benzoic acid, carbomer, and sodium hydroxide.

Lube type

Though KY has been in business longer, they have fewer lube types Trusted Source Your Guide to Lube for Sex: Types, How to Use and More Before, during, or after — Use lube anytime during sex. But some lubes are better than others, depending on your style. Learn which type is right for you. www.healthline.com to offer. There are their regular liquid and gel lubes, as well as 2 types of silky-feel products, a few natural ones, and some warming options.

Astroglide offers their regular and X line in both liquid and gel formulas, plus they offer gentle, organic, and toy products. There is also a paraben and glycerin-free option, a warming lube, and a flavored one, giving you a wide variety to choose from.

Effects

Most of the lubricants offered by these two brands are designed to keep things wet and moving smoothly during intercourse, but they both also offer a warming option to heat things up in the bedroom. The Astroglide Warming Personal Lubricant and the KY Warming Jelly Lube both add a warming sensation when they come into contact with your skin to increase stimulation and pleasure.

Compatibility

Both Astroglide and KY are compatible with most types of sex toys

Not every type of lubricant is designed to be used with toys but both of these brands do have one to offer for this type of play. The Astroglide Toy ‘N Joy Personal Water-based Personal Lubricant is safe to use with most sex toys without damaging them and cleans up easily when you’re done.

KY also offers a toy-compatible lube. Their KY True Feel Premium product doesn’t specifically say that it is meant for toy use, though it is compatible with several of them. The downside is that it is silicone-based, so it can’t be used with any silicone toys.

Price

The prices vary when it comes to each of these brands. For the original products from both of these brands, KY seems to be a bit more expensive for the same size of bottle. Of course, both brands have a few different options to pick from, with the specialty items costing somewhat more than the regular lubricants.

Thickness

Astroglide’s formula has been updated in recent years to make it a bit thicker than the original product. Though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to application, during use it can become sticky and even stringy after a while. You can apply more to help combat this, though this means that you’ll go through it faster, requiring more frequent purchases.

KY is a bit thick as well, though it doesn’t have the same issue with a sticky, stringy texture during intercourse. It stays the same texture throughout the session.

The thickness of the lube determines its stickiness

Duration

Astroglide has a long-lasting texture. Despite the sticky, stringy issues that we described above, it does last a long time, even for those marathon sessions that seem to go on forever. This is because these products are designed to keep things moving smoothly, no matter how long you and your partner can last in the bedroom.

Unfortunately, KY Jelly doesn’t offer the same duration. It tends to dry off somewhat quicker, so you may need to apply more during your session, even if it isn’t any longer than usual. This could require more frequent purchases to keep your lube in stock when you need it. This lack of duration in this product is likely due to the fact that this product was originally designed to be used during pelvic exams rather than intercourse, so isn’t made for prolonged movement during intercourse.

Cleaning

Cleaning up is easy after using either of these types of lubricants, which is fantastic since you likely won’t want to spend a great deal of time scrubbing yourself, your sheets, or any toys you’ve used after a vigorous sexual session. Astroglide and KY both offer lubricants that are clear and non-staining for the liquids. Even the gels won’t be too difficult to remove, despite the thicker texture they have to offer, though you may have to spend a bit more time washing them off.

Astroglide and KY are easy to clean and they won’t stain toys and clothes

Safety

Though none of Astroglide’s silicone formulas contain parabens, some of the other ones might, to help eliminate microbial growth. Astroglide’s lubricants don’t contain any irritants, though, like fragrances or dyes, so they shouldn’t cause any allergic reactions Trusted Source Are Lubricants Safe? Potential Hazards of Lubricants for Women Researchers are becoming increasingly concerned about the potential longer term health effects of exposure to lubricants and how they impact women’s health. www.womensvoices.org when used unless you are sensitive to one of the basic ingredients in the formula. There is a natural lube from Astroglide if you want to be extra careful.

KY’s original formulas also contain parabens and glycerin, the first of which can cause irritation, while the second may lead to yeast infections. There is a natural option available that does leave these ingredients out of the formula if you prefer this brand over the others on the market.

In conclusion

When comparing Astroglide vs KY lubricants, there are a few features that may have you leaning towards one over the other. Astroglide has a longer-lasting formula, with a few specialty items to offer that KY doesn’t have, like flavored or toy-specific lubes. KY’s formulas are all water-based, so are more compatible with silicone toys, plus it has a more consistent texture. There is no right choice, though, since which you pick will likely come down to personal preference.