The majority of personal lubricants available in the market contain glycerin. You may have heard of refined crude alkaline glycerin. We all know that the female intimate area has a slightly acidic environment. If a personal lubricant contains alkaline glycerin, it could potentially have adverse effects on the female intimate area. But is glycerin really harmful to intimate health?
Refined crude alkaline glycerin may sound like it is alkaline, but there's a slight misconception here. The glycerin used in personal lubricants is food-grade glycerin, which is different from industrial-grade glycerin. Food-grade glycerin is neutral, neither alkaline nor acidic. When tested with pH test papers and litmus solvents, the pH value of pure glycerin is neutral. Therefore, the theory that glycerin with an alkaline pH value could harm the intimate area is not valid.
Besides providing excellent lubrication, pure glycerin also has moisturizing and hydrating properties for the skin, making it an excellent lubricant ingredient. This is one of the reasons why glycerin is added to the majority of personal lubricants. In moderation, glycerin can enhance moisture and elasticity. Although glycerin contains the word "oil" in its name, it is water-soluble and can be diluted with water. So there's no need to worry that personal lubricants with glycerin will be difficult to wash off. Water-based lubricants, which contain glycerin, are easy to clean with a simple rinse of water. There's no need to worry about incomplete washing leading to gynecological inflammation due to residual glycerin.
However, while moderate amounts of glycerin do not have adverse effects on the female intimate area, it is not recommended to use glycerin directly as a lubricant during sexual activities. Pure glycerin usually needs to be mixed with purified water or other diluting substances. High concentrations of glycerin are not beneficial for the health of the skin. Therefore, it is best to use lubricants specifically formulated for sexual activities.
