The best water based lube, ranked by osmolality and pH.

The best water based lube is Good Clean Love Almost Naked: 240 to 269 mOsm/kg, pH 4.7, no glycerin, safe with every condom and every toy. Seven others on our index also land inside the WHO ideal band of 380 or under. The two famous drugstore bottles do not, and we explain why below.

Why water based is the default.

Water based lube is the all rounder, and for most people it is the only type they need. It is safe with latex, polyisoprene, polyurethane and nitrile condoms. It is safe on silicone, glass, steel and plastic toys. It rinses off with water, does not stain sheets, and does not leave a film.

The trade off is that it evaporates. A water based lube needs reapplying in a way silicone does not. And because it is a water solution, it has an osmolality, which is the number that separates a good one from a bad one.

How we ranked these.

Osmolality first. Vaginal secretions sit around 260 to 290 mOsm/kg. A lube far above that pulls water out of the tissue it touches, which is the mechanism behind stinging, drying out an hour later and, in lab studies, damage to the top layer of cells. The WHO advisory on lubricants says 380 or under is ideal and 1,200 is the ceiling. Every pick below has a published value under 380, or close enough that we say so.

pH second. A healthy vagina runs 3.8 to 4.5. The WHO puts the target for a vaginal lube at about 4.5. All eight picks publish a pH range that overlaps that window.

Glycerin third. It is the usual reason osmolality runs high and the ingredient most often blamed for yeast flare ups. All eight picks are glycerin free.

Feel last. Numbers get a product onto the list. Texture and availability decide the order.

We only rank products with published numbers, from FDA 510(k) filings (collected by Weaving Voices) or from the Dezzutti and the Edwards and Panay lab measurements. If a brand publishes nothing, it is not here.

Rank	Product	Osmolality (mOsm/kg)	pH
1	Good Clean Love Almost Naked	240 to 269	4.7
2	Sliquid Organics Natural	106	4.0 to 4.4
3	Astroglide Glycerin and Paraben Free	230 to 300	3.5 to 5.5
4	Astroglide Ultra Gentle Gel	200 to 300	3.5 to 5.5
5	Bloomi Smooth	110 to 140	4.0 to 5.0
6	Coconu Water Based	42 to 46	4.0 to 5.0
7	Hallelubeyah Organic Aloe	50 to 180	4.0 to 5.0
8	Desert Harvest Aloe Glide	300 to 400	4.5 to 5.8

1. Good Clean Love Almost Naked. The benchmark. Iso-osmolar, pH in the healthy range, organic aloe base, and it does not go tacky as it dries. It was one of two products in the Dezzutti study that caused no measurable damage to tissue. Sold in most drugstores and on Amazon.

2. Sliquid Organics Natural. The other product that passed Dezzutti clean. Osmolality of 106 is among the lowest in the literature and the pH range of 4.0 to 4.4 sits inside the healthy window. It is thinner than Almost Naked, so expect to reapply. Fragrance free, glycerin free, paraben free.

3. Astroglide Glycerin and Paraben Free. The drugstore pick. Same shelf as the blue bottle, completely different formula: 230 to 300 mOsm/kg instead of thousands. The FDA pH range (3.5 to 5.5) is wide, which is normal for 510(k) filings and tells you less than a single lab reading would.

4. Astroglide Ultra Gentle Gel. A gel version built for sensitive skin, 200 to 300 mOsm/kg. Gels stay where you put them, which some people prefer and some do not. Good for anyone who has been irritated by lube before.

5. Bloomi Smooth. Plant based, 110 to 140 mOsm/kg, pump bottle, sold at Target. Not certified organic, which only matters if that matters to you. A clean everyday option.

6. Coconu Water Based. The lowest published osmolality on our index at 42 to 46. It is light, almost watery, with a faint coconut note. If you have reacted to everything else, start here.

7. Hallelubeyah Organic Aloe. A small brand with strong numbers, 50 to 180 mOsm/kg. Mostly aloe. Harder to find in stores, easy to find online.

8. Desert Harvest Aloe Glide. The one pelvic floor therapists name most, and the one with a caveat. Its FDA range is 300 to 400, so the top of the range nudges past the 380 ideal. Its pH range, 4.5 to 5.8, runs a little high. Still well under the 1,200 ceiling and still gentle in practice, which is why it stays on the list, at the bottom.

Acceptable, not ideal.

Two bestsellers land between the WHO ideal and the WHO ceiling. #LubeLife Water Based, the Amazon bestseller, measures 600 to 700 mOsm/kg with a pH of 3.6 to 4.5. Pjur Aqua measures 500 to 625 with a pH of 4.1 to 4.7. Both contain glycerin. Both are under 1,200, so neither is in the danger zone, and the pH on each is on target.

If you already own one and it has never bothered you, there is no emergency. If you are buying new, every pick above has better numbers at a similar price. People with recurring irritation, infections or menopause related dryness should pick from the ranked list instead.

The two to skip.

K-Y Jelly measures 2,007 to 2,510 mOsm/kg. The original Astroglide Liquid measures 6,113 to 8,064, the highest reading in the literature. Both are five to twenty times the WHO ideal, and both are over the 1,200 ceiling by a wide margin. Neither is toxic. Both are the reason a lot of people believe they are "sensitive to lube." The pH on each is fine, which is a good reminder that pH is the second number, not the first.

Astroglide's own Glycerin and Paraben Free version, number three above, is the fix.

Getting the most out of a water based lube.

• Reapply, or add water. A drop of water or saliva revives a lube that has started to dry. Do not reach for a thicker gel to solve a problem that is just evaporation.
• Keep it out of the shower. Water based lube rinses away in water. For baths and showers, silicone is the right tool.
• Store it cool. Heat thins aloe formulas and shortens their life. A bedside drawer is fine. A car is not.
• Check the date. Water based lubes expire. Past the date, aloe formulas can separate or change smell.
• Watch the reaction, not the label. If a lube stings, stop using it, whatever the bottle says. If pain, bleeding or recurring infections continue after switching, see a clinician. A lube is not treatment.