Page 33 - AVN Intimate Summer 2019

Cream is our original lubricant.”
The manufacturer’s offerings have
branched out to cover every gender, lifestyle
and sexual orientation. In addition to the
original formula, Elbow Grease Creams also
includes Light, Hot & Cool formulations.
In addition, B. Cumming also offers Fusion
Silicone Bodyglides and Encounter for
women.
Sometimes the name says it all. Boy Butter,
founded in 2003 by Eyal Feldman, originally
white-labeled its products from Mr S in San
Francisco. But within two years, Feldman
came up with his own idea: an oil-based
product that easily washed away with water.
The formula is a coconut oil-based cream that
has since become a hit in the gay market.
“This was a product that I thought was
absolutely amazing ... it was an oil-based
product, but it came off with water. And
most oil-based products on the market were
messy,” Feldman told AVN in previous
company profile. “I thought that was my
biggest selling point.”
He broke away and found a laboratory
that produced a formula he was even more
pleased with. He convinced his dad to invest
in the company in April 2005 and started to
offer smaller sizes.
“The people who use Boy Butter absolutely
love it,” Feldman said. “A lot of people
were buying it as gag gifts at first, and then
the people who it was given to used it and
actually kept re-buying it. The word of mouth
has spread.”
Let It Ride
Another component just as important as
packaging is marketing. More than a decade
ago, Sliquid released its first Ride Dude Lube,
which eventually became the Ride Bodyworx
brand.
“Male customers are different than female
customers. They shop differently. They think
differently. They have different needs. For
that reason, Ride was created to appeal to
the male customer who is conscious about
the quality of product they use,” said Erik
Vasquez, marketing director for Sliquid and
Ride Bodyworx. “Not all men care about
ingredients, but they should … and of course
they all want a product that performs well.”
Because the needs of a penis and a vagina
are different, Vasquez said, including using
lubricants topically as opposed to internally,
people will look for different qualities in their
lubricant. Whereas a woman might want one
that is thicker for more comfort, a man usually
wants something that lasts longer and is ultra-
slick. It’s for that reason, he said, Ride Lube is
formulated for the male anatomy.
“Case in point, Sliquid’s hybrid lube in their
men’s line Ride has 12 percent silicone and
Sliquid’s hybrid lube Silk has 9 percent,” Elle
Chase said. “It’s that extra silicone may make
a difference to a consumer with a penis. The
same principle is applied to Ride’s water-
based lube—it contains ingredients that makes
it more slippery than a straightforward water-
based lube.
“This is why Ride has Stroke Oil made
specifically for masturbation, where Sliquid
doesn’t offer an oil-specific lube because
they don’t recommend using oil internally/
vaginally,” she added.
Vasquez said everything from the
ingredients used to the manufacturing process
makes Ride products among the best. Ride
Water-Based uses purified water filtered five
times. Ride Stroke Oil uses a proprietary blend
of high quality nut and seed oils, silicone
and shea and mango butters. The higher
concentration of silicone in Ride Silk Hybrid
delivers less friction and better slip.
But it’s not just Ride that focuses on
men. Recently, Sliquid partnered with FTM
performer and activist Buck Angel to create
T-lube.
“Our owner, Dean Elliott, has been good
friends with Buck Angel for many years. Buck
mentioned to Dean that he was experiencing
uncomfortable, physical issues due to his
transition, so they began to brainstorm how
a lubricant (Sliquid’s wheelhouse) could
be of assistance,” Vasquez said. “Being that
Sliquid is a huge champion of the LGBTQ+
community, we saw an opportunity to offer
FTM persons an accessible, affordable way
to address the dryness and discomfort that
is associated with transitioning. From this
collaboration to address the needs of Buck and
others in his community, T-Lube was born.”
Vasquez admits some might see T-lube as
a niche product for a niche market, but said
Sliquid sees it as a chance to deliver a product
to a consumer base largely ignored.
“While it may be niche in the grand scheme
of things, the fact is that there are millions
of transgender people across the globe,” he
said. “These people, much like cisgender men
and women, want a product that specially
addresses their needs and that speaks directly
to their community.
“I always like to remind people that
FTM are men and can’t be left out of the
conversation when it comes to men’s
products.”
Finally, there’s a brand-new name just
hitting the market: Bucked, a new line
from lube giant United Consortium, parent
company of System JO.(The name is, as Buck
Angel does not hesitate to point out, close to
two of his own brand names: BuckShot CBD-
infused drink and the Buck-Off FTM stroker
from Perfect Fit Brand.)
David Greer of System JO was at the Adult
Male Call Top, Ride Bodyworx rep Erik Vasquez and Sliquid’s Colin Roy.
Below, Stroke Oil from Ride Bodyworx.
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