The Pleasure-Boosting & Vegan-Based Personal Lubricant Brand

The BtBz team is serious about sex. But that doesn’t mean all sex is serious. Intercourse is, after all, a time to explore, to seek new stimulations, and to learn new things. That’s why today we’re highlighting an aptly-named brand that puts this kind of fun and imagination first: Playground.

Playground was founded by three powerhouse women who all saw the value that sex positivity, discussion, and innovative products can have on a community. Among their founders? The pop icon Christina Aguilera, as well as veterans who have brought other major beauty brands to shelves. The brand also works with a sexologist and a medical advisor to inform their products. Their forté? Lubricants with an exciting twist. 

Playground products set the mood using minimalist, hypoallergenic ingredients, while at the same time enhancing arousal and stimulation wherever applied. And they offer a wide range of variety, for the more decisive among us (or for those looking to set a very specific mood).

And while Playground definitely leans towards catching a more feminine eye, don’t be dissuaded. The brand has something for everyone. Let’s get into it.

Mood Makers Intimacy Oil

Ashwagandha. Daisy. Apricot oil. Reishi and cordyceps mushrooms. The Playground Mood Makers intimacy oil blends a mixture of unique scents, essences, and botanical aphrodisiacs intended to soothe your skin, and enhance blood flow and pleasure.

This blend is pH-balanced and toy-safe, although it’s not compatible with latex condoms, as is true of all oil-based products. Its complex, earthy scent can ground you to the moment while the bioactive ingredients heighten sensuality, making it the perfect bedside companion for intercourse and massage sessions alike. 

This oil doesn’t feel tacky or sticky, and has a long-lasting glide. There is a hint of vanilla to the scent, and as the founders explain, you’ll also notice sandalwood and rose. The formula is also incredibly soothing, so you might want to use it as a massage oil after a tough workout or an emotional day. 

Date Night Water-Based Personal Lubricant

Playground’s signature water-based lubricant gives off notes of champagne-soaked strawberries and vanilla essence that is described as a “sparkling kiss.” It combines vitamin E, hyaluronic acid (for lasting hydration), and two known adaptogens. These help to increase blood flow, which is thought to help with sexual arousal! 

The Date Night lubricant comes in a stylish, minimalist bottle that is both playful and discreet. As for performance, the texture is meant to mimic the natural fluids that your body produces. Given that it’s a water-based lubricant, the product does dry up faster than silicone- or oil-based lubes, but is easily re-activated with another seamless application. 

As for that scent? It’s an instant aphrodisiac, just like the bubbly and berries that inspire it.

Love Sesh Water-Based Personal Lubricant

The Playground Love Sesh water-based lubricant combines a powerful trifecta: Ashwagandha, for increasing blood flow and improving orgasms; horny goat weed, for arousal; and black cohosh, for decreasing vaginal dryness. (These adaptogens are pleasure-enhancing herbal stimulants that may have the ability to lower stress levels and increase sensation.) All this in stylish packaging made from 100-percent recycled plastic. 

Other winning ingredients in Love Sesh include vitamin E, vitamin C, and fermented bamboo extract, a plant-based alternative to silicone. This formula melts over the body and feels like it’s barely there, so you can focus on the natural feeling and lightweight texture on your skin. 

As it’s a water-based lube, it’s safe to use with toys and latex condoms. Love Sesh is also a fragrance-free lubricant, so if you are sensitive to smells, this one could be for you!

Mini Escape Water-Based Personal Lubricant

Sex that feels like vacation? Playground’s got you covered with their Mini Escape.

This lubricant is all things beachy and tropical, primarily because it smells like coconuts and mai tais. (In other words, those who are prone to UTIs or who are sensitive to fragrance should keep an eye out, and test it on a less personal part of the body before intimate use.) Mini Escape also features the brand’s signature trifecta of adaptogens: Ashwagandha, horny goat weed, and black cohosh. 

The bottle comes in Playground’s pastel pink, with minimalist light blue labeling that invokes the color of a calm Carribean day. Like their other water-based lubricants, this one is compatible with condoms (because let’s be honest — even mistakes made on vacation can have real impacts). 

The product can take your sensory systems into vacation mode with the coconut-like scent and silky application that reduces friction and keeps your body prepared for touch. 

After Hours Water-based Personal Lubricant

For those that like their intimacy with a more mysterious edge, consider the After Hours water-based lubricant. This lubricant has both a musk and oud wood essence, the combination of which results in a deeply sensual and full scent. Even so, it’s not too overpowering for people who are sensitive to scent — though if fragrance irritates your skin, test this in an unobtrusive place before introducing it to your private parts.

Like all of Playground’s water-based lubricants, After Hours is formulated to be ultra-concentrated so that a little bit goes a long way. Which can only mean one thing: An all-nighter is in the cards for all who use it. 

After Hours’s formula feels natural at first touch, while its dark, sexy scent is sure to get you in the mood. It easily glides over the genitals and skin, and leaves no sticky residue.