What is the liquid that they often use in Japanese AV?

February 5, 2024 1:40 AM

NSFW question by nature, though also a pretty straightforward one

What it says on the tin. Heck, I went by a well-known Japanese sex store today and asked them, but there were a couple of possibilities and I wasn't sure which.

There are a number of products that are so-called "nuru lotion", but in the Japanese context it seems like "lotion" generally means "lubricant." These were all water-based, and it seemed focused on use on sex-toys etc.

Then there were massage-oils, which were generally oil based. Maybe that's what they use?

Basically, I'm looking for liquid that has that shiny, viscous quality and can be applied to a body. The point is not to serve as lubricant for penetration, really (though that's of course a fine secondary use if it provides it!), more just for the feel/experience. Ideally I want something that is safe to use with condoms, and can be used in a bath tub lol.

posted by damedeshou to Human Relations (7 answers total)

Pepee lotion. [site NSFW]
posted by glonous keming at 4:24 AM on February 5, 2024

Glycerine is often used, it is skin safe and can be purchased inexpensively ($25 a gallon on amazon). It mixes well with water if you want it slippery, or guar gum is a food grade white powder that can be mixed in to thicken it into a slime. Glycerine has a high shine and photographs well, and it has a similar refractive index to water which is great for video. it makes mixing and batching easy. It also cleans easily and is safe for easy disposal down drains. But be cautious with using it "internally" unless you are good with clean up as its sugar based and can feed bacteria. It doens't mix well with oils unless an emulsifier is used, but if you want "bathtub" levels of application then water based is very much a plus and you can mix up a LOT of shiny Glycerine based "gloop" for $100.
posted by samworm at 4:29 AM on February 5, 2024 [2 favorites]

You can buy lube in 55 gallon drums. I don't know if this is what they use in Japanese NSFW content, but it is apparently used in things like lube wrestling events.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:15 AM on February 5, 2024

Just to be clear, you’re asking about liquids that seem to be relatively heavy lube/body oil, and not the similar-ish liquid used (also in body-covering amounts) as “semen,” correct?
posted by Thorzdad at 9:58 AM on February 5, 2024

I suspect the history of Nuru Gel in Japan is a water based gel lubricant that's thickened with seaweed extracts. These days, most commercial volume gel lubricants are going to be a water and glycerine mixture. That's probably what you're seeing in porn videos for a high volume of clear, shiny gel fluid.

The easiest way to replicate that at home is probably to order J-Lube powder, which you can mix with regular water into large volumes of goop in the specific viscosity that you enjoy. J-Lube is a mixture of polyethylene polymer and sucrose, which is going to give it a glycerine-like gel and sheen. Plus an average 40 gallon bathtub could be filled with $60 of J-Lube powder mix, which is a little more affordable than the $1,700 pre-mixed barrel highlighted by Winnie the Proust ;)

If your lubricant might be running onto genitals, and certainly if it is going to be used for any penetration, it is strongly recommended to avoid products with glycerine. Glycerine, while feeling pleasantly slippery, is a sugar alcohol that directly irritates mucus membranes and provides an ecosystem imbalancing food source for yeast infections and other uncomfortable disease.

XLube is also a shiny gel lubricant that comes as a powder and is mixed with water to any viscosity that you want. As pure polyethylene polymer, it has very similar properties to J-Lube or a glycerine based lubricant but is safe for use with genital penetration.

It would be possible to get mineral oil, which is shiny and body safe, in a variety of viscosities. However, cleanup is basically going to involve throwing out any fabric it touches. And it strikes me as potentially dangerous in tub-sized quantities since any floor surfaces are going to be incredibly slippery and difficult to clean without industrial strength degreaser and vigorous scrubbing.
posted by QuixoticGambit at 2:03 PM on February 5, 2024

The JAV-specific Pepee Lotion linked by [glonous keming] looks like mostly water and sodium polyacrylate, which is another gel-forming cross-linked polymer network much like polyethylene. They're adding a little bit of oils that I suspect give both a little extra visual sheen and also a moisturizing feel from the lotion.
posted by QuixoticGambit at 2:12 PM on February 5, 2024 [1 favorite]

Well, this topical application has greased the skids for us all in both thought and practice.
posted by y2karl at 6:46 PM on February 5, 2024