Osmolality and pH Properties of Some Commercial Lubricants

Like other intimate care products, there is a very specific route of exposure to these products as they are applied directly to the vagina. Recent research indicates that many lubricants on the market can have longer term detrimental effects on vaginal tissue. In fact, there is growing consensus among scientists that the vast majority of lubricants need to be reformulated to be safer than they are now. In 2012, the World Health Organization issued an Advisory Note highlighting their concerns about the pH and osmolalities of lubricants, which included testing results of currently marketed lubricants.  These concerns, were complemented by the work of several other researchers shortly after.

These lists include brand names of lubricants and the pH levels and osmolalities of each product. The WHO recommends using a lubricant with a pH of 4.5 and an osmolality below 1200 mOsm/kg.
Table [1]. Table [2]. Table [3].

For more information on osmolality and pH properties in lubricants, read the fact sheet, “Slippery Slope: Potential Hazards of Lubricants for Women”

Table 1.

Data in Table 1:
World Health Organization (2012) Use and procurement of additional lubricants for male and female condoms: WHO/UNFPA/FHI360 Advisory note. Department of Reproductive Health and Research. 2012. Available at: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/76580/1/WHO_RHR_12.33_eng.pdf

Table 2.

Data in Table 2:
Cunha AR, Machado RM, Palmeira-de-Oliveira A, Martinez-de-Oliveira J, das Neves J, and Palmeira-de-Oliveira R (2014) Characterization of Commercially Available Vaginal Lubricants: A Safety Perspective. Pharmaceutics No. 6, pp. 530-542; 2014. Available at: http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/6/3/530

pH and osmolality values of tested products. Results are presented as the mean ± SD (n = 2-3)

(a) Desirable pH values are around normal vaginal values (3.5-4.5); (b) desirable and acceptable values are 380 and 1200 m0sm/kg, respectively, as recommended by the WHO.

Table 3.

Data in Table 3:
Dezzutti CS, Brown ER, Moncla B, Russo J, Cost M, Wang L, Uranker K, Kunjara Na Ayudhya RP, Pryke K, Pickett J, Leblanc MA and Rohan LC. (2012)   Is wetter better? An evaluation of over-the-counter personal lubricants for safety and anti-HIV-1 activity.  PLoS One.7(11):e48328.  2012.  Available at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048328