When people order Honey, our personal lubricant, the one decision they have to make is which version to pick: aloe-based (water-based) or silicone-based. We get asked about it often, because the two feel and behave quite differently, and the right one depends on what you'll use it for.
Our general guide to personal lubricants covers every type, oils and flavours included. This article is narrower. It puts water-based and silicone side by side on the points that decide most choices, so you can pick one with confidence.
In this article
- The short answer
- How each one feels
- How long each one lasts, and water play
- Washing off, sheets and clothes
- Condoms and toys
- Sensitive skin
- The two versions of Honey, side by side
- How to choose at the checkout
- Frequently asked questions
The short answer
Water-based lube is the everyday choice. It works with every toy material and with latex condoms, and it rinses off with plain water, though it can feel like it dries out during a longer session and you may need to add a little more.
People reach for silicone when they want the glide to last, because it stays slippery much longer and holds up in the shower or bath. The trade-off is clean-up: it's harder to wash off, and it isn't recommended with silicone toys.
If you're unsure, start with water-based. It fits the widest range of uses, and if you find yourself reapplying more than you'd like, that tells you silicone is worth trying.
How each one feels
A water-based lube is mostly water, thickened so it stays where you put it. It tends to feel close to the body's own wetness. As you use it, some of the water evaporates or is absorbed by the skin, which is why it slowly gets thinner and can turn tacky if it's left too long.
A silicone lube contains no water at all. It sits on the surface of the skin with a silky, slippery feel, and because there's nothing in it to evaporate, it doesn't change much as time goes on. A small amount usually goes a long way.
Which feel you prefer is personal. Plenty of people like how light water-based lube feels, and plenty prefer silicone because they don't have to think about it once it's on. If you've only ever tried one kind, the other can feel surprising the first time.
How long each one lasts, and water play
This is the biggest practical difference. Water-based lube works for as long as its water lasts. During a longer session, or in a warm room, it can start to feel drier, and you'll want a few more drops. Our article on why lube dries out explains what slows that down.
Silicone lube doesn't dry out or wash away the way water-based lube does. That's the main reason people choose it: long sessions, or anything in the shower, the bath or a hot tub, where water simply rinses a water-based lube away.
One caution for water play. Silicone lube is slippery on surfaces too, so wipe up any drips on the floor of a tub or shower before someone steps on them.
Washing off, sheets and clothes
Water-based lube comes off with plain water. You can rinse it off skin and toys in a few seconds, and it doesn't leave a film behind. A clinical review of lubricants and moisturizers notes that water-based lubricants have the advantage of being non-staining.
Silicone lube is harder to wash off. Water alone tends to move it around instead of removing it, so you'll want a gentle soap on skin and a wash for anything it touches. Our own product page for Flush, an enema bulb, says the same thing in plain words: water-based lube is best for that tool, because silicone lube is hard to wash off.
On fabric, silicone lube can leave an oily-looking mark until it goes through the wash, so a towel underneath is worth it. If clean-up matters to you, that's a point for water-based.
A buyer of Honey put it this way: "I love the fact that it doesn't smell or leave marks." (Y., June 2026)
Condoms and toys
Both kinds are safe with latex condoms. The NHS advises that you use water-based or silicone-based lubricant instead of oil-based lubricant with latex condoms. The World Health Organization's advisory note on lubricants explains why: latex condoms rapidly lose strength if exposed to oil-based lubricants, while water-based and silicone lubricants are compatible with latex.
Both versions of Honey are compatible with latex and polyisoprene condoms. Our article on which lube is safe with condoms and toys goes through every condom material, polyurethane included, and every common toy material.
Toys are where the two kinds part ways. Aloe-based Honey is compatible with all toy materials, silicone included, while silicone-based Honey is not recommended with silicone toys. The usual explanation from toy makers is that silicone lube can leave a silicone toy's surface tacky or rough over time.
Our vibrators, plugs and kegel balls are made of medical-grade silicone, so if you're pairing Honey with one of them, aloe-based is the version to choose.
If your toys are glass, stainless steel or hard plastic, check the toy's own instructions, since that's where its maker says which lubes it takes.
Sensitive skin
Most people use either kind without any trouble. One large study gives a useful picture. More than 2,400 women used one of six water-based or silicone-based lubricants for five weeks and kept a daily diary, and the researchers found that water-based lubricants were associated with fewer genital symptoms compared with silicone-based lubricants. They also found both kinds were rarely linked to symptoms at all.
That study looked at six specific products, so it can't tell you how any other lube will feel on your skin. What it does suggest is that if your skin tends to react, a water-based lube with a short, readable ingredient list is a sensible first try.
A few things on any label are worth checking if you're sensitive. Fragrance is a common reason intimate skin reacts, and warming or cooling ingredients can feel strong on this skin. Both versions of Honey are made with no fragrance, no parabens and no alcohol, and both are vegan.
Any lube can bother someone. If you notice stinging, burning or itching that lasts after using one, rinse it off with plain water and stop using it. If it doesn't settle within a few days, or you notice a new discharge or pain when you pee, see a doctor or pharmacist.
The two versions of Honey, side by side
Both versions come in the same 4 oz (118 mL) bottle with a flip cap, both are made in Montréal, and both carry a bilingual label. Here's how they compare.
| Aloe-based Honey (water-based) | Silicone-based Honey | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Water, with aloe, oat, chamomile, calendula and green tea | Dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, cyclohexasiloxane, methicone, dimethiconol |
| Staying power | Can dry over a long session; add a little more as needed | Doesn't dry out or wash away like water-based |
| In the shower or bath | Rinses away | Good for water play |
| Washing off | Plain water | Harder to wash off; use a gentle soap |
| Latex condoms | Compatible | Compatible |
| Polyisoprene condoms | Compatible | Compatible |
| Silicone toys | Compatible with all toy materials | Not recommended |
| pH | pH-balanced | Contains no water, so pH doesn't apply |
| Made without | No fragrance, no parabens, no alcohol | No fragrance, no parabens, no alcohol |
| Price (Canada) | $29 CAD, about $0.25 per mL | $32 CAD, about $0.27 per mL |
| Price (US) | $22 USD | $24 USD |
The aloe version also contains tremella (a snow mushroom), gluconolactone and sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid). These ingredients hold on to water. They won't make it last like silicone, and during a long session you may still add a few drops.
How to choose at the checkout
The choice comes down to how you'll use it most of the time.
Choose aloe-based if you use silicone toys, you want something that rinses off with water, your skin tends to react, or you're trying lube for the first time. It's also the version to pick with our vibrators, plugs and kegel balls, since they're medical-grade silicone.
Choose silicone-based if you want long sessions without reapplying, you want a lube for the shower or bath, or you only use it with condoms and on skin.
Plenty of people end up keeping one of each, aloe for toys and everyday use and silicone for the bath. If you're buying a toy and a lube together, our Honey and Clean set pairs the lube with a toy cleaner.
Honey is $29 CAD ($22 USD) for the aloe version and $32 CAD ($24 USD) for the silicone version, and you pick between them on the Honey product page. Over 1,250 bottles have sold, and it holds a 4.85 average across 13 reviews.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Is water-based or silicone lube better?
Neither is better overall; they suit different uses. Water-based lube works with every toy material, rinses off with water and suits sensitive skin well. Silicone lube lasts much longer and works in water, but it's harder to wash off and isn't recommended with silicone toys. Many people start with water-based and add silicone later.
Can you use silicone lube with condoms?
Yes, with latex condoms. The NHS lists water-based and silicone-based lubricants as the ones to use with latex, and oil-based ones as the ones to avoid. Both versions of Honey are compatible with latex and polyisoprene condoms. Always check the condom box too, since some materials have their own instructions.
Why can't you use silicone lube with silicone toys?
Toy makers explain that silicone lube can leave the surface of a silicone toy tacky or rough over time, and a damaged surface is harder to keep clean. That's why silicone-based Honey is not recommended with silicone toys. If your toy is silicone, use a water-based lube such as aloe-based Honey, which is compatible with all toy materials.
Does silicone lube stain sheets?
It can leave an oily-looking mark on fabric until it's washed, especially after a big spill. Water-based lube is the easier one on sheets and clothes, and a clinical review of lubricants notes that water-based lubricants have the advantage of being non-staining. If you use silicone lube, a towel underneath saves you a wash.
Which lube is best for sensitive skin?
A water-based lube with a short, readable ingredient list and no fragrance is a sensible first try. In one five-week diary study of more than 2,400 women, water-based lubricants were linked to fewer genital symptoms than silicone-based ones. If any lube causes lasting stinging or itching, stop using it and see a pharmacist.
Which lasts longer, water-based or silicone lube?
Silicone lube lasts longer. It contains no water, so it doesn't dry out or wash away the way a water-based lube does, which makes it the usual pick for long sessions and the shower or bath. Water-based lube can feel drier over time, and a few more drops bring the glide back.
Sources
- Water-based and silicone lubricants and genital symptoms, five-week diary study: Herbenick and colleagues, Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2011, PubMed 21143591
- Water-based lubricants are non-staining; silicone lubricants contain no water: Edwards and Panay, Climacteric, 2016, PubMed 26707589
- Oil-based lubricants and latex; water-based and silicone lubricants are compatible with latex: World Health Organization, UNFPA and FHI360, Use and procurement of additional lubricants for male and female condoms, advisory note, 2012
- Which lubricants to use with latex condoms: NHS, Condoms
About this article
Written by the Peach & Cream team, based in Montréal. Published October 15, 2026. Last updated October 15, 2026. Product facts come from the Honey product page and labels; buyer words are quoted exactly from reviews on our store. This article is general information, not medical advice. Honey does not treat or prevent any condition.