KY Jelly
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| Product type | Personal lubricants |
|---|---|
| Owner | Reckitt Benckiser |
| Country | US |
| Introduced | 1904 |
| Previous owners | Johnson & Johnson |
| Website | www |
K-Y Jelly is a water-based, water-soluble personal lubricant, most commonly used as a lubricant for sexual intercourse. A variety of different products and formulas are produced under the K-Y banner. According to the company, "The origins of the brand name 'K-Y' are unknown. Two popular hypotheses are that it was created in Kentucky, hence 'K-Y', or that the letters represent the key ingredients used to make the lubricant, neither of which is proven." In March 2014, Reckitt Benckiser agreed to buy the K-Y brand from Johnson & Johnson.
Introduced in January 1904 by a pharmaceutical and suture maker Van Horn and Sawtell of New York City, and later acquired by Johnson & Johnson, K-Y Jelly's original stated purpose was as a surgical lubricant, and it was often chosen by doctors because of its natural base. The product is now more widely used as a sexual lubricant. It does not react with latex condoms or silicone rubber-based sex toys. While K-Y has a thick consistency and a tendency to dry out during use, it can be "reactivated" by the addition of saliva or more water. K-Y Jelly does not contain a spermicide. A formulation with nonoxynol-9 was available, but Johnson & Johnson removed it from the market after finding that it could facilitate HIV spread.
Unlike petroleum-based lubricants, K-Y is generally biologically inert, and contains no color or perfume additives. The lubricant is extremely popular because it does not stain and is easily cleaned up. K-Y Jelly has been available over the counter in the United States since 1980.
K-Y NG uses glycerin and hydroxyethyl cellulose as the lubricant, with chlorhexidine gluconate, glucono delta-lactone, methylparaben and sodium hydroxide as antiseptic and preservative additives. The liquid form of the product combines glycerin with propylene glycol, sorbitol, and Natrosol 250H (a brand of hydroxyethyl cellulose) for lubrication, with benzoic acid, methylparaben and sodium hydroxide as additives.
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