The Primer No One Asked For!

by BR Tabatha

Just when you think you'd seen it all, TikTok comes to the rescue to prove that there's more crazy trends to be tried. The latest? Click out if you're a bit squeamish about sexy stuff...

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You've been warned.

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Here we go...

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Lube is not being touted as a face primer.

Yes, TikTok beauty gurus are taking the love liquid and applying it to their face, saying it creates a smooth base for makeup, while also being nice and grippy.

Was I grossed out? Kind of. Intrigued? Absolutely. So, seeing a TikToker using a Durex lube, similar to the one I have, er, just hanging around, I decided to get my investigative pants on and see if there was anything in it. Could lube be a substitue for primer? Could it be damaging to the skin? Was this a good idea or one that needed to be tossed in the trash?

First thing I did was search out an ingredient list for Durex Play Feel, which I found on the Netpharmacy website and were as follows:

Aqua, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid.

Aqua I understand. No research needed. It's good old fashioned water, and as it's at the top of the list I know it's what makes up a goodly chunk of the lube, but what about the rest?

Propylene Glycol is a humectant, which means it attracts moisture to the skin and holds it in. When used in skin care it moisturises and smooths skin.

Glycerin is another humectant, which means it helps hold in moisture, and due to this it is used a lot in skincare.

Okay... so far so... um... good? But what about the rest of what's in there?

Carbomer works with other ingredients to help control the feel of a product, making it thicker or thinner. It's often used in cosmetics and is considered safe for the skin. It's also known for creating that slippy, silky feel on the skin.

Xanthan Gum serves a similar purpose to carbomer, working to create texture while providing a silky feeling on the skin.

When used in small amounts in skin care - and one can assume in lube - Sodium Hydroxide stabilises and holds the PH level. A good thing. And common.

Benzoic Acid is a preservative and an anti-fungal agent, so is there to help with the shelf life of lubricant while keeping the formula from getting gross and fungally (that's scientific talk right there). In skin care, benzoic acid is said to provide anti-ageing, moisturising and soothing properties, while also keeping PH levels in balance. 

Lastly, Citric Acid is also used to maintain PH levels in lubricant. In skin care citric acid is also known as AHA - an alpha-hydroxy acid. AHAs are known to help skin turnover and are an antioxidant.

So far... so good. In this variety of lube I saw nothing that would block my pores, cause congestion or irritate my skin being that the acids were last on the ingredient list, so therefore only a fraction of the product, which meant... I had to try it. It'd be rude not to in the name of my very basic, very don't-do-this-at-home investigation.

With a tentative touch, I applied the slightly-bigger-than-pea sized amount as I usually would with my regular primer. The thick, gel texture spread easily enough, didn't feel funky, no stinging, and I had hope! I let it sit for a few minutes, then sat down at my mirror to apply my foundation... and it was pill city! At this point I'd not even touched my face, and there were little balls of lube all over my moosh. I touched my skin and more pilling appeared.

Suffice to say I washed it off, put on my usual primer and considered my experiment a bust. TikTok, you failed me.

Now, this piece of detective work was done using a pretty basic lube. It's also important to note that some lubes have added ingredients that could well block pores or cause irritation, so if you're keen to try this DO YOUR RESEARCH, and do it using reputable, scientific sources.

At the end of the day, lube tends to say 'use as directed' and nowhere have I ever seen it say 'user it on your face as a primer', so let's call this TikTok trend what it is... a way to get clicks, get views, and boost visibility, not a makeup hack that will make you life and face smoother.

So, my lovelies, have you tried lube as your primer? Did it work? Have you never... but would consider it? Or is this one trend that just needs to slide on by? Chat below!