What’s white and green and inserted all over? A jar of the world’s most deceptively simple yet perfectly formulated lubricant.
The Butters is a sexual assistant that needs no introduction in the intimate wellness community. Every sex writer, sex toy reviewer and progressive retailer has raved about this grassroots lube brand. Made by hand under the secrecy of a private residence in Ypsilanti, Michigan, The Butters is the slippery brainchild of company founder Jerome Stuart Nichols.
The vast majority of the money we spend goes into the ingredients themselves, none of that other bullshit.
Nichols introduced himself to the pleasure space via LTASex.com. Short for Let’s Talk About Sex, Nichols’ first web venture gained notoriety for its frank, entertaining sex toy reviews and uncensored peeks into Nichols’ trove of sex and relationship advice.
While Nichols still blogs about the finer points of fisting and butt plugs to this day, he needed a more reliable source of income that could be similarly acquired just steps from his living room.
In the winter of 2015, Nichols was living that OG millennial life. College-educated, underemployed and sexually active, he began experimenting with homemade lubricant recipes in hopes of solving at least one of his major problems.
“Initially, I got into my first serious relationship and was having a lot of sex,” recalls Nichols. “As a sex blogger and educator, I had an understanding of what I wanted from lube and knew that it just wasn’t available.”
As Nichols tells on his retail website, GetTheButters.com, decades of home and professional cooking experience, the bravery of ignorance, and a lot of free time were the magic ingredients that spawned his now full-time business.
While The Butters name is also massively popular for its all-natural, handcrafted hair, face and skin care lines, Nichols' founding product still reigns supreme.
“The Butters Hygienics Co. is a company built on lube,” says Nichols. “Legitimately, our first product was lube and to this day our top three products are aloe and Shea lube, cocoa butter lube, and my brand-new Palm Grease lube.”
The Butters lubricant, in its original form, sounds almost too good to be true. There are no “proprietary ingredients” hidden behind marketing jargon. In fact, Nichols still swears by his brand’s slogan: 100% bullshit-free.
“My marketing strategy is essentially radical honesty,” says Nichols. “So often with brands, they want to sell you a fantasy. I prefer to tell you the truth: my product will not change your life, but it will absolutely do what it says on the bottle, you’ll enjoy it, and pay a reasonable amount for it.”
So what’s actually in an 8.2-ounce jar of lube that retails for just $14? Coconut and grapeseed oil; shea, soy and sustainable palm oils; good ol’ aloe vera; apple cider vinegar; and Guar gum. Nichols even explains each ingredient’s purpose on his website.
While the recipe sounds easy enough to whip up at home, why bother when you can test out a 2-ounce sample for less than $5?
Nichols has already done the dirty work on his customers’ behalf. He’s heavily researched each ingredient, providing only the most beneficial and necessary amounts in each batch. This oil-based, vegan lubricant is safe enough for every orifice and, if circumstances demand, can even be safely ingested. (Nichols says a friend’s dog once ate an entire jar and lived healthily to tell the tale.)
But what really makes this mild-tasting, non-toxic, pH balanced lubricant is its creamy, plush consistency.
“You won’t find a lube on the market that transfers body heat better than The Butters. You won’t find a better lube for actually feeling the ridges and texture of your partner’s skin,” says Nichols. “You won’t find anything that mixes with your natural juices better either!”
Between the fingers or the cheeks, The Butters lives up to its name. A dollop feels like a cushion of churned butter, gliding over the skin and sensitive intimate areas. Eventually it melts, giving way to an oil that’s slick enough to stay moist during extended play without feeling like you’re covered in cooking grease.
Nichols’ customers even report fewer UTIs and vaginal yeast infections, while others have discovered The Butters’ ability to morph from a fantastic stand-alone lube to a body moisturizer, shave cream and makeup remover.
Nichols thinks The Butters’ success was only made possible by being, first and foremost, his own market.
“In truth, I am today’s consumer. I am sincerely only making products that I want,” he explains.
“In an industry like this, unless you were paving a new way, you’re basically just copying what someone else made,” says Nichols of more typical, high-volume sensual brands. “That doesn’t jive with me. And I don’t think it jives with most consumers either.”
Instead of relying on expensive marketing campaigns, fancy packaging and outrageous claims, Nichols positions The Butters upon the old adage of getting exactly what you see.
“That philosophy goes all the way down to the choices we make that would increase overhead. We make products, therefore the vast majority of the money we spend goes into the ingredients themselves, none of that other bullshit,” says Nichols.
Nichols is additionally a graphic designer, hence The Butters’ clean, effective package design and marketing materials that aim to educate rather than mystify.
Throughout the New Year, Nichols aims to develop more sustainable practices. He recently released his 2020 green initiatives, which include transitioning to 100% recyclable aluminum or paper packaging for all soaps, bath bombs and sample-size jars; cutting plastic weight by 80% and 70% respectively; and using even more glass or metal packaging in the future for recyclability.
The Butters is currently stocked with North America’s most well-respected retailers like SheVibe, Spectrum Boutique, and She Bop and Early to Bed. Last year, Nichols added seven new retail partners to his lineup and hopes to continue this trend through a recent collaboration with The Kink Kit, a sex-ed-based sex toy subscription box experience.
However you consume your daily dose of The Butters’ growing line of pleasure and body products, rest assured that your face cream, lubricant or body oil has been vetted down to the very last drop.
“Recently I have begun to think of my products as modern spells,” concludes Nichols. “When I create the recipe there is an intention behind it and I spend time making sure it comes to fruition.”
