Introduction

It seems that products claiming to provide "Male Enhancement" will be a permanent fixture of our new digital era. Extenze is company known for their "Herbal Supplements" that are marketed as providing this "Male Enhancement." Now, what exactly is being enhanced is never made explicit, but we can bet that Extenze is not about growing a thicker, more luxurious mustache. I'll make the assumption that It's my penis they're aiming at. Now, for countless centuries, penis size has been a thing. On the surface, this is immediately understandable, since our penises are such an obvious bit of hardware. None of that clitoris/g-spot subtlety here. Equating our degree of virility and masculinity with the size of our member runs across nearly every culture on the planet, for good or ill. Rather than engaging the questions of size and sex, I'll try and evaluate weather Extenze water-based lube will actually provide the benefits implied. I will also evaluate it on its merit as a personal lubricant.

What's In It

The ingredients of Extenze water-based lube might be placed in three categories.

The first category would be substances that provide lubrication. These are common to many personal lubricants. Water is something we're all familair with. Water is usually quite safe. Carboxymethyl cellulose, or cellulose gum, is widely used as a thickener and is considered non-toxic. Hydrogenated lecithin is, despite the ominous name, is a harmless fatty acid. Here, it probably acts as both a "wetting" agent and a lubricant. All of these ingredients are safe, and make sense as components of a personal lubricant. Lastly, glycerin is present to provide viscosity and lubrication. Vaginal use of glycerin-containing products has been known to lead to yeast infection for some women, and is something that may be concern for some women.

Next in our assessment is the group of additives known as "preservatives". These are necessary, since bacteria and fungus will happily munch on things like glycerin. This will cause what a micrbiologist would refer to as "yuckieness." These preservatives do not come without some concerns, though. Extenze uses methyl paraben and propyl paraben. These parabens are subject to suspicion about their link to health issues, particularly breast cancer and the early onset of puberty among girls. The parabans are "hormone analogs", that is to say, they are taken in by our cellular mechanisms in a manner similar to natural hormones. Parabans have properties similar to some of the naturally-occurring estrogen hormones, and while their link to cancer and early onset of puberty is not entirely clear, there is enough evidence for suspicion. The other preservatives, natamycin and potassium sorbate, prevent fungal growth and are usually considered quite safe.

The last category is the group of "supplements" that provide the "Enhancement," Unlike FDA-tested drugs, Supplements have no requirement to prove efficacy. There is not even any requirement to prove that a supplement does no harm. Rather than evaluate the ambiguous data on the extracts and seed oils, I'll let the reader decide weather these "Herbal Supplements" have any value. Of these, two stand out. The first, peppermint oil, imparts a cooling "tingle" to the skin. The second, phenethylamine, is an alkaloid that causes the release of dopamine. In other words, ingesting it makes you happy. Chocolate purportedly has lots of Phenethylamine. I'm dubious about the rest of the ingredients like the extracts of ginger root and passion flower seeds. Were they able to make my penis larger or otherwise enhance my maleness, these substances would also exhibit the same dangers of other hormone analogs. I am entirely willing to believe that herbal supplements can have value. I think, though, that they are present in Extenze as a means of appealing to male vanity and insecurity.

Out of concern for those who might have a sensitivity or allergy to a particular supplement, they are:
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) extract, Turnera Diffusa Leaf Extract, Ptychopetalum Olacoides Bark Extract, Zingiber Officinate (Ginger) Root Extract, Passiflora Incarnata (Passion Flower) Seed Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, and Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil.

Again, I am not disparaging the usefulness of these supplements in an appropriate manner, as they likely contain substances that might well be of pharmacological value. There is simply no indication that they provide any of the benefits Extenze marketing implies.

The Bottle

I should not really have to mention the bottle. The bottle bears warning that it "May leak if not stored upright." This is true. In anything other than an upright posture, the dispensing cap infuriatingly leaks, even if the flip top is closed and the top is screwed down tightly.

Mandatory Public Service Announcement

Lastly, there are a few public safety announcements I feel obligated to make. Extenze water-based lubricant is not a contraceptive and will not prevent the transmission of STDs. You knew that, though.

How does it work?

Extenze water-based lube is a little more viscous than Astroglide or K-Y Liquid. Its initial feel has a surprisingly oily texture, though it proved to be completely water soluble, with easy clean-up.

Enlisting the aid of a female "lab partner", we engaged in a thorough and serious test of this product. This lad partner did ask if Extenze made any claim about "Female Enhancement". We giggled and dismissed these potential issues. During sex, I quickly noticed the peppermint oil, and I developed a "minty-cool" stimulation along the shaft of my penis. My partner noticed the same, and we agreed that, while not unpleasant, it did seem to reduce tactile feelings. I did feel an almost burning sensation as it entered my urethrae. This was less pleasant. Though not quite painful, it did become distracting. The tingling and coolness dissipated for both of us within about twenty minutes, though a feeling of increased sensitivity remained for quite a while. We were unable to make a properly controlled test of Extenze as a lubricant, though it did seem quite effective at first. My lab partner was lukewarm about the "cooling" feel of the peppermint oil, particularly the loss of tactile feel, and decided to stop using Extenze. This is similar to the experiences we have had with "warming" lubricants. My partner likes these, though I have experienced them as more "set-my-urethrae-on-fire" than "pleasurable warming". I seem to be a bit sensitive to this. We will continue using Astroglide and Probe. Both last without re-application. Probe is also nearly tasteless. Extenze has a taste similar to what I would expect of brake fluid. It coats the mouth in bitterness.

We could not detect any enhancement to her femaleness. I looked quite closely.

Pressing on with testing alone, I found that the oily texture of Extenze made it less pleasent for masturbation. In the absence of other fluids the Extenze rather qiuckly lost fluidity and became more oily. This required greater re-application than I am accustomed to when using my personal favorite lube, Probe. I might compare the oily feeling of Extenze to the "wet" feel of Astroglide. Both are very slippery, but Astroglide has adheres to your skin, spreads and dries without leaving a greasy residue. Extenze, contrastingly, seems to leave a film not unlike hand lotion. This is fine for hand lotion, but oiliness not what I am looking for in a water based lubricant. Silicone lubes like Astroglide X provide a long-lasting oil-like slickness, if the oiled-up feel is what you want.

Extenze appeared to leave no residue once cleaned with water and seemed to have no ill efects on the Fleshlight I tried it with.

Anally, the cooling was both intense and pleasurable. I did find that the tingle made me very aware of the glass butt plugs I tried it with. The cooling and tingle subsided inside of twenty minutes without any need to wash the lubricant away.

Overall

As a personal lubricant, Extenze water-based lubricant performs adequately, though the overall effecct is dominated by the sensations caused by the peppermint oil. If this is interesting to you, this lubricant does this well. In other respects, it is only adequate as a lubricant.

My penis is not any bigger than before, and that's fine.