K-Y Jelly
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.
History
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.