Divine lubricants



Divine No. 9 is a brand of personal lubricant manufactured by Divine Corporation in Orlando, Florida.

Divine No. 9 is a water-based product used for both external massage and internal lubrication during sexual activity. The primary ingredient of Divine No. 9 is an extract from a sea kelp, also known as carrageenan. As formulated by the Divine Corporation, the carrageenan yields a smooth, slippery liquid which is very similar to a woman's natural vaginal fluid. The formulation has good play characteristics in that the product stays slippery for an acceptable amount of time and the slip can be regenerated by the addition water or body fluids. The evaporation characteristics are also unique in that the carrageenan acts as a natural skin moisturizer as the liquid evaporates away, leaving a satin feel to the skin, similar to a layer of baby powder.

Divine No. 9 is one of a few personal lubricants that also labels itself a massage lotion. The same slip and evaporation characteristics useful in sexual encounters makes Divine No. 9 a good choice for massage. Most lotions are intended as skin moisturizers and therefore are designed to quickly evaporate and absorb into the skin. This inherent characteristic of typical lotions requires frequent re-application and can result in undesirable build up of product on the skin after an extended massage. As a result, massage is traditionally performed with oils. Since oils do not evaporate, the skin is left with an oil residue that must eventually be washed off. This residue is acceptable in some situations and undesirable in others.

Divine No. 9 is one of two slightly different products from Divine Corporation. The other product, Divine No. 8, is formulated similarly but includes a slight vanilla flavor. When used as a massage lotion, the flavoring generates a distinct vanilla aroma. The company selected vanilla as their one flavored product because of the work of Dr. Alan Hirsh on the sexual response to scents. In a research study described in the book Scentsational Sex, Dr. Hirsh found that vanilla was one of the very few scents that subconsciously affect both men and women as measured by increased penile and clitoral blood flow.

Divine No. 9 as a cancer-blocking microbicide
Studies by the National Cancer Institute suggest that carrageenans might function as topical microbicides, blocking human papillomavirus (HPV) which is known to cause cervical cancer and sexually transmitted viruses such as HIV and herpes. Divine No. 9 was one of the lubricants tested in the study, and was found to be a potent HPV inhibitor.

Ingredients
Divine No. 9 is formulated from purified water, extracts from sea kelp (carrageenan), propylene glycol, and saccharin. While Divine Corporation does not make the claim that Divine No. 9 is edible, all the Divine No. 9 ingredients are edible individually and used in various food products. As examples, carrageenan is used in some ice creams, propylene glycol is used in some food colorings, and saccharin is used in some diet soft drinks.