If you own a vagina, chances are you have heard about the unfortunate phenomenon known as “the orgasm gap.” According to a 2017 study, only 65% of straight women orgasm, compared to the whopping 95% of their male counterparts. The issue isn’t female anatomy, however — it’s heteronormative ideas about what constitutes sex and pleasure. Rather than thinking of sex as a spectrum of activities, old-school ideas around sexuality have held penetrative sex as the one and only way — at the cost of the female orgasm. That’s because while every woman’s body is different when it comes to arousal, the clitoris is paramount. In fact, it was revealed that nearly 40% of women said they need the clit to be stimulated in order to come to orgasm. Dr. Laurie Mintz, PhD. says, “Women need to be aroused prior to penetration, otherwise the vagina doesn’t lubricate… The overwhelming majority of women find that incredibly painful.” Thankfully, topics like female orgasms are becoming less taboo, and sexual wellness companies are stepping up their game when it comes to making sex more pleasurable for everyone. Vibrators are certainly the most prominent examples, but there’s a whole world of orgasm-supporting products out there to explore, like the warming arousal gel from sexual wellness brand Promescent. The product is designed to stimulate blood flow, and according to the product page, causes a slight buzzing sensation to the clitoris, adding more pleasure during intimacy to help lessen that pesky orgasm gap.
The arousal gel, which boasts a 4.5 out of 5-star rating, is part of the brand’s efforts to help lift struggling libidos and help vulva-having folks get theirs in a big way. The effusive reviews are scattered with lofty promises from explaining how “it gets the party started before you actually start the party,” to one-word expletives like “yummy.” Intrigued, I decided to test out the gel for myself to see if its performance lived up to its promises.