Episode 069 | Personal Lubrication with Neil Cunningham (Centre for Industrial Rheology)

Episode 69 | The Science of Personal Lubricants (Yes, Really) w/ Neil Cunningham

Let’s talk lubricants—all kinds of lubricants.

In this very special Episode 69 of Lubrication Explained, host Rafe Britton leans into the memes and the chemistry with Neil Cunningham, founder of the Centre for Industrial Rheology, to explore the fascinating world of personal lubricants—how they’re formulated, how they perform, and how it all connects to industrial lubrication, rheology, tribology, and even food science.

💡 You’ll never look at a tube of lube the same way again.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why most personal lubricants are aqueous and how they compare to silicones

What makes a lubricant feel “slimy” or “tacky” (with actual physics)

The viscoelastic and non-Newtonian properties that define sensory experience

How personal lube performance is tested using custom tribometers (no, really)

What “mucoadhesion” means and why it’s crucial for both intimacy and eye drops

How these same principles apply to vegan foods, mouthfeel, mayonnaise, and wine

A wild discussion of normal stress, wax crystallization, and their role in both cosmetics and crankcases

👅 If it touches the skin, goes in the mouth, or interacts with mucus membranes—it’s fair game in this episode.

Whether you're a lubrication nerd, a tribology tech, or just here for the eyebrow-raising banter, this episode is one for the books.

🧪 Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro & why personal lubricants?
3:45 – Aqueous vs silicone lubes
8:30 – What makes a lube “slimy”?
12:00 – Tackiness, texture, and tribology
18:00 – Viscoelasticity explained
25:00 – Mucoadhesion & synthetic mucus
30:00 – Food science crossovers: mouthfeel, astringency & vegan fats
44:00 – Wax crystallization & industrial applications
56:00 – The role of normal stress in surface separation
1:03:00 – Wrapping it up... with a happy ending

💬 Leave a comment with your weirdest "what do you do for work?" explanation—lubrication edition.

📩 Want to work with Neil’s lab or talk bio-tribology? Visit the Centre for Industrial Rheology.

Видео Episode 069 | Personal Lubrication with Neil Cunningham (Centre for Industrial Rheology) канала Lubrication Explained