What started as a side project turned into a sexual wellness movement.
Okay, let’s spill the tea-Liquid Gold Lube was never meant to be a full-blown business.
It all started with curiosity… and a bit of frustration.
I’m Nu, the founder, and when I was working as a sexual health and intimacy educator, I realized something kind of wild: I couldn’t recommend a single decent lube. The imports were wildly overpriced. The local stuff felt… off. Sticky, drying, weird flavors-and not exactly helping people feel empowered or safe in their bodies and nor providing much in the way of pleasure.
“This was never meant to be a brand. It was supposed to be a better option-something I could stand behind. Something I’d want to use and recommend.”
I wasn’t just speaking from personal experience. Friends and clients echoed the same thing-lube was either a luxury or a letdown. But we all needed it. (at some point or another)
Lube plays a vital role in sexual health, intimate care, and everyday wellness.
So I started asking questions:
What if I could make a natural lube locally, without the BS ingredients, one that actually worked with the body instead of against it?
What if it could be hydrating, not drying?
Comfortable, not sticky?
So I called up Dr Ernst Thompson and began picking his brain.
From Passion Project to Purpose-Led Business
At first, Liquid Gold was a side hustle. A passion project to help people-and maybe earn enough to fund my studies in sexology (which, by the way, you can’t even formally study in South Africa unless you go the expensive psych or med route).
So I did what I could: short courses, online certifications, anything I could find. I kept showing up for clients. A tadpole in a new industry of academics, I was way out of my depth trying to figure out where and how I was going to make a positive impact in the space of sexual health and wellness. As I kept making small batches of this golden lube that quietly started to gain traction… without much marketing.
And then it hit me:
This was the impact I’d been searching for.
Lube Isn’t Optional. It’s Essential.
People don’t talk about it enough, but lube plays a role in so many parts of life:
- Learning to use a tampon or menstrual cup
- Inserting a medical device or dilator
- Going for a pap smear
- Navigating postpartum dryness
- Managing perimenopause or menopause symptoms
- Backdoor play (fun fact: the backdoor doesn’t self-lubricate)
- Reducing pelvic pain or discomfort
- Simply enhancing pleasure
“There comes a time in everyone’s life when lube isn’t just helpful-it’s necessary.”
And yet, there’s still so much shame, awkwardness, and stigma wrapped around using it. That’s the real mission behind Liquid Gold:
To normalize lube. To reclaim pleasure. To make sexual health accessible and empowering.
Why Rooibos? Why South Africa? Why Now?
We formulated Liquid Gold with South African rooibos-a naturally soothing, antioxidant-rich ingredient that your skin and mucosa love. It’s 100% natural, vegan, dermatologically tested, and safe for sensitive skin. (Plus nothing says proudly South African quiet like Rooibos)
Because your lube shouldn’t be working against your body.
It should support it-in the exam room, the bedroom, and beyond.
2025 and Beyond: All In. All Gold.
In 2025, I made the call: this isn’t a side hustle anymore.
Liquid Gold is a movement.
We’re here to create products that are clean, honest, and body-loving. But more than that, we’re here to dismantle the shame and make space for people to feel confident in their bodies-whether they’re navigating intimacy, pain, healing, or play.
“Because sexual health is health. And pleasure? It’s not a luxury. It’s your birthright.”
This is just the beginning.
A golden beginning of something impactful.