After the success I had with the "Secret Garden" Female Orgasm Enhancing Cream, I was curious to try a similar product I found in the local pharmacy. Play O Orgasmic Gel by Durex, part of their Play range, of which we reviewed the combined lube/massage lotion some time back. This is also available in supermarkets, and some adult shops carry it as well. According to the packaging it is suppose to provide "heating, cooling and tingling" sensations when applied to the appropriate area.
First up I have to criticise Durex for the packaging. The 15ml bottle comes packaged in a box 3 times its size, with infill cardboard to hold it in place and plastic wrapping all over the outside. There are little "feel-good" quotes on the packaging, I guess to make it less threatening. Anyway, I opened up the box and inside I found the bottle with a cap, and a separate pump with lid. There was plenty of room in the massive box to ship it with the pump attached so I don't get why they have packaged it that way. What I didn't find in the box were any instructions on how to use it, so I just went with what was printed on the outside of the box. Later on, while pulling the packaging apart to go into the recycling, I found an instruction booklet, which had been tucked inside the box in such a way that it could not have been found without completely dismantling the box and pulling out all the filler pieces. All in all, a poor concept there.
Inside the bottle is a clear thick liquid, so at least Durex have it right when they refer to it as a gel, not a cream. While the formulation of this is similar to the "Secret Garden" Female Orgasm Enhancing Cream, there are some differences. This contains the same L-arginine that the Secret Garden does, which apparently provides the heating sensations, but the other active ingredients that provide the "heating and cooling" part, are Multisensate and Coolact P.
I used this several times, and I'll be honest, I only got cooling sensations, no tingling or heating. The first time I tried it, my fingers were very cold to begin with, which could have masked any heating, so to be fair to it I tried again. Nope, still no heating effect. Unlike "Secret Garden" Female Orgasm Enhancing Cream, the effect only lasted for 10 minutes maximum, not the 30-45 minutes that the other does. Even using more than the pea-sized amount that they suggest did nothing but make me feel like my bits were freezing (and it wasn't my fingers this time). I also found that this dried out quite quickly, so I had to use lube with it as well. Dave, who's bizarre physiology renders him completely immune to the effects L-arginine (as we discovered when reviewing Rocket Balm a year or so back), felt nothing at all, although, again to be fair, I don't think he was meant to.
While I have to congratulate Durex on trying to make a product like this, for me at least the formulation isn't right, and the product is definitely over packaged. The price will be a sticking point for many. I picked it up for around $16, but the price varies greatly depending on where you try. I've heard that the RRP is actually about $35! Definitely worth shopping around for this.
Unfortunately this isn't something that I can give you a definite recommendation on. As with all of these types of products, your own physiology plays such an important part, that you really have to try it for yourself before deciding whether or not it works for you.
You can buy Play O Orgasmic Gel by Durex here through Femplay in Australia.
