This Maude review looks at a brand that has quietly rewritten the rules of a category most companies still sell with neon packaging and awkward winks. Maude makes modern intimate wellness essentials — personal lubricants, organic body oil, bath and body care, massage candles — and presents them with the calm, minimalist design language of good skincare. The brand describes itself as a modern wellness company built on quality, simplicity and inclusivity, on a mission to make intimacy better for all people.
That is a lovely mission statement, but mission statements are free. We went through the full range at Maude — formulas, kits, collaborations and even the merch — to see whether the products live up to the promise. Here is the honest verdict.
What Maude is, and who it is for
Maude positions itself around one idea: intimacy is a normal part of wellness, so the products that support it should be designed, formulated and sold like any other quality self-care essential. No lurid packaging, no cluttered ingredient lists, no assumptions about who is buying.
The brand was built by founder Eva Goicochea, with Dakota Johnson serving as Co-Creative Director — a pairing visible in the design-forward feel of everything from the bottles to the brand's Museum of Sex exhibition, Modern Sex: 100 Years of Design & Decency, which the two co-curated. If you have ever wanted this category to feel more like a considered wellness purchase and less like a novelty aisle, Maude is aimed squarely at you. It sits alongside a small wave of thoughtful newcomers — our Hello Nancy review covers another brand taking a similarly welcoming approach.
The core essentials: lubricants without the guesswork
The heart of the range is a small, clearly differentiated set of personal lubricants, and this is where Maude's simplicity genuinely helps.
Heat is the warming option: a water-based formula made with a low concentration of capsaicin, designed to create a gentle warming sensation that builds with motion. It is safe for internal and external use, rinses away easily with warm water, and is compatible with silicone devices as well as latex and polyisoprene condoms. Like the rest of the line, it features a locking pump top — a small design detail that makes the bottle travel-friendly and far more discreet than a flip cap.
Shine silicone is the long-lasting choice. Its water-safe, silicone-based formula is made to last — even under water — and is never sticky, rinsing away with warm water and mild soap. It is safe for use with all condoms, though not with silicone devices, and because the formula contains no water it is considered pH-neutral, so it does not affect vaginal pH. It comes in 8 and 4 fl. oz. sizes with the same locking pump.
There is also shine aloe, the water-based counterpart that appears throughout Maude's bundles. Between the three, the decision tree is refreshingly short: warming, long-lasting, or everyday aloe. That is the whole pitch, and it works.
Bath and body that doubles as everyday skincare
Maude's bath and body line is strong enough that it could stand alone, and it is the easiest entry point if you want to try the brand without buying anything intimate at all.
Oil no. 0 is the standout: an organic body and massage oil formulated with a certified organic blend of jojoba, coconut, argan and castor oils. It is unscented, enriched with vitamins B and E plus omega 6 and 9, and recommended for daily hydration, massage or use as a bath oil. Safe for all skin types, it is the kind of multi-tasker that quietly replaces two or three other bottles on your shelf — a natural fit if you are already making simpler personal care swaps.
Wash, green room (no. 3) is a pH-balanced body wash and bubble bath scented with eucalyptus, sandalwood, cassis and Haitian vetiver. Maude describes the scent as 1980 in a greenhouse — humid air, eucalyptus cutting through with a clean fresh edge, cassis adding a lush tart undertone. It gently cleanses skin and intimate areas without irritation and doubles as a relaxing bubble bath, which is exactly the kind of dual-use design the brand does well.
Kits, bundles and collaborations
Maude leans hard into sets, and they are genuinely well curated rather than just shrink-wrapped pairings.
The come undone kit, created in partnership with the new film Wuthering Heights, pairs the burn no. 3 massage candle with oil no. 0 plus an exclusive poster and behind-the-scenes booklet. The candle is formulated with skin-softening jojoba and soybean oils and is designed to be poured onto skin once melted and extinguished, with notes of sandalwood, eucalyptus and cassis. The alpine moderne kit (no. 2) takes the cozier route: a boxed set with the burn massage candle and nourishing mineral bath salts, hand-harvested from the Southern Dead Sea, in a fragrance built on pink pepper, Gurjun balsam, California lemon and Virginian cedarwood — 1972 in the Alps, as Maude puts it.
Then there are the everyday bundles — vibe + shine aloe, band + shine aloe, spot + shine, dome + shine aloe, vibe + spot, vibe + band — which pair the brand's core devices and essentials at a single click. If you are shopping for a present, these sets slot neatly into the territory we covered in our roundup of self-care and wellness gift brands.
A brand that funds sex education
One thing this Maude review would be incomplete without: the merch line is effectively a fundraising arm. Limited-edition Sex Ed for All Month tees and hoodies are created in partnership with Advocates for Youth, Peer Health Exchange and SIECUS, with all proceeds benefiting those organizations and their work advancing sexual health education. The Museum of Sex x Maude 100 Years tee and dad hat support the same causes, made in honor of the brand's exhibition.
The apparel itself is straightforward quality — 100% combed and ring-spun cotton tees, heavyweight cotton-poly hoodies with double-lined hoods — though note that all merch is printed on demand and fulfilled separately from the rest of your order.
What we like — and what to know before you buy
- Clear, honest formulas. Each lubricant states exactly what it is compatible with — condom types, silicone devices, pH behavior — which removes the guesswork most brands leave in.
- Design you will not hide. Locking pump tops and muted, minimal bottles that look at home on a bathroom shelf.
- Multi-use bath and body. Oil no. 0 and the washes earn a place in a routine even if you never touch the intimate side of the range.
- Purpose beyond product. The sex-ed merch program donates all proceeds to established advocacy organizations.
A few caveats. Heat ships to the US, Canada and EU only, so check availability if you are elsewhere. Shine silicone should not be used with silicone devices — Maude says this plainly, but it is worth repeating. And the print-on-demand merch arrives separately, which can be confusing if you expected one box.
Maude review: FAQ
Is Maude a legitimate brand?
Yes. Maude is an established modern wellness company with a founder-led team, a design collaboration with Dakota Johnson as Co-Creative Director, and a product range spanning lubricants, bath and body care, kits and cause-driven apparel.
Which Maude product should I try first?
Oil no. 0 is the low-commitment entry point — an unscented, certified organic body and massage oil safe for all skin types. If you want the core of the brand, start with shine silicone or heat depending on whether you value longevity or warmth.
Are Maude lubricants condom-compatible?
Heat is compatible with latex and polyisoprene condoms and with silicone devices. Shine silicone is safe for use with all condoms but should not be used with silicone devices.
The bottom line: Maude delivers on its promise of quality, simplicity and inclusivity, with formulas that explain themselves and design that treats intimacy like the normal part of wellness it is. Browse the full range at Maude.