the Gel Works story

ESTD. 1982

Have you ever wondered how a lube company gets started? Here's our story.

In 1978 near the end of the coursework of a biological chemistry degree, before the research years, our company founder and Managing Director Paul Whyte, began designing and researching personal lubricants. In 1985, he got a request from a friend who was researching public health. At the time the market's lubes were great for medical examinations, and the pleasure products to be used with condoms were yet to be invented. Surely with his knowledge of chemistry, Paul could figure something out. Wet Stuff was born here.

Today, our company is 36 years old and, in that time, has brought more than 70 formulations to the market. We now have a range of 22 different formulations available, including water-based, silicone-based and our unique, creamy combination water/silicone-based lubricants. We aim to make our lubricants as accessible as possible to anyone who needs them, including Australia and hard-to-reach parts of the world that are exposed to high levels of risk.

Paul has developed and maintained collaborations with world leaders in research of condom and public health. He is interested in safety issues, personal lubricants, biological chemistry, public health, and welcomes community feedback to update the existing formulations and add new ones. A new formulation with a prebiotic ingredient to help women keep balanced, with a low irritant preservative system and very low osmolality for sensitive women is currently under development. We aim to keep pushing the boundaries and seek to have something to satisfy all different kinds of play for all different kinds of people!

With our interest in health, and providing the best possible product, Gel Works is committed to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485, working in conjunction with SAI Global and BSI Group to achieve these quality standards. Gel Works has supplied product and technical files to customers for supply in Europe as a Class 2A Medical Device since 2005 under the European notified body DEKRA International.

To date, since 1985 when the project for water-based lubricants began, Gel Works has spent over 4 million dollars subsidising lubricant sachets used in public health campaigns to help promote the use of condoms, funding research for WHO sponsored personal lubricant conferences for the use of personal lubricants within low and middle income countries.

Gel Works have also supplied water-based lubricant to promotional campaigns and funding research students doing masters and PHD’s into personal lubricant issues.