Interview by Jeremy Kinser
Photography by John Skalicky
www.skalickyphoto.com

Eyal Feldman is the CEO and spokesperson for Boy Butter, which has quickly become the most highly-touted personal lubricant on the market. For more information on the product as well as a list of vendors where you can purchase it, visit www.boybutter.com.

So how did Boy Butter come to be? Were the other lubricants just not good enough for you?

I was never in love with any lube that was out there. Now most lubes in the gay world at that point were kind of limited in terms of being water-based, which is actually designed for women and their natural process of self-lubrication. The other ones were either oil-based, which are usually used in the fisting community and the leather community, or were silicon-based lubricants, which have become increasingly popular but are incredibly messy. They don't come off easily and stain things. What I did is stumble upon a lubricant that has been around forever -- a coconut oil-based lubricant. I took it out of the underground dungeon scene and mainstreamed it.

How did you test market Boy Butter?

I have five milliliter samples and I would sit for hours filling these lip balm containers with a spoon. I put stickers on them and went to Fire Island. I put on a pair of Speedos and sneakers and handed them out during a high tea to gay men. I used my image and the fact that I was known in the gay community and the leather community. I very much consider myself a leather man. I would go to trade shows like IML (International Mr. Leather) in Chicago and that's exactly where I launched the product. I thought people would love it and they did.

What's the response been like?

Mostly, "This is the cutest thing we've ever seen." As soon as they use the product they say, "This is the best lube we've ever used."

Is Boy Butter condom-compatible?

The only problem with the original Boy Butter is that it's not latex condom-compatible. You have to use polyurethane or plastic condoms, which are sold everywhere. They're a little more expensive and people don't know about them because they aren't marketed well.

Will you be developing an I Can't Believe It's Not Boy Butter for the calorie conscious among us?

I am. It's actually called You Won't Believe It's Not Boy Butter. It will be the world's first water-based cream.

Will this be condom-safe?

Yes, it's consistency is a cream and will be indistinguishable from an oil-based product. I'm going to launch this in adult movies -- Chi Chi LaRue will be using it. Since the advent of Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis, people are now lasting longer, especially straight men, and people need lubricants. The market for lubricant quadrupled in size since Viagra came out. The marketplace has become more accepting of having lubricants. You can find it lubricant sections in drugstores.

When you develop these products are you your own test guinea pig?

I am. As I say on the label "Boy Butter has been rigorously tested, retested and then tested some more because the tests were so fun." I loved playing around with boys and testing it. I can't approve anything unless I use it six or seven hundred times myself.