Dr. Paul ran the per-use math on Amazon.ca and counted what ends up in the trash.
By Dr. Paul, founder of ARA3 minute read
Each ARA packet is 5 mL, one sealed use. The ARA Mix Kit comes to about $1.10 a use, and nothing gets tossed. On Amazon.ca, measured the same way, Überlube works out to about $2.14 a use, Astroglide about $0.53 and Durex about $0.40, if you finish the bottle.
Amazon.ca prices, October 2026 · 5 mL per use
You opened it, used some and put it back. A month later it had been open too long, so it went in the trash half full. Do that twice and you've paid for a whole bottle that went in the trash. With packets, you open exactly what you use.
What customers say
Each one is 5ml which is the right amount, not too little, not wasteful… water-based, no fragrance, no sticky residue after. Clean ingredients, pH-balanced. Would buy again.
Probably the best wet wipes I've ever used. They don't have that gross trademark smell majority of wipes have and 1 gets the job done perfectly.
Big Lube would rather sell you a giant jug and call it value. It's priced to sell you more lube than you'll ever use up. Their goal is the biggest sale they can make, and your health never enters that math. You end up with one bottle on the nightstand, another in a travel bag, both open too long. Fifty sealed packets go anywhere, and every one gets used.
A bottle gets reopened for months, and whatever is on your fingers goes in each time. Every ARA packet has been sealed since it was filled, so nobody has touched it. One tear by hand, use it, toss it. Foil and paper, 0% plastic, recyclable when empty.
Why a doctor made it
Dr. Paul has been a practising doctor for six years. He spends his days thinking about clean: sterile tools, gloves, infection control. Every instrument he uses is either single-use or sterilized before the next patient.
One night he reached into his drawer with someone new and pulled out an old, half-used bottle of lube. She looked at it. Then she looked at him.
It created a moment of hesitation and second-guessing. She didn't want to think about who I'd used it with before. It grossed her out, and I don't blame her.
He thinks about contamination all day at work, and he had never once thought about his lube bottle. That night, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
He went looking for single-use lube and only found clinical packets sold in bulk cases to clinics. So he spent a year and a half building it himself: five or six formulations until two felt right, then lab testing by mass spectrometry to make sure there were no impurities. LITE tests at pH 4.27 and MAX at pH 4.25. He called it ARA.
ARA packets are 5 mL each, one use per packet. So to compare fairly, I worked out how many uses you get from each bottle on Amazon.ca.
Bottle prices from Amazon.ca, October 2026 · ARA at the Mix Kit price · 5 mL per use
Side by side
50 packets + 2 packs of wipes, free shipping
How it works
No bottle to squeeze, no cap to reopen. Every packet is flat, sealed and ready.
Two formulas, one box
Most people don't know yet whether they're a LITE person or a MAX person. The Mix Kit gives you 25 of each.
Closest to natural feel. The one Dr. Paul uses himself. pH balanced, lab verified.
Fuller and longer-lasting, never sticky. For longer sessions and more cushion. pH balanced, lab verified.
Customer reviews
In September 2026, ARA sent about 5,500 packets to 11 Canadian lifestyle clubs, from BC to Quebec, so their members could try it for free.
50 packets + 2 packs of wipes, free shipping
The individual packets make this super travel-friendly and discreet… every packet is sealed and used only once, so you're not handling and re-handling a bottle every time. No messy bottles, no spills.
I'm not sure why no one thought of this before! It's so convenient!!! If you can carry a condom then you can for sure carry this!! And the feel is absolutely amazing!!
The max formula is really good, doesn't get sticky & stay put… [the packets] were a game changer & I think Im hooked on the more hygienic packet option. I think we found our new lube brand!
What's in the box
Everything you need to try both formulas and find your favourite, shipped free in a plain box.
Bought separately: $101.96 · Mix Kit: $54.99 · You save $46.97
Get the Mix Kit →Covered for 30 days. If something goes wrong, like a skin reaction, a damaged or leaking packet, or the wrong item, contact us within 30 days of delivery and we'll make it right with store credit.
Each packet is 5 mL. At 3 uses a week, 50 packets last about 4 months, roughly $1.10 a use.
FAQ
Yes. LITE and MAX are both water-based and pH balanced. They're safe with latex condoms and toys, and they rinse off with water.
There's no plastic in ARA packets. They're foil and paper, 0% plastic, and recyclable when empty. Each one holds a single 5 mL use, so nothing sits half-used in a drawer.
No. Drugstore bottles like Durex cost less per use, even if half the bottle gets tossed. ARA is about $1.10 a use, every packet is sealed and nothing goes in the trash. A premium bottle like Überlube works out to about $2.14 a use.
LITE: water, glycerin, hydroxyethylcellulose, sodium benzoate, lactic acid, phenoxyethanol. MAX: water, glycerin, propylene glycol, hydroxyethylcellulose, benzoic acid, sodium hydroxide. No hormones, alcohol, parabens, sulfates, fragrance or colourants.
LITE is thinner and silky, closest to natural feel. MAX is thicker, fuller and stays put longer. Both are water-based, pH balanced, latex-condom safe and toy-safe.
At 3 times a week, about 4 months. If you like two packets at a time, about 2 months.
No. It ships in a plain, unmarked box, and billing is discreet.
If something goes wrong, like a skin reaction, a damaged or leaking packet, or the wrong item, contact us within 30 days of delivery and we'll make it right with store credit.
Get the Mix Kit for $54.99 with free shipping.
50 packets + 2 packs of wipes, free shipping
P.S. Run the math on the last bottle you threw out. Then try one month of packets. If something goes wrong, our 30-day guarantee covers you with store credit.
Dr. Paul
Doctor and founder, ARA Personals
Sources
ARA Personals™ is a trademark of Soha Health Inc. All rights reserved. Billed discreetly. Free shipping across Canada and the USA on orders over $49.
The ARA Mix Kit50 packets + 2 packs of wipes
Where safety and freshness are prioritized.
Discreet shipping and billing on every order. Always a plain box.
