A 101 GUIDE TO SITRE
Your skincare routine gets plenty of attention. Sitre believes intimate care deserves just as much. Meet the Copenhagen-born brand bringing considered formulas and an open conversation to sexual wellness, with products that invite you to discover what feels good to you.
Founded by Cecilie Hjelmager and Julie Herskin, Sitre creates sex gels, intimacy oils and massage essentials with care for the skin at their heart. Think about silky textures, thoughtful ingredients and designs that earn their place on your bedside table. Here, the founders share the story behind the brand, while we introduce the Sitre heroes' worth getting to know.
In this article
- What is Sitre?
- The story behind Sitre
- What makes Sitre different?
- Which Sitre products should you try?
- Water-based or silicone lube: which should you choose?
- Your Sitre questions answered
What is Sitre?
Sitre is a Danish intimate care and sexual wellness brand founded in Copenhagen by Cecilie Hjelmager and Julie Herskin. Its collection includes lubricants, which the brand calls sex gels, alongside intimacy oils, massage candles and an intimate vibrator. The common thread is making intimacy feel like a natural part of everyday wellbeing, with space for different bodies, relationships and experiences.
Even the name starts with a feeling. As Julie explains:
Sitre is a Danish word meaning to tremble or quiver. The word itself isn’t sexual. It can describe excitement, anticipation, nerves or the feeling just before a touch. We love that it begins with something you feel in your body. To us, that’s where intimacy begins too: being present and noticing what you feel.
The story behind Sitre
Sitre began with Julie’s own experience of shopping for a lubricant. She felt that needing one meant something was wrong with her body, while her partner wondered whether he was to blame. The products they found did little to make either of them feel comfortable, and the bottle ended up hidden away.
When Julie shared the idea with Cecilie, it opened another conversation. Cecilie had never considered using lubricant because she thought it was only for people who needed it. Her own experience of stress had also prompted her to reconsider wellbeing and the role intimacy could play in how she felt about herself and her relationships.
Together, they saw room for a more thoughtful approach:
Together, we wanted to create products people would want to use, whether they needed them or not: products that make a moment feel better, help us feel confident and care for our skin. We also knew the products alone wouldn’t be enough. We wanted to change the language around intimacy.
That intention still shapes Sitre today, from the textures inside its bottles to the way it speaks about pleasure.
What makes Sitre different?
Sitre gives intimate care the attention we expect from our skincare. Texture matters, as does how a formula feels during use and how skin feels afterwards. It’s a considered approach that runs through the collection, whether you’re choosing a gel for added glide or an oil for a slower massage.
We develop our formulas with the same attention people expect from good skincare. Safety is essential, but we also think deeply about texture, how ingredients perform during a moment and how the skin feels afterwards. Intimate skin deserves that level of care.
The founders bring that same care to their words. Their starting point is refreshingly straightforward:
We’re serious about pleasure. By that, we mean we want everyone to feel that intimacy can be a natural part of their wellbeing.
For Sitre, that means making room for real experiences and personal preferences. You might want to spend time connecting with a partner, explore something on your own or simply pay more attention to how your body feels. There’s room to be curious at your own pace.
Which Sitre products should you try?
Start with the texture or experience you’re curious about. These five Sitre picks introduce the range, from the founders’ first recommendation to a candle that brings a little more care to your evening.
Forever Smooth Silicone Sex Gel
For a long-lasting, silky glide
New to Sitre? Julie recommends Forever Smooth Silicone Sex Gel as your first introduction. This silicone lubricant stays on the skin for lasting glide, with vitamin E and nourishing oils in the formula. Its soft texture makes it a considered choice when you’d prefer to reapply less often.
We’d recommend Forever Smooth, our silicone sex gel. Its long-lasting glide means you can stay in the moment without having to keep stopping to reapply, and the texture is incredibly soft. It’s one of those products we wish people could feel through the screen.
Julie also explains that they added oils and vitamin E so skin feels soft and cared for once the gel is washed off. A useful place to begin if texture is high on your wish list.
39.10€
Soft Wave Water-Based Sex Gel
For a light, hydrating feel
Prefer a water-based lubricant? Meet Soft Wave Water-Based Sex Gel. Made with 21% organic aloe vera and blueberry extract, it has a silky texture designed to feel close to your body’s own moisture.
The fragrance-free formula is pH-balanced and can be reapplied as needed. Sitre also confirms it’s compatible with condoms and toys, including silicone devices, making it a useful partner for New Heights. If you’re weighing up water-based lube against a silicone formula, Soft Wave is the lighter-feeling option to explore.
1
36.80€
Pleasure Boost Intimacy Oil
For massage and unhurried touch
Bring a little more time to the moment with Pleasure Boost Intimacy Oil. This oil contains argan, sunflower and wheat germ oils alongside 2% CBD, and is designed for massage or use as a lubricant.
Its oil texture makes it a different experience from either of Sitre’s gels. Massage it into the skin, take your time and notice what feels comfortable for you. For the founders, that freedom to explore is central to the product:
We love that it brings skin care and intimacy together in such a tangible way. People use it differently and tell us stories we never could have predicted. That’s exactly what we hoped to create: a product that invites you to explore what feels good to you.
Good to know: Pleasure Boost is not compatible with condoms. If you’re using condoms, choose a compatible lubricant such as Soft Wave and follow the instructions on both products.
58.65€
Pillow Haze Massage Candle
For turning a massage into time well spent
Pillow Haze Massage Candle brings together candlelight, a soft green scent and a blend that melts into body massage oil. Shea and cocoa butters meet sweet almond and jojoba oils, with notes of bergamot, eucalyptus and oakmoss.
Light it while you settle into your evening, then extinguish the flame once enough oil has melted. Allow the oil to cool and check the temperature before applying it to the skin for a body massage. The ceramic spout makes pouring straightforward; all that’s left is to take your time.
Good to know: Pillow Haze is for body massage, not use as a lubricant or on intimate areas. Sitre does not recommend using this candle during pregnancy.
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36.80€
58.65€
New Heights Vibrator with Smoky Quartz Crystal
For exploring at your own pace
New Heights is Sitre’s first intimate vibrator. Its organic, asymmetrical shape offers different curves and surfaces, with a real smoky quartz crystal set into the tip.
The design pairs adjustable vibrations with a silicone exterior, waterproof construction and magnetic USB charging. If you’d like extra glide, Sitre recommends a compatible water-based lubricant; Soft Wave fits the brief. Explore the settings at your own pace and follow the supplied care instructions, including cleaning before and after use.
If you’re discovering devices for the first time, you can also explore our wider sex toys and vibrators collection.
148.35€
Water-based or silicone lube: which should you choose?
The main difference between Sitre’s two sex gels is how they feel and behave on the skin. Soft Wave offers a light, water-based glide and absorbs over time, so you may want to reapply. Forever Smooth has a silicone base that stays on the surface for a longer-lasting glide and needs washing off afterwards.
Choose Soft Wave if you prefer a water-based feel or want a straightforward pairing for a silicone device. Choose Forever Smooth if lasting glide is your priority. Always check the instructions for your chosen lubricant, condom and device together, as compatibility depends on the individual products.
Your Sitre questions answered
What is a sex gel?
A sex gel is Sitre’s term for a personal lubricant, also known as lube. It adds glide and helps reduce friction during intimate touch. Sitre offers both a water-based gel, Soft Wave, and a silicone gel, Forever Smooth, so you can choose the texture you prefer.
Do you have to need a lubricant to use one?
You can choose a lubricant for added glide and enjoyment. Sitre’s founders want people to feel comfortable exploring one without seeing it as a sign that something is wrong. As they put it:
Different types create different feelings, and just like an intimate device, a sex gel can help you explore and discover new sensations.
How do you use Sitre lube?
Apply your chosen gel to the skin and intimate areas as directed on the product, starting with a small amount and adding more if needed. Soft Wave absorbs over time and can be reapplied. Forever Smooth stays on the skin for longer and should be washed off after use. Check compatibility before using either gel with condoms or a device.
What is a massage candle?
A massage candle is specially formulated to melt into an oil that can be applied to the body once the flame is extinguished and the oil has cooled to a comfortable temperature. Sitre’s Pillow Haze is one example. Use only a candle specifically designed for skin application, follow its instructions and keep Pillow Haze away from intimate areas.
Where can you buy Sitre in the UK?
You can shop Sitre at Cult Beauty, including its sex gels, intimacy oil, massage candles and New Heights vibrator. Explore the range to find the texture or experience that suits you.
For Cecilie and Julie, seeing intimate care alongside other beauty discoveries is part of the bigger picture:
Seeing intimate care given a place alongside face, body and hair care says something we’ve believed from the beginning: this category deserves the same thought, quality and attention.
Start with the founders’ favourite, explore a new texture or make time for a massage. Discover Sitre and find what feels good to you.
