Slip slidin' away with Ryan Russell

10 Apr 2024 -

Who would you trust to develop a new type of lube? Some nerd in a lab, or someone who uses tons of it, like, say, a porn star?

So when local porn luminary Ryan Russell told me he had done just that, and handed me a sample of something he calls Plowder, I was intrigued. I ran home to test it out. It comes in a little plastic pouch filled with white powder (“Don’t snort it!” Ryan cautioned me) and you add cold water up to the fill line then mix it up real good. When you uncap it and pour some of the liquidy lube onto your various body parts, you’re in for a slippery treat. This stuff is slick. It even comes with a warning: “Extremely slippery, clean surface spills immediately and handle with care.” 

“We don’t want anybody wiping out if they spill some on the floor,” Russell told me over coffee. He can’t stress the slippery quality enough. In fact, he’s even shot a video of naked models attempting to wrestle while covered in Plowder, which sounds hilarious. 

“Years ago, I was working with one of Canada’s biggest pharmaceuticals,” he told me. “And they somehow found out I did gay porn and they asked if I would create a lube with them. We tried royal bee jelly, but it smells like vomit. Then I realized it wasn’t about the formula. It’s more about recreating the format. I have many bottles of lube, and they’re all sticky and disgusting, all covered in hair and grime, and that’s the problem. I needed to rethink the packaging. The K-cup inspired it. One uses it and throws it away. It’s good for one cup because most people don’t drink a whole carafe of coffee at 8am. This packaging is convenient. It’s good for travel. It won’t leak in your shaving kit. I can carry it in my sock.”

The powder in Plowder is polyethylene polymer and a dispersing agent. It dissolves quickly and is ready to use. The white powder inspired the mountain snow and ski visuals used in the marketing. He’d love it if a big company would come along and buy the licensing from him, but in the meantime, it’s selling well already. He’s been giving samples to other porn stars to spread the word. Soon, thanks to Ryan Russell, everybody in gay porn will be slipping and sliding all over the place.