The Butters Hygienics Co. Crafts Handmade Vegan Body Products Perfect For Spicing Up Valentine’s Day

The Short Version: Ingredients matter when it comes to hygiene products, and that’s especially the case for personal lubricants. The Butters Hygienic Co. is a small business based in Michigan that makes natural vegan hygiene products and lubricants at a budget-friendly price. Jerome Stuart Nichols is the founder, owner, and maker at The Butters. Jerome told us about his company’s story, why sexual health awareness and education is important to him, and how The Butters seeks to empower people with the tools they need to understand their sexual health.

If you’ve ever heard that mascara is made from bat poop, or guano, I have good news for you: it’s not. But I also have bad news. Many mascaras include guanine, a colorant and opacifying agent used extensively in the cosmetics industry. While guanine as a compound can be found in guano, the guanine used in cosmetics isn’t made from poop.

It’s made of ground fish scales, also known as crystalline guanine. 

This is small solace, especially for a consumer who understands how important it is for hygiene and skin care products to be made with high-quality ingredients – bat poop and fish scales excluded.

More and more people are on the search for beauty and hygiene products made with natural and plant-based ingredients that they’ll feel good about putting on their bodies.

Using a high-quality and trusted product is especially important when it comes to sexual health products like personal lubricants. After all, lube goes on and in the body in pretty sensitive places. When it comes to lube, you can’t make sacrifices of quality in the name of price. 

The Butters Hygienics Co. is giving customers the best of both worlds with its handmade, vegan, and accessibly priced hygiene products. The Butters was founded by Jerome Stuart Nichols in 2015 after he spent a year selling his original oils and lubes to friends, family, and members of his local community. The Butters began because Jerome was struggling to find an affordable yet high-quality lube, so he made one himself.

Jerome talked to us about his journey to founding The Butters, what the company looks like today, and how couples can use products from The Butters to step up their game in the bedroom. He also filled us in on how he wants to bring people into a better understanding of their sexual health and what The Butters is doing to help.

“It all started because I needed to find an affordable and all-natural lube,” Jerome said. “That’s how The Butters was born. I honestly sell products as a sneaky little Trojan horse to teach people about sexual health. My degree is in psychology with a focus on human sexuality, and that’s really where my interest lies.”

The Butters Hygienics Co. was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Jerome is proud of his many experiences and identities that are expressed and honored through The Butters. The Butters Hygiene Co. is a Black, Gay, and Autistic-owned business driven by “pure Midwest American ingenuity and creativity.”

These identities shine through in The Butters’ equitable hiring practices. “I’m part of the reason for my hiring philosophy,” Jerome told us. “I have ADHD and I’m autistic, and I would consider myself a difficult employee. When I was making my business, I was very conscious of making it suitable for me. After that, I realized I should also be willing to accommodate other people. I want the workplace to be a protected space.”

Jerome told us he lives an unconventional life and is a proud self-described weirdo. “I’m rebellious, I’m completely covered in tattoos,” he said. “Having this group, who’s strange like me, odd in their own ways, and we all appreciate each other for who we are. It makes our company more fun.”

Besides creating a small business with equitable practices and a commitment to its local community, Jerome said that the driving force behind The Butters is to improve sexual health education and awareness. It’s also creating a welcoming and warm space around sex. 

“Talking about sex, openly and honestly, is one of the most important things that anyone can ever do for their life, wellness, and overall satisfaction,” he said. “Everything is connected to the choices we make about sexuality and relationships, and people who have strong and responsible understandings of their own sexuality have much more robust lives.”

“A lot of people are having very unfulfilling, shallow, disconnected sex, just to try to get those basic needs met,” Jerome said. “That’s what I’m against. I want to bring people warmth and connection and love and community. I want people to get something deeper out of sex and dating.”

The Butters’ Valentine’s Gift Guide includes hand-picked selections from Jerome and his team that are perfect for couples planning a celebration in the bedroom. The guide includes Peach Bliss Elixir, the Butters Lube sampler, and a nourishing “body n booty” shimmer oil called Cake Icing, plus other products designed to make sex smoother and shinier.

“The Butters lubes are primarily oil-based,” Jerome explained. “We have oil-water and oil-Aloe hybrid lubes, liquid lubes, water-based lubes, and CBD lubes.” If customers don’t know what kind of lube they need, they can explore The Butters product overviews to see what kind of intercourse or activities the products are designed for. 

“The water-based lubes are made with hyaluronic acid,” Jerome said. “We chose hyaluronic acid because it’s super moisturizing and one of the best things you can put on your skin to put moisture into it. A lot of people have issues with vaginal dryness and irritation, so the hyaluronic acid continues to moisturize well after intercourse.” 

When it comes to the Valentine’s Gift Guide, Jerome pointed customers to The Butters Cake Icing. “We have a flavored and unflavored version. They’re body oils made for shining up your booty,” he said. “The unflavored version is made with raspberry seed oil, cucumber seed oil, pomegranate, all these wonderful oils. It’s extra glossy, deeply moisturizing, and smells really nice.”

The flavored Cake Icing takes everything wonderful about the unflavored version and swirls in a delectable and warm cupcake flavor. “The flavored version is special to me,” Jerome said. “I love it a lot. That was one of those ideas I got in the middle of the night and just had to do it. It has French white sparkle mica in it, so it’s very pearlescent and beautiful.”

The Butters has a limited edition line, especially for Valentine’s Day, which includes the Spiced Blossom Elysium Valentines Bundle. This bundle features the Spiced Blossom Elysium cocoa butter body moisturizer and the Spiced Blossom Elysium Tres Butters™ body cleanser bar. 

The cocoa butter has an earthy and romantic scent made of black rose, patchouli, and orange zest. The sparkly pink cleansing bar, shaped like a heart, delivers the same olfactory experience as the cocoa butter, with rich vanilla and earth notes. 

Valentine’s Day has romance on everybody’s mind, but lube isn’t a seasonal product. Jerome was excited to tell us about The Butters’ CBD-infused products, which offer increased sensation and pleasure. “CBD comes from cannabis,” Jerome said. “Of course, it’s the non-psychoactive version, and we use pure isolate.”

CBD can have many health benefits, in and out of the bedroom. CBD has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties that can aid with sleep, mood, and appetite.  “It can help with circulation and sensitivity,” Jerome told us. “The CBD lubes can be great for a lot, but they’re especially useful for trying to achieve multiple ejaculations. I know the guy who makes it; he grows all his stuff on his own farm, distills it, and then we buy it from him.”

The Butters Hygienics Co.’s spa products are a great choice for when it’s time to treat yourself. “I highly recommend to anyone who wants a spa day to try one of our CBD bath bombs,” Jerome said. “They’re so fun and relaxing. Anytime you’re in the mood for a cuddle, taking a bath with a CBD bath bomb is just like falling into your lover.”

Delectable body oils and specialized lubes aside, The Butters is doing good for its community, employees, and customers. For Jerome, this is what it’s all about. “If I could leave you with anything, it’s love your family, your people,” he said. “Your family is the most important thing that you will ever do. No amount of business or academic success will ever be more important than making sure the people close to you feel loved and supported.”