7 Best Delay Sprays for Men

These delay sprays contain lidocaine or benzocaine, which are topical anesthetics. These numbing agents were originally mostly used for dental procedures, but then, of course, someone thought “I wonder how I can use this for sex.” And it’s a good thing they did.

According to this study, men last about 2.4 times longer when they use an ejaculation delay spray. The men in this study, however, averaged 1 minute and 24 seconds before the use of these sprays. With the use of these sprays, the average “lasting time” increased to 11 minutes and 21 seconds. So, yeah. They work.

Delay sprays are applied to the penis about 15 minutes before intercourse. The spray (or cream) contains a small percentage of these numbing agents—usually between 3 and 13%.

The idea is that they desensitize your nerves enough to delay ejaculation, but not enough so that you don’t feel anything.

Carefully, thoughtfully, and most likely, sparingly. Every delay spray and every penis is different, which means you’ll have to experiment to see what works for you. But there are some commonalities across the board.

Almost all brands suggest applying the cream to “the most sensitive parts of your knob.” (Paraphrasing here.) 

I’m assuming you, too, were once a teenage boy. So I’m also going to assume you know which parts of your dick are the most sensitive.

About 10-15 minutes before sex, put a few sprays on those parts and gently (gently!) rub it in.

Right off the bat, I was hesitant to try this spray. It costs about 4x as much as the second most expensive spray on this list. But the only longer hesitation than the one I experienced before I bought it was the one before I blew my load.

This stuff works well. Unfortunately, a little too well if you use too much. It does take a bit of experimentation to see just how much you need. But once you hit the sweet spot, you’ll get consistent results every time.

Given how well the Promescent spray worked, I had high hopes for these wipes. And let me tell you: neither I nor my partner were disappointed. Quite the contrary. We were both very pleased. I myself am in a long-term, monogamous relationship.

But these wipes are perfect for a guy who experiences PE and goes out on the weekends trying to get laid. They’re single-use and you can discreetly carry one in your jeans pocket. And if you get lucky, slip into the bathroom right before you go to town.

There’s no need to carry around a bottle and no need to explain to the person you just met your conundrum. A quick wipe in the bathroom, a few minutes of foreplay, and no one’s the wiser. And they work just as well as the spray! 

I tend to lack faith in products (sex toys or otherwise) with some supposed-to-be-catchy but actually kitschy name.

Rest assured, my prejudices were proven wrong. This stuff works. Unlike most of the other sprays, this one has a slight cooling and tingling effect.

It’s a very strange feeling, and I mean that in a great way. It’s strange because it actually feels pretty good, but the whole point of these sprays is to make you feel less..!?

Even though it actually feels good, the numbing aspect does work and it was effective in making me last longer.

The recommended three or four sprays provided the perfect amount of numbing while still allowing me to feel pleasure. This has a lower percentage of benzocaine, which is actually good for more “exact” adjustments in how much you use.

Adam & Even is a highly reputable and trusted brand among the sexually inclined. And this product maintains that reputation. This spray helped me last much longer than I would have. 

This benzocaine-based spray is very effective. The instructions say to begin with “two or more” sprays, but I would recommend beginning with one or two and adjusting from there. If you use too much, you can numb yourself too much.

But get it just right, and you’ll have a fantastic evening. (Or morning, or afternoon.) It also seems to absorb quicker than most other sprays.

Doc Johnson is another trusted brand in the sex toy industry. And this product is in line with that reputation. 

The main thing that sets this product apart from the rest is that it’s a cream, not a spray. This can be good or bad depending on how you look at it, but it was a good thing in my experience. You can be more “exact” in how much you squeeze out of the tube, as opposed to a spray bottle. 

Of course, if you’re in the dark and you want to quickly apply it before getting back to business, it’s not as easy to judge “one spray, two sprays, etc.” But honestly, that’s one very specific case when it’s not completely ideal. In almost all others, this cream is fantastic. It worked exactly as directed and made me last significantly longer in bed than normal.

Another product from Doc Johnson that delivers. Even though the previous product was called “sta-erect,” it didn’t really aid in that. But this one is similar in its ability to slow down your orgasm time.

This particular product has lidocaine as its main numbing agent and cannabis sativa seed extract. I’m not sure how much the cannabis helps, but the product itself works. The instructions say to apply between “3 and 10” sprays, which is quite the range. But once you see how much works for you, it’s easy to apply that exact amount.

This is the exact same product as the Doc Johnson Sta-Erect cream, but in a spray form. It worked just as well as the cream, but it felt like I had to apply more of the spray to get the same desensitizing effect. 

That said, it does work as described. 

The “apply three or more (but not more than 10) sprays” instructions are pretty vague. But once you experiment and find what’s right for you, it’s easy to ensure consistent results every time. It’s easy to not over or underdo the spray every time.