Package Deal: Now Men Have Their Own “Down Under” Cream

Ever notice how many a man keeps Gold Bond powder in his grooming kit? Silly us — we'd always thought that guys used the stuff on their feet. (Because feet can stink, right?) As it turns out, that's only half the story. Chances are, more likely than not, dudes are using it on their junk. We're shocked, shocked!

This little bit of information was gleaned during lunch with Tony Sosnick and Emily Morse, two longtime friends who recently launched a line of "intimate personal care" goods called Emily & Tony. Sosnick opened our eyes to the real reason so many guys use powders. See, here's the thing: Dudes, too, can get that not-so-fresh feeling, which is why they've traditionally sprinkled powder all over their goods. Which is fine, except as Sosnick pointed out, powder is pretty messy. One too-strong shake, and your bathroom looks like Tony Montana's rec room. So, he and Morse developed DownUnder Comfort, a lightly scented cream-to-powder formula intended to keep man parts dry, tidy, and funk-free.

Sounds good. But, having no package of our own for testing purposes, we were unable to use the product. (Yes, women can use it wherever chafing occurs, but let's be real: The scrotum-care angle is the real draw here.) So, for a man's perspective, we gave a tube of DownUnder Comfort to a guy friend who exercises like crazy. Theoretically, his workout regimen should leave him with sweaty balls, so we gave him a tube of DownUnder Comfort. "What is this?" he asked.

We feigned innocence: "Well, what do you think it is?"

He turned the tube around in his hands, rubbed a bit on the back of his hand, and whispered, "Is this...for my...balls?"

After we answered in the affirmative, he agreed to test the product. Three days later, we received this text: "Notes after workout: Keeps them pretty dry, smell fades. No tingling when applying, versus Gold Bond." A little more information than we'd needed, but now you know: Ball cream is a thing, and it apparently gets the thumbs-up when given a sporting chance.