Yes, for many men, while you use them. Numbing sprays and creams are among the first options doctors recommend. The catch: less sensation, sometimes softer erections, and numbness that can pass to your partner.
This page is about the research, not my own experience. Delay sprays get searched more than almost anything else on this topic, so they deserve a straight answer.
How they work
Delay sprays, creams, gels and wipes contain a local anaesthetic (lidocaine, prilocaine or benzocaine). You put it on the penis a few minutes before sex, it dulls sensation, and with less stimulation reaching the reflex, ejaculation takes longer to come.
Do they work?
They do, for a lot of men. The American Urological Association lists topical anaesthetics among the first-line options for premature ejaculation, alongside certain antidepressants. A 2023 review of 11 randomised trials (about 2,000 men) found they increased the time to ejaculation clearly more than a placebo, by several minutes on average depending on the product.
In Europe, one lidocaine and prilocaine spray is authorised as a medicine for lifelong premature ejaculation. It’s applied about five minutes before sex, and the excess is wiped off.
The main forms, side by side
| Form | When it goes on | What the research says | Downsides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lidocaine and prilocaine spray (authorised as a medicine in Europe) | About 5 minutes before sex, excess wiped off | Tested in trials for lifelong premature ejaculation | Reduced sensation (about 4.5% of men), erection problems (about 4.4%), burning for the partner (about 3.9%); damages polyurethane condoms |
| Lidocaine creams and gels | Before sex, following the leaflet | Longer time to ejaculation than placebo in the 2023 review | Numbness of the penis, irritation, can numb the partner, loss of erection |
| Benzocaine wipes | Before sex, following the leaflet | Not well studied | Not well studied |
| Benzocaine “delay” condoms | Worn as a normal condom | A 2026 study in men without premature ejaculation found a modest gain | Rare side effects in that study |
The catch
The same numbness that delays ejaculation also dulls pleasure. In the authorised spray’s trials, about 4.5% of men reported reduced genital sensation and about 4.4% erection problems. If the product reaches your partner, it can numb them too: about 3.9% of partners reported a burning sensation. The usual advice is to wipe off the excess or wear a condom (some products damage polyurethane condoms, so check the leaflet).
And it only works while you use it. A spray changes what you feel tonight; it doesn’t change the reflex itself.
My take
If you need a result for tonight, it’s a legitimate option, and better than suffering in silence. Ask a doctor or pharmacist which product, because what’s sold online varies a lot. The approach I follow aims at something else: choosing the moment while keeping all the sensation. That’s a different road, and a longer one.
Sources
- Disorders of Ejaculation: AUA/SMSNA Guideline, American Urological Association, 2020
- Topical Anesthetics and Premature Ejaculation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Shah et al., Cureus, 2023
- Natural rubber latex condoms with benzocaine paste may help patients without evidence of premature ejaculation increase ejaculation latency, International Society for Sexual Medicine, summary of a 2026 Journal of Sexual Medicine study
- Fortacin (lidocaine and prilocaine) spray: summary of product characteristics, electronic medicines compendium (UK)
The whole theme in one read: Premature ejaculation treatments: what works and what doesn’t