In this research, a grease-lubricated EHD point contact involving a steel ball and sapphire disc has been investigated to clarify the influence of different types of lithium grease on the lubricating film shape. The contact diameter was 0.66 mm, the maximum Hertzian pressure was 1.2 GPa and the rolling speed was 55 mm/s. The conclusions can be summarized as follows. Formations of soap thickener, approx 20 mu m in diameter in the bulk grease, enter the contact area, where they deform and cause local film thickness disturbances with a diameter of 100-200 mu m and a height of 0.1 mu m above the central film thickness. The soap thickener structure that passes the contact area breaks and forms an irregular layer on the surfaces. If the grease supply is stopped, and the contact is starved, lumps of soap thickener fibres left on the surfaces will still cause irregular film thickness fluctuations that might help to separate the surfaces. The frequency of the local disturbances depends mainly on the soap thickener content and the manufacturing process. Greases manufactured to be "quiet-running" in a rolling element bearing are more homogeneous in the soap thickener structure, and therefore cause fewer local deformations in the contact area, meaning reduced noise.