Kama Sutra promises a lot with their Oil of Love (and their Petite Oil Of Love, the 0.75 ounce sample bottle, which I tried). They claim that their pretty green potion in its cork-stoppered glass apothecary bottle smells good, is edible, is warming, and is useful as a massage oil. Sadly, for me, it failed to live up to any of those promises, and I was left with nothing but a pretty bottle to be pleased with.

INGREDIENTS
Oil of Love (the original scent) is made of several body-safe ingredients (although females prone to yeast infections should avoid vaginal contact). Glycerin is a viscous water-soluble fluid that's often used as a base for lubricants and cleansers, but it can serve as a foodstuff for vaginal yeasts. Propylene Glycol is another water-soluble fluid that's used to improve the texture of Oil of Love, and is also used as a non-toxic antifreeze for drinking water systems. Even the most chemically-unaware users will recognize water and sucrose (aka table sugar). Sodium Saccharine is an artificial sweetener with a long shelf life and a metallic aftertaste. It is commonly used in diet sodas, often in combination with other artificial sweeteners to soften the negative properties of each other. Fragrance speaks for itself, and the fragrance used blends with the saccharine scent and smells like a rich chocolate and cinnamon. The cinnamon scent is from Cinnamomum cassia leaf oil, the oil of the cassia tree from which American supermarket cinnamon sticks are harvested. Benzyl Benzoate is an esther that is commonly used as a food additive in artificial flavorings, as a fragrance fixer in perfumes, as an insecticide specializing in killing skin mites. Benzyl alcohol is a solvent which is partially water-soluble, and assists in fragrance development. Oil of Love is then colored with Yellow 5, Blue 1, and apparently a smidgen of Red 40, although the red isn't apparent.

AROMA AND TASTE
So you take the leak-proof plastic seal off the cork and go to sniff your oil of love---and some people really love this. I can smell the chocolate and the cinnamon, and I think they're a good scent combination. But it's not just chocolate and cinnamon---there's also the overpowering smell of sodium saccharine. Oil of love gets just as many 5-star reviews as 2-star reviews, so the best I can do is say "if you can tell the difference between regular soda and diet soda, don't try this." If saccharine can convince your olfactory system that it's sugar, then apparently this smells and tastes fine. For me, though, it tastes off and kind of metallic-ly tangy. When I spread a bit on my hand and tapped my hand with my tongue I nearly gagged. So much for Oil of Love being edible. Perhaps nothing is toxic... but nothing is remotely desirable, either.

CONSISTENCY AND TEXTURE
Even if the Oil of Love tastes bitter, it should still serve as a massage oil, right? Sadly, the oil fails here as well. When applying just a small bit, it quickly clings to your skin and sort of cools to an awkward gel consistency, kind of like if you poured maple sap that you haven't quite reduced to maple syrup yet on your back. The sugars kind of congeal and catch your skin, meaning a hand moving across your shoulderblade that would be a smooth motion dry, or a slick motion with oil, is instead a jittery, staggering motion that makes the receiver open his/her eyes and say "are you sure that's right?"

Pouring on a larger amount (say, half of the three-quarter-ounce bottle) lets you give a slick and gliding massage, but the large amount can't be absorbed by your skin. If either you or your partner can't tell saccharine apart from sugar, they can attempt to lap up all the residue... but even the most dedicated tongue will leave behind a crackly sticky feeling where the "oil" begins to congeal. You will wind up in the shower after using Oil of Love, even if you meant to slip into blissful sleep (or pleasant sex) after your massage.

UPSIDES
About the only good thing Oil of Love offered is its bottle. The little flask can be tucked discreetly behind just about anything, even the first joint of your thumb, if you don't want to display it. After removing the plastic seal I might be a bit concerned about leaking if it was left on its side, but the weighty, flat-bottomed glass was not at all prone to being knocked over. Once I realized how unsatisfying Oil of Love was, I was happy I'd only gotten the petite size---the three quarters of an ounce were used up in roughly two uses, and now I have the bottle rinsed out and serving as a nightstand-sized massage oil bottle (since the bigger bottle is in the bathroom).

My partner wanted to add that the Oil of Love left a pretty sheen across my ass, without being as runny as baby oil, but since I wind up in the shower to clean up either way it didn't make much of a difference to me.