Kama Sutra Aromatic Massage Oils 8 fl oz - Sweet Almond

Elegant bottle, sensual fragrance

Texture and material construction: This oil has a rich, slippery feel which is ideal for a sensual massage. It is mainly a blend of soybean oil, grapeseed oil, and pistachio oil. It's packaged in a slender, clear plastic bottle with an elegant label decorated with intricate Indian-like motifs and gold foil edging.

Review Details: The Sweet Almond fragrance of this oil has been my go-to massage oil for many years. I've tried the other four fragrances that come with the Tranquility Kit, but the Almond is the only one I've purchased in the full-size bottle. It's long-lasting, reasonably priced, smells really nice, and comes in packaging that looks great on a nightstand. It does eventually get absorbed into the skin, leaving it soft and silky, but gives you a good amount of time to massage your partner first.

This is a sweet, nutty scent which reminds me of Amaretto liqueur. It's sensual but uncomplicated - a good all-purpose scent. I have a pretty sensitive sense of smell, but this fragrance doesn't seem overpowering to me. It can be used for romantic or therapeutic massage, but also makes a good bath oil when you want extra moisturizing for your skin, or a skin oil for trapping the water your skin has absorbed from a shower or bath, especially after exfoliating or shaving.

I deducted a star because the ingredients are not all natural. In addition to the three main oils I listed above, it contains: C12-15 alkyl benzoate, caprylic/capric triglyceride, sweet almond oil, fragrance, tocopheryl acetate, and lecithin. It does have a long shelf-life, though, and according to my basic internet research, none of the ingredients are known to be harmful.

If you don't want to go to the trouble of blending your own massage oils, this is a very nice ready-made one to use.

Overwhelmingly Almond.

The bottle is a tall and thin and made of squeezable plastic. Kama Sutra has updated their packaging, so the bottle is no longer frosted, it’s now clear with a classy looking and vaguely middle Eastern logo. This is something you could leave out on your dresser, as there is nothing overly explicit on it. The scent of the oil is listed on the front, along with a brief description of the oil’s properties. The lid seems to hold up well and hasn’t leaked in my toy box, but I’d recommend storing it upright and put it in a plastic bag for if you decide to travel with it.

The back of the bottle has a quick description of the oil in multiple languages as well as the ingredients, which are: Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Pistacia Vera Seed Oil, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Prunus Amygdalus (Sweet Almond) Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool

The scent, Sweet Almond, smells like marzipan to me. Marzipan is insanely delicious Christmas treat for me, but something that’s best in small amounts, otherwise it leaves me feeling nauseated. Sadly, this scent has a similar effect. It smells really strong to me and my girlfriend also finds it overwhelming. Also, the scent sticks around on skin. Half an hour after I’d given a massage with it (and washed my hands!) I’d keep getting whiffs of marzipan. If you like the scent of your massage oils to be long lasting, this is definitely for you!

Kama Sutra’s oils also come in several other scents, including ‘Serenity’, ‘Healing Blend’, ‘Pleasure Garden’ and ‘Soaring Spirit’. The oil is a very light and (as oil tends to be) is very runny. Be careful pouring this onto your partner’s back, as it may decide not to pool conveniently and run over their sides. It will stain fabric, so putting down an old towel before you start your massage will keep you from worrying about ruining your sheets or blanket. The oil doesn’t have much of an aftertaste, just the normal ‘Oh, hey! You just licked something that is made of oil’ flavor that’s to be expected.

In use, I found that you really didn’t need a lot of this oil. A quarter sized puddle worked well for a fairly long (15 to 20 minute-ish) massage on my victi…erm, subject’s back without needing to reapply. However, the reason I didn’t need to reapply it was that it didn’t soak into the skin the way I prefer my massage oils to. It stayed lightly on the surface of the skin and needed to be washed/wiped away so it wouldn’t stain the sheets or our clothes. I wasn’t a fan of having to shower post-massage so we could go to sleep or leave the bedroom without accidentally ruining surfaces we came into contact with. It gives a good amount of slickness during use, though. I really wanted to love this massage oil, as I’m a total fangirl for Kama Sutra’s line of fabulous products, but I can’t get over how overwhelming the scent is and that it doesn't absorb. I give it 2 strongly scented paws up out of 5.

Love the Sweet Almond Scent!

The bottle is a standard plastic bottle with a click to flip-up lid, just like you would find on most lotion bottles. The lid is a disappointment since I was expecting it to be more like their lube containers that help you only pour out what you want, this oil pours extremely fast, so be careful with it. If you spill even the tiniest amount of oil on the bottle it will be extremely slippery as there is no external texture, even on the label. The reason I gave this oil a 4 instead of a 5 was that I thought the bottle design was lacking.

The oil is wonderful! It is very, very strong scent which I like because a little goes a long way and this way even if you only put a little on you can enjoy the scent all day. The smell is clearly synthetic, but it is a high quality one. It is not the most natural massage oil out there but at least the oils are plant derived. In a blind sniff test I am not sure I could tell it apart from real marzipan, but do not expect it to smell like the almond oil you would cook with, it is much stronger and sweeter. My favorite way to use the oil is to put a little (like a teaspoon or less) into a hot bath. The oil soaks into your skin as you relax in the tub enjoying the heavenly marzipan-like almond scent. You do have to be careful not to use your best towel to dry off afterward, as you will come out glistening with the oil, but it absorbs quickly if you let yourself air-dry.