It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a lube, and I’ve certainly never tried a caramel and coffee flavored lube until today. But ’tis the season, and I do love coffee, so let’s looking at Lovehoney’s new festive caramel latte lubricant.

Festive Flavors: Coffee & Caramel Flavored Lube

Lovehoney’s caramel latte coffee flavored lube is a water-based formula that comes in a 100ml (3.4 fl oz) pump bottle. It is the latest edition to Lovehoney’s growing flavoured lubes line.

The bottle bears the signature bubbles design that features on various Lovehoney lubes. In this case, the bubbles and product name are… well, caramel coloured.

Caramel Latte Coffee Flavored Lube: Ingredients

This is a water-based lube, and so it is unsurprising that water is the first ingredient on the list. Let’s take a quick look at the other main ingredients:

• Sorbitol. This is a sugar alcohol which is generally recognised as safe (including for consumption) in small quantities. However, it’s worth being aware that sugar can increase the risk of yeast infections for some users, so exercise caution and maybe avoid this lube if you’re prone to them.
• Potassium sorbate. This is a preservative that is generally considered safe and is a much better alternative to parabens.
• Polysorbate 20. This is a non-toxic emulsifier that is added to many water-based cosmetics and skincare products.
• Diazolidinyl urea. This is an antimicrobial preservative used in many cosmetics. It is considered safe in concentrations up to 0.5%, but can release small amounts of formaldehyde which can occasionally cause irritation in sensitive individuals.
• Citric acid. This natural preservative is extremely common and is safe, especially in the minuscule quantities it’s used here.
• Sucralose. This common artificial sweetener is essentially a form of sugar, helping to give this coffee caramel flavored lube its taste. It could be another potential risk for yeast infections if you’re prone to them. However, it’s also used in tiny quantities here.

So what’s the verdict? There’s nothing in this coffee caramel flavored lube that makes me go “oh hell no!” off the bat, but I’d recommend exercising caution if you have allergies, sensitivities, or are prone to infections.

To be fair, the bottle does specify that the lube is for external use only. For that reason, I recommend keeping it for oral sex or external hand sex only, and keeping it away from any internal areas. Switch to a gentle water-based lube for anything involving penetration.

By the way: this lube is also vegan, containing no animal-derived or animal-tested ingredients.

How Does It Taste?

Honestly? Not as bad as I expected.

I wasn’t at all convinced I’d like caramel and coffee flavored lube, and I confess I rolled my eyes at the concept. Admittedly, I’m kinda against flavoured lube on principle. I don’t generally get on well with anything with artificial flavourings and I find a lot of fruity flavored lubes are either too sickly sweet or just taste like chemicals.

But this one was a not-unpleasant surprise, considering my low expectations. It’s sweet but not overly sickly, and you only need a little bit to get the flavour. It also actually tastes like caramel and coffee. Kind of.

Ultimately, though, I don’t think I’ll have much use for this. Call me old-fashioned but I want my coffee to taste like coffee and my genitals to taste like, well, genitals.

Feel and Clean-Up

The Lovehoney coffee caramel flavored lube can get a little sticky if you leave it for too long. I guess that’s due to the sugar-based ingredients. However, it lasts fairly well and I didn’t need to keep re-applying it, which I appreciated.

As it’s water-based, the caramel latte lube is a breeze to clean up. Just rinse off with some warm water. It also won’t stain your sheets. Water-based lube is compatible with all body-safe sex toy materials including silicone, glass, ABS plastic, stainless steel, and wood.

So Do I Recommend Trying Coffee Flavored Lube?

I wouldn’t suggest caramel latte lube as a bedside staple. For the reasons I’ve mentioned, it’s really only suitable for external use (though oral sex is kind of the entire point of flavoured lubes anyway.) But if you’re not sensitive to any of the ingredients and enjoy a sweet, slightly coffee-ish flavour, it can be a playful stocking stuffer or a fun way to change up your oral sex routine once in a while.

For general use, a gentle unflavoured water-based or silicone-based lube is a better choice.

The Lovehoney caramel latte coffee flavored lube retails for £8.99 from Lovehoney UK.

Thanks to Lovehoney for sending me this product to review! Views are, as always, my own. Affiliate links appear in this post.