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Noén Nile Oil is an intimacy oil (read: lube), but I currently have it in my hair and on a cut on my hand. It’s not the first time and it won’t be my last.

Noén co-founder Natalie Mankarious spoke to me about intimacy not as sex, but as a physiological and emotional state. “It’s to think [as much as] to tremble,” she mused. The oil is crafted around blue lotus, an ancient Egyptian botanical long associated with aphrodisiac effects, relaxation and heightened sensory awareness. Cleopatra famously used it not for spectacle, but as ritual.

Noén Nile Afterplay Oil is designed to function as a personal lubricant, body oil, hair oil, and skin treatment, and it actually does all four well. The texture is lightweight but nourishing, never sticky, never overly slick and suitable for sensitive skin. As a lubricant, it feels natural and luxurious; as skincare, it delivers real hydration and helps calm minor irritation and wounds. Note: Oil-based lubrication does not pair well with condoms.

I’ve tested it across contexts (and moods), and it’s become a staple for me because it simplifies rather than complicates. At $75, it’s not inexpensive, but it replaces multiple products and elevates every moment you use it. This isn’t a novelty in my arsenal, but a borderline heirloom.

The scent is the first clue. It’s intimate in the truest sense of the word. It’s subtle and does not announce itself, but its warmth lingers. Smell is neurologically tied to memory, and Mankarious was explicit about this. The goal she and her founding partner, Marisa Goldstein, had in crafting the Nile Oil was not just about pleasure in the moment, but recall later. I noticed this myself, catching the scent on my wrist, off of my hair, or from my thighs — long after application.

What I appreciate most is Goldstein’s and Mankarious’s refusal to oversimplify. The Nile Oil might be called a lubricant by shorthand, but it is intentionally not labeled as one. The formulation draws from Ayurvedic principles, where oil is medicine, ritual and connective tissue between mind and body.

I ended up using it on dry skin and rough hands after long days on the farm. I began using it on the ends of my hair when they felt brittle. Minor cuts and scrapes also get the Noén in my house, which is a perfect example of why it’s so ideal as an aftercare intimacy oil. Our bodies can take a lot, but the pain of micro tears post-sex doesn’t have to be inevitable.

This article was written by Kendall Cornish, New York Post Commerce Editor & Reporter. Kendall, who moonlights as a private chef in the Hamptons for New York elites, lends her expertise to testing and recommending cooking products – for beginners and aspiring sous chefs alike. Simmering and seasoning her way through both jobs, Kendall dishes on everything from the best cookware for your kitchen to chef-approved gourmet meal kits to the full suite of Ninja appliances. Prior to joining the Post’s shopping team in 2023, Kendall previously held positions at Apartment Therapy and at Dotdash Meredith’s Travel + Leisure and Departures magazines.