Why should you include facial oils in your skincare routine?

What is a facial oil and why you should include it in your skincare routine?

Facial oils offer many benefits for the skin. They help to moisturize the skin, reduce dryness, soothe inflammation, fight wrinkles and fine lines, nourish skin cells, and provide a protective barrier against environmental damage.

Natural plant oils are frequently applied topically directly on the skin to work their magic. Usually they are convenient skincare products, easy to use, and reasonably priced skin care choices.

Oils can be extracted using a variety of techniques, such as cold pressing to create unrefined oils, heat and chemical distillation to create essential oils, and the addition of various compounds to create fragranced oils. 

Never use undiluted essential oils, topically or internally.

Natural oils include components with antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging properties, making them appealing alternatives and complementing treatments for inflammatory dermatoses linked to the skin-barrier repair.

What is the difference between oil-based serums and facial oils?

Oil-based serums and facial oils are similar to each other, but serums would include more concentrated ingredients, exclusive, rare and finer oils. Also, the formulations are more complicated, containing more high-performance ingredients and plant-based extracts, all dedicated to solving one specific skin concern.

Facial oils based serums are blends of carrier or botanical oils, macerated oils, essential oils and CO2 oil extracts. Most often they are applied at night when they can slowly seep into the skin and work their magic while you are sleeping. Light and dry facial oils can be used in the morning before the moisturizer to seal the hydration close to the skin.

What are the benefits of plant-based facial oils?

Many facial oils also contain antioxidants, which help protect the skin from free radical damage, as well as essential fatty acids, which help repair damaged skin cells. Facial oils are particularly useful for those with dry or sensitive skin, as they provide a layer of nourishing protection. Additionally, facial oils provide a luxurious and relaxing experience when used in a facial massage. 

The benefits of natural oils for barrier restoration are mostly determined by the different essential fatty acid ratios present in them. While oils with higher concentrations of oleic acid may be harmful to the function of the skin barrier, oils with a higher linoleic acid to oleic acid ratio have a better potential for barrier healing.

When choosing an oil for skin care, the quality of oils, the method of oil processing and refinement are crucial. Cold pressing is the ideal method of oil extraction because the chemical- and heat-free procedure maintains essential lipids and reduces irritant byproducts.

How do you use an anti-aging oil based serum?

Facial oils are applied in a few drops to the face and massaged as a moisturizer.

Certain oils can take a long time to penetrate the top layers of the skin, so it’s worth researching the ones that are best suited for your skin.

Dry oils such as rosehip, safflower, jojoba etc. absorb very quickly, while grapeseed oil or avocado oil can take longer. 

Why facial oils don't need preservation?

Because oils are anhydrous products and they don’t come into contact with water, there is no need for preservation. Instead, they need an antioxidant to prevent them from going rancid too quickly.

Antioxidants you will see most often in oil serums  are Vitamin E oil or rosemary extract.

Take a look at our oil-based serums and their exquisite 100% certified organic ingredients: LILIXIR Ageless Rejuvenating Day Serum and LILIXIR Ageless Rejuvenating Night Serum.  

Published Research: Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils

Published Research: Natural Oils for Skin-Barrier Repair: Ancient Compounds Now Backed by Modern Science

Published Research: Molecular interactions of plant oil components with stratum corneum lipids correlate with clinical measures of skin barrier function

Comment below and share this article on your social media if this was helpful! Sign up to LILIXIR Newsletter for more educational content like this and don't miss any future blog posts.