What do celebrities like Gisele Bündchen, Eva Mendes, Julianne Moore, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Oliver Wilde have in common when comes to their skincare regime? All of them swear by the benefits of adding oils into their daily skincare routines. This could very well be their beauty secret!
Before we start, all oil serums mentioned in this blog post refer to plant-based oil serums that may or may not contain essential oils. If they do, the dosage of essential oils is at the EU approved percentage. These oil serums are also free from any silicones or synthetic fragrances.
Here are 5 reasons why oil-based serum can keep your skin looking youthful:
1) Our skin loves oil!
Our skin’s topmost layer (stratum corneum) is a mix of lipids and skin cells with ceramides, cholesterol, waxes, and free fatty acids. Because like attracts like, our skin will naturally love oils. When the right type of oils sits on the right type of skin, one can immediately see the skin improve with use.
2) Validated by science
Muchresearch (see bibliography) had been done and is still ongoing with very promising results on the benefits of oils on the skin. It is well established that certain fixed plant oils and essential oils are beneficial in targetingthe different skin problems. For e.g. argan oil, squalane, rosehip oil, are well known for its anti-aging properties. Currently, even more exotic oils are available that are able to further strengthen, nourish, soothe, protect, and brighten the skin .
3) Plant oils are loaded with fatty acids.
There are so many essential fatty acids in the different plant oils. All fatty acids will protect the skin, but only the essential fatty acids are specifically important for overall skin health. Different plant oils contain very unique essential fatty acids which the skin will benefit much from.
4) Oils serums are loaded with phytonutrients
These are naturally occurring chemicals found in plant oils that are highly beneficial for skin and overall health when consumed. Some examples are polyphenolic compounds, terpenes, terpenoids, vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, and many more plant chemicals that positively impacts the skin. Many of these phytonutrients have the following abilities:
- Anti UV radiations
- Anti-pollutions
- Anti-inflammation
- Anti-bacterial
- Anti-viral
- Protects skin collagen
- Promotes cellular regeneration
- Maintain overall skin health
- Brightens skin/prevent age and sun spots
- Retains skin moisture
- Reduce wrinkles
5) Plant-based oils serums are 100% or almost 100% plant derived
Having no filler means that the skin is getting a chock full of benefits directly from the serum. These plant actives sits on the skin and feed the skin and not suffocate it like many conventional lotion or mineral oils do. Furthermore, the skin does not have to deal with any synthetic ingredients, as there are no preservatives in oil based serums. Many of these plant oils are thus able to soothe inflammation, nourish, protect and heal the skin.
Bibliography
1) Lin, Tzu-Kai, et al. “Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 27 Dec. 2017,www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/19/1/70.
2) Lis-Balchin, M. “Essential Oils and ‘Aromatherapy’: Their Modern Role in Healing – M. Lis-Balchin, 1997.” SAGE Journals, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/146642409711700511.
3) Vaughn, Alexandra R., et al. “Natural Oils for Skin-Barrier Repair: Ancient Compounds Now Backed by Modern Science.” SpringerLink, Springer International Publishing, 13 July 2017, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40257-017-0301-1.
4)Parker, Susan M. Power of the Seed – Your Guide to Oils for Health & Beauty. Process Media, 2015.