Should you use a facial oil?

One of my goals for my business is to offer the best of the best in skin care. Do I think that one line can check all the boxes? Nope. There have definitely been ‘misses’ in the lines I’ve used. Especially in the ‘all natural’ lines. This makes me soooo sad! I have a soft spot for natural skin care. But I also have a soft spot for strong, healthy skin. Who wouldn’t?!

When looking at skin care, I’m looking at products that will help support healthy aging, as well as products that are safe for acne prone skin. This is where buying ‘all natural’ can be a challenge. It’s typically not acne safe due to the oils used. Remember when coconut oil was all the rage? It’s an absolute nightmare for acne prone skin. Then I started diving deeper into the effects facial oils have on healthy aging.

Stratum Corneum (the outermost layer of the epidermis – our skin) has been likened to a brick wall where the skin cells act as bricks and the lipids act as the cement (mortar) keeping these bricks together. I feel like most people have heard this analogy before.

A strong, intact barrier is important to keep moisture in and keep things like allergens, bacteria, and irritants out. When the barrier is weakened, these intruders can pass through the top layer of skin, causing damage that ultimately leads to skin conditions such as acne, rashes, sensitive skin, and even signs of aging.

Isn’t this a good way to visualize your own skin barrier?

Your skins barrier is a mix of Ceramides, Free Fatty Acids and Cholesterol.

Refer to the picture to see the benefit of each, and some ingredients to look for.

It’s important to read your labels.

The benefit obtained by any oil is negated by the effect it will have on your skin barrier.

So. Should you use a facial oil to moisturize? It comes down to the fact that our skin requires 3 things in balance to maintain our skin barrier.

Jacine Greenwood is a well-renowned chemist, educator, and product developer. She provides some compelling reasons as to why using a facial oil to moisturize is not ideal.
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