Face oils were one of the first products I created when I started getting into developing products. They’re incredibly flexible and easy to adapt to different skins’ needs. And for a small brand like mine, I was spoilt for choice as to which oils I could use in my formulations – the possibilities felt endless! Choosing the right oils for my face oil blends was quite an involved process, but on the plus side I can confidently say that I tried a huge number of plant oils and have quite a good feel for them.
Before getting into the ins and outs of what to look for in face oils, it’s probably helpful to explain how plant (also known as carrier) oils can be beneficial to the skin, and to do that, it’s important to understand the skin’s structure – particularly the outermost layer, the stratum corneum (SC). The SC is the barrier between our bodies and the outside world. It’s often described as a “brick and mortar” structure: the skin cells being the “bricks”, which are surrounded by lipids (the “mortar”). These lipids are made largely of ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids, and when the skin is in a healthy state, they help to reduce water loss (TEWL) from the skin, which is essentially a measure of skin barrier function. When lipids in the skin are deficient which happens with age, naturally dry skin and in the case of atopic conditions like eczema, TEWL is increased, causing dryness, flakiness, itching and irritation as external contaminants are more easily able to get into the skin.
If the skin’s lipids are able to reduce water loss from the skin, then it’s likely that plant oils can support the skin barrier by supplementing skin lipids. They could also help to moisturise the skin and reduce TEWL by forming a semi-occlusive layer, effectively trapping some of the water loss from the skin surface. Whilst petrolatum is considered the most effective occlusive for the skin, plant oils also offer other phytochemicals such as antioxidants, phytosterols and vitamins, which could potentially benefit the skin. As plant oils aren’t as effective as occlusives, they tend to be considered more as emollients i.e. skin softeners.
There is quite a lot of variation in the composition of different plant oils, particularly the presence of triglycerides and free fatty acids like linoleic acid and oleic acid. I personally tend to favour oils rich in linoleic acid as it’s been shown that they play an important role skin barrier integrity. The data on oleic acid is more mixed, with some suggestions that it can actually cause barrier disruption when used regularly (and we should think about this in terms of oils that are made up mostly of oleic acid rather than blends that feature some oleic acid-rich oils). This suggests it’s important to be mindful of the blend/ratio of oils used and it’s one of many reasons why I prefer to blend a combination of oils rather than just use a single oil.
Factors affecting choice of plant oils
With so many plant oils on offer, how do you choose between them? For me, there are a few considerations:
- reported benefits (e.g. anti-inflammatory etc)
- degree of processing – my preference is for cold pressed oils, as they require minimal processing which retains more of the phytonutrient benefits. There is a flip side to this though, as it results in a shorter shelf life
- skin feel – owing to their composition some oils have a lighter feel than others, but if you have very dry skin, you might appreciate something richer in texture
- absorbency – how well they sink into the skin (or in the case of cleansing oils, you actually want the opposite to allow good slip when massaging the oil!)
- scent – some oils may have great properties but have an offensive odour which is hard to mask (I’m looking at you, tamanu oil!)
- comedogenicity – some oils may be more likely to clog pores than others so you may need to pay more attention to this if you're acne prone, like me (be aware that the amount of an oil used will impact this though, and comedogenic rating scales were based on concentrated amounts of an ingredient on rabbit ears - last time I looked, we were human!)
- shelf life – plant oils are natural compounds and therefore much more prone to oxidation (this varies between oil)
- colour – some oils, particularly cold pressed oils, have vibrant colours which will affect the resulting colour of your face oil blend. Some can even cause staining in relatively low concentrations
Taking all these factors into consideration, it’s probably no surprise to see that my favourite plant oils: hempseed, safflower and grapeseed oils feature heavily in my oil blends. These are all rich in linoleic acid, lighter weight oils with a good skin feel. Hempseed in particular holds a special place in my heart as it seems to offer calming / anti-inflammatory benefits and the cold-pressed version that I use has a beautiful deep green colour, and grassy scent which I adore. Linoleic acid-rich oils often have a shorter shelf life though, so it’s important to blend them with oils that are considered more shelf-stable. An oil I love for this is jojoba. Technically a wax though liquid at room temperature, its profile is very similar to the skin’s sebum so it’s said to have a good affinity with the skin. I use a couple of oils with a higher oleic acid content, though I tend to keep their overall usage relatively low. I mainly use macadamia oil as it feels a little richer than some of the other oils I used, however it’s still relatively lightweight. I also make use of esters like caprylic / capric triglycerides and olive squalane which are fractions of plant oils. These are much lighter in weight and thinner, so work well to improve skin feel in a face oil blend.
Shelf-life and storage
Face oils are widely available, even amongst mainstream beauty brands. But I think this is one area where smaller batch (micro) indie brands can really excel with quality. As I’ve already mentioned, I believe that cold pressed oils are best for face oils so that you can benefit from the nutrient properties that these oils offer, but this may come at the cost of shelf life. When you buy a face oil from a mainstream beauty brand in a beauty retailer, the chances are that they’ll have to use refined oils in order to offer an extended shelf life (as their products may sit on shelves for several months). In contrast, I make my oil blends regularly in micro batches in order to guarantee freshness and quality of ingredients / nutrients.
What’s more, packaging is also important for face oils as it can minimise oxidation. I have noticed that bigger brands tend to focus more on aesthetics of packaging rather than protectiveness, opting for bottles that may “look nicer” / stand out and this usually means clear bottles. But clear bottles won’t protect the oils from UV exposure which will accelerate oxidation. This is why I prefer traditional apothecary bottles i.e. amber glass, as this can help to minimise oxidation.
How do I choose between Apothaka® face oils?
I’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for you to pick from our range! First, you just need to decide if you have a preference for fragrance free or a light fragrance blend. If you prefer fragrance free, comforting oil booster is for you. This is a lovely light-midweight blend suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and irritated skin. Rich in soothing cucumber, hempseed and calendula oils among others, it’s a great option for calming and softening the skin.
If you would prefer a light fragrance with my beautiful bespoke blend of essential oils, then our rejuvenating face oils are for you. There are 2 options to choose from, one for normal to combination skin (a lighter weight option with more linoleic acid rich oils like hempseed, safflower and evening primrose) and one for normal to dry skin (also rich in linoleic acid, but includes some macadamia oil for added richness). All our face oil blends are enriched with the antioxidants CoQ10 and vitamin E, which also improves shelf life. We offer all of these in 2 sizes: a 10ml try me size (great for occasional users, or if you’re travelling) and a 30ml standard size for regular users. As with all our products, sample sizes are also available to try before you buy.
As I mentioned, storage is very important in order to preserve the integrity of the blend. I always recommend storing oils with the lids tightly secured and keeping bottles out of direct light (I keep mine in a cupboard). In terms of shelf life, unopened the oils will last around 24 months, however I always recommend using them quicker than that in order to maximise the nutrients in the oils. Once opened, ideally you should use your oils within 6 months. Whilst they won't cause any harm beyond that, again, we need to consider the nutrient properties fading over time once the bottle is opened and exposed to air / light. You can usually tell when oils go rancid - they smell like crayons and can start to crystallise around the bottleneck. I wouldn't use them at this point, in the same way you probably wouldn't cook with rancid oil!
