Face Oils: The experts are debunking the most common myths in this week’s LUX LIST Beauty

Face oils, yes, that’s a thing; we know that many of you are still a bit sceptical when it comes to putting a product of this kind all over your skin. Therefore, we wanted to help you understand why it is worth adding face oils in your skincare routine, so we have rounded up some of the most asked myths about the use of face oils such as caster oil, all of them debunked and approved by experts in the beauty industry.

Let’s hear what the experts have to say:

La Mer The Renewal Oil

Fiona Giovenco – La Mer Retail Education Manager ANZ

I hear a lot that oils are nourishing but not anti-aging; let me bust this myth for you. La Mer’s Renewal Oil transcends its category by transforming a typically nourishing product into an anti-aging powerhouse. The Renewal Oil’s formula is hydrolipidic like skin, driving The Miracle Broth™ and active marine ferments into the skin while strengthening the skin’s moisture barrier. The Renewal Oil leaves skin looking and feeling softened and refined with a radiant glow. The legendary healing energies of Miracle Broth™ help bring skin back to its centre. A powerful and proven source of soothing and energy for skin, Miracle Broth™ helps optimise skin’s performance by visibly soothing irritation, ‘recharges’ skin’s battery and supports skin’s natural powers of renewal. The Renewal Ferment in The Renewal Oil is a proprietary ferment that helps skin increase natural collagen production to help soften the look of emerging lines and wrinkles. A surge of anti-aging from a blend of active sea algae helps skin feel firmer.

RRP $$370.00

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Face Oil

Charlotte Lyon – Jurlique National Education Manager

One of the most common myths that I hear constantly is that Face oil can replace serums. Both oils and serums are often referred to as treatments for the skin and have a fine molecular structure for perfect absorption in the skin; however, they are significantly different products. Face oils are formulated to nourish the skin through rich plant oils and extracts that enhance the moisture levels of your skin, plumping and balancing as they do. These are particularly helpful for anyone whose skin is dry and flaky, indicating it is missing much-needed oil. Oils typically work on the skin’s surface, boosting your natural moisturising factor and softening and enhancing skin barriers. Therefore, they are best used over the top of your moisturiser, instead of a moisturiser (after your serum) OR mixed into your moisturiser (Add 1-2 drops to your usual moisturising cream or lotion).

RRP $69.00

Jeuneora SuperSuper Face Oil

Monique Kaminski Founder Jeuneora

It may seem counterintuitive, but face oils can be great for oily skin! Oily skin happens when the sebaceous glands make too much sebum to compensate for the lack of moisture. So, it’s essential to use products that deeply hydrate your skin and help protect your skin barrier function (a healthy skin barrier also helps keep excess sebum at bay). Using a hydrating, non-comedogenic oil can help to regulate sebum production and therefore balance your skin.

RRP $108.00

Biologi Br Organic Rosehip Oil

Lucy Macdougald Biologi’s Dermal Specialist

Whilst everyone’s skin type is different, we all have skin that contains oil that can become depleted – we call this ‘lipid dry skin’. Lipid dry skin benefits from oil-based products because any oil is hydrophobic, which will keep water from escaping our skin. In basic terms, oils hold in water which means that our skin can maintain its hydration. Our skin needs both water-soluble and oil-soluble ingredients to thrive, so an oil can be the perfect thing to balance out your routine. While skin cells will naturally hydrate themselves, some skin types are more prone to dryness, so they might need a helping hand (that’s when oil can come in)! A great oil can also help improve the texture and appearance of scars due to the role that fatty acids play in how skin cells rebuild post-injury.

RRP $28.00

Dr Naomi Swipe Bright Brightening Super Oil

RRP $129.00

Dr Naomi Lift Off Firming Super Oil

Dr Naomi McCullum, Founder Dr Naomi Skin

The most common myth about facial oils is that they will clog pores and create breakouts. One of the most FAQs in our DMs and Customer service Emails!

The simple answer is no; facial oils will not clog your pores. Oil (or sebum) occurs naturally in your skin, and your sebaceous glands are constantly working to pump it out. Congestions or breakouts are a result of hair follicles that become clogged with oil and dead skin cells.

Using a topical facial oil as part of your daily skincare routine can help balance and improve acne-prone skin. Our two Super Oils contain high levels of essential fatty acids that are easily absorbed because they resemble the oils naturally found in the skin.

RRP $139.00

Compagnie de Provence – Karite Ultra Nourishing Oil

Nick Smart CEO Agence de Parfum

These are the most heard myths around face oils in my day-to-day:

Steer clear of Face Oils in hot climates or summer

Light oils like camellia, grapeseed and rosehip are great to use over the summer months, especially after sun exposure. First, spraying a refreshing water mist and applying the oil on damp skin will trap moisture and form a protective barrier.

Only use Oil-Free Skincare

Omega family oils are found to have a positive effect on our skin’s barrier function improving its ability to hold water and stay hydrated.

You can’t use oils alongside serums or targeted treatments

Serums are of a much smaller molecular weight than oils, and thus, are designed with vectors or carriers to deliver intensive ingredients to much more deep layers of the skin. In fact, they make the perfect pair!

RRP: $139.00

RosehipPLUS Australian Certified Organic Rosehip Oil

Christie Cameron Senior Dermal Skin therapist from SSKIN Clinic and expert for RosehipPLUS

Rosehip oil is considered a dry oil, lightweight, and sinks into the skin effortlessly without clogging the pores. It helps restore your skin’s natural PH balance and moisture levels and applying Rosehip Oil to your skin can help balance your Oil production. It comes in with a “comedogenic rating” of 1 (a scale of how likely an oil is to be clogging on your skin, 0 being the lowest and 5 being the highest likelihood of clogging your pores), so you don’t have to worry about this oil clogging your skin. It’s rich in omega fatty acids, antioxidants and is the perfect oil for almost all skin types.

 RRP $19.95

Dr Ginni Co-Founder ESK Skincare

Face oils are super popular, and often for a good reason. Many natural oils contain specific chemical compounds with antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hydrating or anti-itch properties. There is growing evidence for the benefits of some oils in combatting both acne and the signs of ageing.

So, we thought we’d break down the facts on face oils to help you decide whether they could work for you.

Fact 1: The anti-aging and anti-acne evidence for face oils is pretty rudimentary and far from conclusive.

Fact 2: Oils can’t moisturise your skin on their own. A moisturiser has three components: humectants, occlusives, and emollients. Humectants draw moisture into the skin, e.g., urea, glycerine, propylene glycol and hyaluronic acid. Emollients soften skin, e.g., liquid paraffin and dimethicone. Occlusive ingredients (mostly various oils) trap humectants and emollients in your skin, keeping your skin hydrated. Oils can have both occlusive and emollient properties but no humectant properties. So, it would be best to combine an oil with a moisturiser with humectants for proper hydration.

Fact 3: Oils can have downsides. Some plant-based oils can cause skin irritation, increased sensitivity to sun damage, and allergic reactions. And while many natural plant-derived oils such as tea tree have some evidence in combatting acne, oils can cause break out in acne-prone skin.

RRP:$69.00

O Cosmedics Vitamin C Hemp Seed Oil

O Cosmedics just launched to rave reviews and a sell-out launch Vitamin C Hemp Seed Oil, a pure Hemp Seed Oil from Lismore enhanced with an advanced oil-soluble Vitamin C proving to bring advanced skin results to all skin types and conditions.

RPP $119.00

Olverum Pure Radiance Facial Oil

Olverum Team Expert:

It may seem counterintuitive to use a facial oil on oily skin but using a high-quality facial oil with the correct combination of botanical oils and extracts can balance oily skin. To understand why it is essential to understand why skin may be oily in the first place. Very often, the root cause of oily skin is that it is dehydrated. This causes the sebaceous glands to overcompensate by producing too much sebum to balance the skin’s moisture content. This excess sebum can then, in turn, clog the pores, leading to breakouts.
Research has also shown that those with oily skin also have reduced Omega 6 linoleic fatty acid levels, which makes Cacay oil an excellent ingredient to look for in a face oil. Its perfect combination of fatty acids works to soothe the skin, which helps to prevent breakouts. A premium oil such as Olverum’s Pure Radiance Facial Oil expertly blends Cacay Oil with other Retinol alternatives Bakuchiol and Rosehip Oil in a lightweight, deep-penetrating serum to leave the skin velvety smooth. This balanced combination of actives is further enhanced by Vitamin C, which boosts their effectiveness, while Clary Sage Oil joins Bakuchiol as an effective antimicrobial. All in all, a powerhouse of ingredients to combat oily skin and the problems it causes.

RRP USD $85.00

Bonnie Gillies – Makeup Artist and Founder Basics by B.

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t use oils before make-up application for a very long time for fear of making the skin too oily, and the make-up looks greasy and not last. However, recently I have started using oils more often to create that dewy, glowing skin look. The one thing I am sure about is that applying oil before your make-up will make it more prone to moving and needing touch-ups throughout the day. Make sure you use a setting powder down the centre of the face if you use a facial oil and want your make-up to last all day.

Dr Katherine Armour Australian Dermatologist and Founder of Bespoke Skin Technology

In my opinion, one of the top myths surrounding facial oils is that they can replace all our other skincare products.

Whilst facial oils do have some “moisturising” properties; they may not be enough on their own for those with the driest skin. Some facial oils will smooth the skin’s surface (as an emollient) without increasing the skin’s hydration. If your skin only feels temporarily plumped and smooth after applying oil, it may be because the facial oil only targets the stratum corneum (the dead outer layer of the skin). To truly hydrate the skin, you may need to apply another more occlusive moisturiser over your facial oil. This is something that I frequently see in patients who are using a facial oil twice daily but still have dry skin.

Dr Scott Ellis Qr8 MediSkin’s Clinical Director

I commonly encounter this in my practice; all oils have the same action, so it doesn’t matter what oil I use on my skin, and I’m sorry to say that this absolutely isn’t the case. Despite being used for tens of thousands of years (Australian Aboriginals are believed to have used Emu Oil to moisturise damaged skin over 40,000 years ago), our scientific understanding of how oils can benefit (or hurt) our skin is only beginning to develop correctly. There are two main factors to consider when selecting an oil to use in a cleanser or moisturiser: the oil source’s composition and the extraction method.

Why the source matters: Plant-based oils are made up of molecules called glycerides, formed by a reaction between fatty acids and glycerol. Some fatty acids are protective & beneficial for the skin (such as linoleic acid), while others can cause the skin barrier to become damaged (such as oleic acid).

Why the method of extraction matters: Oils can be extracted from their source in three ways – cold pressing, heating/chemical reactions, or steam distillation.

Maria Enna-Cocciolone Skin Therapist, CEO & Founder INSKIN COSMEDICS

From my experience, the most common myths around oils are:
You can only use oil on dry skin.
Oils can cause congestion, blackheads, and lead to a breakout
Oils are over nourishing on the skin, and oil-free products are best for most skin types.
Oils don’t make a difference to skins needing anti-aging support, and oils can’t penetrate the skin.

The right oil can enhance skin results, repair the skin barrier, and add incredible radiance and glow!

Dr Shreya Andric, leading Sydney dermatologist, Northern Sydney Dermatology & Laser

The biggest myth that I encounter these days is that all facial oils cause acne and breakouts. The “comedogenic scale” (AKA how likely something clogs pores) ranges from 0-5. Zero is not comedogenic (will not clog pores), five is highly comedogenic (most likely to clog pores). Of course, acne formation is more complex than this, and some people will still develop acne even with the use of non-comedogenic face oils; however, if you have acne-prone skin and you want to use a face oil, then this is helpful as a guide:

Argan Oil – 0
Mineral Oil – 0
Hemp Seed Oil – 0
Olive Oil – 2
Jojoba Oil – 2
Evening primrose Oil – 2-3
Avocado Oil – 3
Cocoa Oil/butter – 4
Flaxseed Oil – 4