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Skin care: The latest in beauty oils
The recipe for getting your glow on?
Just add oil.
By Michelle Villett
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As part of a beauty regimen or diet, oil sounds all wrong. Most of us have scrupulously avoided it for years with the help of "oil-free" labels on everything from moisturizers to salad dressings. But as it turns out, our fears of greasy skin, thunder thighs and a higher risk of heart disease may be unfounded, thanks to evidence that some oils are good for us, inside and out.Just ask Pierre-Emmanuel Saubade. Along with his father, Michel, he runs the French skin-care brand ar457, a line based on oil from the nuts of the argan tree. Often called "liquid gold," the ingredient is native to Morocco, where locals not only use it on their skin, hair and nails but also eat it. "Argan oil is an exceptional beauty enhancer," says Saubade. "It's high in linoleic acid - a deficiency of this fatty acid is one of the main causes of aging skin - and its tocopherol [vitamin E] content is three times higher than any other oil. It also contains phytosterols, which protect the skin from free radicals."
No wonder brands like Guerlain, Schwarzkopf and Yves Rocher have also added it to some of their products. It's not just a beauty aid, though; according to a 2004 study at Hassan University in Morocco, ingesting argan oil can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and protect against oxidative damage.
Based in London, England, Liz Earle, co-founder of Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare, is also a fan of argan oil: The golden essence is featured in her Superskin Concentrate treatment. But Earle is also touting another, lesser-known oil as the next big thing: cranberry-seed oil, the star ingredient in her Superskin moisturizer, a cult favourite. "It contains an almost one-to-one balance of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids [the optimal ratio for good health] and very high levels of antioxidants," she says. "Oils are more concentrated than creams, so they deliver more benefits."
Not sure about applying oil to an already-shiny complexion? You're not alone. Rahul Koul, chief operating officer at Sundãri - a skin-care line based on Ayurveda (an ancient healing practice from India) - says that when the company started in 1999, its biggest challenge was convincing women that using oil wouldn't cause breakouts. "We've had to explain the difference between essential oils, which nourish the skin, and carrier oils, in which the essential oils need to be diluted because they're so potent," says Koul. (Allergies and cheaper carrier oils can cause breakouts.) Using the right proportion is key, continues Koul. "A drop or two is enough because it spreads easily. If you don't use oils properly, you won't reap the benefits."
If anyone can publicize these benefits, it's John Knowlton, a cosmetics scientist in Johannesburg, South Africa, who helped develop products for Johnson & Johnson and Avon. He's now a consultant for Bio-Oil-a South African skin-care remedy that recently debuted in Canada - and claims he hasn't seen a more impressive product during his 24-year career. When it first launched in 1987, the blend of calendula, lavender, rosemary, camomile and vitamin A and E oils was marketed to treat scars and stretch marks. "Customers started to use it on their faces to even out skin tone, reduce the appearance of fine lines and boost moisture," says Knowlton. The key is a high-tech carrier oil that enables other ingredients to penetrate without leaving a residue. "It used to be very difficult to formulate an oil-based skin-care product that was easily absorbed and efficacious," he says. "Modern techniques and a greater understanding of the chemistry of essential oils have made it possible."
But some dermatologists, including Dr. Lisa Kellett of DLK on Avenue in Toronto, are wary. "Just because something is an oil doesn't make it more effective than a cream," she says. What matters is the amount of active ingredient in the oil and how well it absorbs. She also warns people with acne not to use products with mineral oil, a by-product of petroleum. Earle agrees: "Though it's not dangerous, mineral oil leaves a greasy film on the skin. Plant oils have a structure that's similar to our sebum, so they're fast-absorbing and suitable for all skin types."
Related articles
The latest in skin brighteners
How to get that younger look
Skin myths solved!
Image courtesy of ImaxTree.com
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