Can oil be applied to oily skin?

Oily skin is easily diagnosed. The first clinical sign is shiny, oily skin due to hyperseborrhea, an excess of sebum that is particularly noticeable on the T-zone.

Other indicators :

Blackheads
Irregular skin texture
Dilated pores

So can you apply oil on oily skin: yes or no?

The answer is yes, absolutely.

Fifty percent of you are reluctant to apply oil to your face, according to our most recent Instagram survey. The major worries are that it will make the skin more shiny and lead to breakouts.

However, the benefits of oil for oily skin are numerous and rest assured, you have nothing to fear. We will explain how to enjoy your oil with confidence!

The first thing we need to understand is the comedogenic rating of an oil which is a scale that indicates how likely it is for a given substance to clog your pores. A number between 0 and 5 represents the severity of the comedogenicity, with 0 being the least comedogenic and 5 being the most severe. If you have oily skin, you should choose an oil with the lowest comedogenic rate.

Another crucial point is related to the fatty acid content of the oil you choose. The fatty acid profile for a certain oil helps to determine the oil’s characteristics with respect to skin feel, substantivity, occlusive ability and penetration. If you have acne-prone skin you should avoid oils that are rich in Oleic Acid which is a mono-unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid present in many vegetable oils including avocado and olive. Oleic Acid is able to disrupt the skin barrier and increase penetration of molecules which can affect your skin's balance.

Regarding fatty acids, research shows that oily and acne-prone skin tend to have Linoleic Acid deficiency. Linoleic Acid is an unsaturated omega 6 fatty acid that can be found in hemp seed oil and calendula oil. This fatty acid is able to repair and rebalance your skin barrier, lock hydration working with ceramides which are essential lipids for barrier restoration, soothe reactive skin, and rebalance oily skin.

So which Huile Precieuse Face Oil should I use for my oily and acne-prone skin?

Taking all of this information into consideration, you should go for a non-comedogenic oil, with low Oleic Acid content and a good amount of Linoleic Acid. In Sowé's Huile Précieuse, we use a complex of 9 cold-pressed botanical oils that we have selected for their NON-COMEDOGENIC score.

4 of our 9 oils have an index = 0.

2 of these 9 have a score less than or equal to 2 (out of 5 for reminder).

With our 6 formulas, we have three formulas specifically designed for you: Huile Précieuse N°3, N°5 and Huile Précieuse N°6.

Huile Précieuse N°5 is the perfect combination of :

- Argan oil : a liquid wax with a good linoleic acid content giving it a dry finish

- Pomegranate oil : known for its ability to treat acne or oily skin without clogging the pores thanks to punicic acid (70%), a polyunsaturated omega 5 fatty acid close to linolenic acid. This very rare fatty acid is known for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties

- Hibiscus oil : With its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids: linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid. These 2 acids are involved in the membrane fluidity of the dermis and promote the barrier function of the epidermis. They contribute positively to slowing down the insensible loss of water from the skin. Also rich in antioxidant tocopherols, hibiscus oil protects the cells from oxidative ageing

Huile Précieuse N°6 is the perfect combination of :

- Jojoba oil: known for its anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to penetrate the skin quickly without clogging pores, this liquid wax is rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Its composition also allows it to reinforce the hydrolipidic film

- Macadamia oil: known for its moisturising, nourishing and softening properties

- Calendula oil: contains flavonoids, carotenoids, triterpendioles, saponosides and is a dermal antioxidant, making it an effective sun protection. With salicylic acid, which eliminates dead cells on the surface of the skin, this oil can be used to treat oily and acne-prone skin

Huile Précieuse N°3 is the perfect combination of :

- Hemp oil: known for its firming, repairing and moisturizing properties, this oil helps to reinforce the structure of the skin tissue, thus protecting the skin from the signs of ageing

- Baobab oil: with its emollient and softening properties, it is totally suitable for oily skin

- Prickly pear oil: its high concentration of vitamin E makes this oil a powerful antioxidant

If you are faced with hyper-seborated and oily skin, the best strategy is the control of this excess of sebum to counter the appearance of an oily film obstructing the pores.

Research has proven that cannabis, and thus our cannabidiol extract present in the formulas of our oils, is one of the most efficient ingredients in the good regulation of sebum production. It inhibits excessive lipid synthesis and balances sebum production in oily skin, thus preventing the growth of bacteria. It is also known to be a safe and effective anti-inflammatory. You can read more about our CBD extracts here.

Advice

Start by limiting astringent or "stripping" cosmetics, which apparently remove excess sebum but have the side effect of increasing its secretion.

Are there positive aspects of having oily skin?

Of course there are. Oily skin is less fragile than dry skin because sebum is an essential component of the hydrolipidic film that protects the skin and keeps it from drying out.

In addition to protecting against bacteria and external aggressions, the hydrolipidic film allows the skin to better resist skin ageing by delaying the appearance of the first wrinkles.

It is therefore essential to regulate sebum production without eliminating it completely.