Are All Facial Oils the Same?

Most facial oils come in similar bottles. Despite their appearance, facial oils vary vastly. We tell you exactly how to choose the perfect oil for your skin type.

Just as there are many kinds of chocolate, there are also many kinds of facial oils. Each and every natural oil has its own characteristics and unique benefits. When a formulator or skincare chef steps in and blends multiple oils, you'll get an entirely new skincare product with a different profile.

How do facial oils differ?

Going back to chocolate, think about all your choices: Belgian, Swiss, white, milk, dark, and even 100% cocoa. There's no one characteristic flavour of all chocolate.

Oils are extracted from plants, vegetables, nuts, and even flowers. An oil's properties are determined by its source. There's no one characteristic behaviour of all oils.

Most oils contain a blend of three types of skin-conditioning substances:

1. Fatty acids
2. Vitamins
3. Minerals

Let's take a look at a few specific components of oils, alongside the reasons why you'd want to find them in a facial oil:

Substance	Type of ingredient	Skin benefits
Linoleic acid	Fatty acid (omega-6)	Balances oil production Helps to reduce acne severity Helps to reduce UV-induced hyperpigmentation
Vitamin E	Vitamin (antioxidant)	Protects against UV-induced damage Increases skin's resiliency Protects against signs of ageing
Zinc	Mineral	Helps skin heal and repair itself Can balance an oily skin type

Facial oils may all look the same, but their individual ingredients offer very different skin benefits.

How facial oils are tailored to skin type

Although oils as a whole are thought of as moisturising and oil-promoting, some oils are actually drying. By balancing individual oils, chemists can create new facial oils that are perfect for dry, normal, or oily skin types.

Additionally, the valuable vitamins and minerals found in natural oils offer a variety of skin benefits. Zinc is great for oily, spot-prone skin, whereas vitamin C fights ageing and hyperpigmentation.

Below, we've highlighted a handful of ingredients you should look for when choosing the perfect facial oil for your skin type:

Skin type	Best ingredients	Recommended facial oils
Normal	Balanced oils, e.g. almond Vitamin E	Aesop Fabulous Face Oil SK-II Facial Treatment Oil
Dry	Coconut oil Oleic acid, e.g. avocado oil	Antipodes Avocado Oil & Rosehip Divine Face Oil Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Face Oil
Oily/combination	Linoleic acid, e.g. grapeseed, rosehip, and evening primrose oils Zinc, e.g. sea buckthorn oil	Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil KORA Organics Luxurious Rosehip Oil
Mature	Vitamin A, e.g. rosehip seed oil Retinyl palmitate (vitamin A) Vitamin C	Medik8 Glow Oil Jurlique Purely Age-Defying Firming Face Oil

Are all facial oils basically the same?

Every facial oil is unique. This isn't only about the ingredients listed; it's also about the quality of the ingredients. In other words, one brand's rosehip oil will differ from another's. It's important to buy from a brand whose quality you trust.

Head to our facial oil store to find our recommended facial oils amongst several other quality formals. Our trained skincare specialists are always available if you need help deciding on products. Reach our team via email at service@adorebeauty.com.au or give us a call on 03 9486 7179.