The use of oils for beauty benefits is nothing new. In Australia, emu oil is thought to have been used by indigenous tribes as a moisturiser for more than 40,000 years, while wealthy ancient Egyptians lathered on olive and sesame oils to fight the signs of ageing. But the modern world has been slower to pick up the memo. While face oil has always been a part of the beauty realm, it’s been sitting on the skincare sidelines while most of us busily applied lotions and jars of heavily scented moisturisers in rich, creamy consistencies.
Then, somewhere over the last few years (after we started questioning astringent toner but before we started buying into gemstone facial rollers), face oils exploded onto the mainstream beauty scene. While oil getting its mojo back can be largely credited to modern women’s obsession for dewy, glowing, supple skin, facial oils can do more than just moisturise. Injected with a powerhouse of potent ingredients, they are more equipped than ever before to soothe, brighten, clear, prime, soothe and tighten. Meaning the task of choosing one just got as tricky as the task of choosing a serum – with so many different options on the shelves, which one is the best one for you?
To help you navigate the today’s beauty oil aisles, we break down the five best facial oils for the five most common beauty woes.
Problem: Dull Skin
Solution: Chanel Beauté’s LE BLANC Huile Healthy Light Creator
Last year, Chanel introduced a new natural active ingredient into its LE BLANC brightening skincare range – the ume flower, a powerhouse at stimulating the protein that helps repair damage, build strength, and (most important of all to anyone struggling with dull, uneven skin tone) boost luminosity. This year, that magic ingredient is the key player to Chanel’s silky new face oil, the Huile Healthy Light Creator. Made of 98% naturally derived ingredients, the oil amplifies skin’s inner light for a brighter complexion.
Problem: Red, Irritated Skin
Solution: Tatcha Gold Camellia Beauty Oil
Tatcha’s gold camellia beauty oil has a cult-like following for good reason. Along with an infusion of 23-carat gold speckles and a scent of bamboo and green tea that makes it smell like the Kyoto countryside, it’s packed with a nourishing blend of ingredients including antioxidant-rich liquorice root – one of the oldest natural remedies in history, praised for its ability to calm the skin and relieve redness. And for those who can’t go past a multitasking elixir, this one’s also for you – you can use it to soften the ends of your hair and all over your body as well.
Problem: Cakey Foundation
Solution: Shu Uemura Skin Perfector Makeup Artist Oil
Shu Uemura has been a pioneer of the beauty oil game for decades; the brand was first to introduce a cleansing oil in Japan in the late 60s. Now they’ve brought in another innovation: an oil that doubles as an intensive mask and a makeup base. While it’s great at deeply moisturising your skin while you sleep, the real magic is when it’s used as a makeup primer, especially if you’re aiming for a dewy finish. A blend of eight essential oils and two botanical oils allows foundation to blend effortlessly. Bonus: you can also use it for contouring cheekbones and neatening eyebrows.
Problem: Scarred Skin
Solution: Natura Bissé Rosa Mosqueta Oil
Made with a high concentration of fatty linoleic acid, brilliant beauty multitasker vitamin C and Rosa Mosqueta (better known as good old rosehip oil), this collagen-boosting skin saviour is packed with healing and regenerative benefits, the most impressive being its ability to fade burns, stretch marks and scars. If your skin is mature or excessively dry, this (surprisingly lightweight) oil also has your name on it.
Problem: Sagging Skin
Solution: L’Occitane Immortelle Divine Youth Oil
Inspired by Provençal beauty secrets, L’Occitane’s formula is a combination of powerful anti-ageing properties and a complex of nutritious plant-derived active ingredients that fight wrinkles for firmer, more radiant skin. One of those key ingredients is the rich, complex, wilt-proof immortelle flower – a powerhouse at stimulating skin cell genes for firmer younger looking skin.