In my previous 2 blogs on Facial Oils, I have looked at the first 2 questions below:
In today’s blog I am looking specifically at what the first 5 ingredients in a facial oil are and their properties?
Why is this important?
As with most cosmetic products, there is a legal requirement to list ingredients in descending order of quantity. Usually, with an emulsion, there is a massive water component (at least 50%) and water is the most abundant ingredient. With facial oils, there is no water and therefore it is possible to fit in more ingredients in 100% of the product. However, cost is always a consideration as is safety. Why would you use a new ingredient with an unproven track record, when (e.g.) you know sunflower oil has a long-history of safe-use.
From a consumer perspective, I want this blog enable you and me to make informed decisions about facial oils. Especially help you answer these:
- Should you really be paying $$$ for a facial oil that contains so much sunflower oil, when a cheaper alternative is available?
- What should the facial oil primarily do.
The question under the second bullet point is more important because so many facial oils contains 10+ ingredients. No-one can be expected to know what all these ingredients do.
Methodology
I took my 64-product ingredient data and identified for each product, the first five listed ingredients. Then, I identified how many types ingredient XYZ appeared in 64 products.
Most common first 5 ingredients were:
- Jojoba oil (17 iterations)
- Squalane (16 iterations)
- Rose Hip Seed Oil (15 iterations)
- Sunflower Seed Oil (13 iterations)
- Grapeseed Oil (11 iterations)
- Tocopherol (8 iterations)
What are the properties of these ingredients that make them beneficial to facial oils?
What is absent is Tocopherol and Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. Tocopherol is Vitamin E and is an anti-oxidant. With facial oils its added to act as an anti-oxidant for the product itself and not necessarily as a benefit to skin. Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is simply an emollient – it makes the skin feel smooth by filling in crevices and usually lasts a few hours on your skin.
Which products actually have the most of these ingredients in first five listed ingredients?
The results stunned me and I am sure they will surprise you…
See also