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Chemist Confessions The Better Oil Nourishing Emollients

The Better Oil Nourishing Emollients

The better oil is a fast-absorbing face oil powered by skin-compatible lipids and long-term defense actives to soften, soothe, and reinforce your barrier. 10% squalane, 2% ggp complex, 1% bisabolol, 0.5% α-tocopherol.
Uploaded by: pyotrrossetti on

Chemist Confessions The Better Oil Nourishing Emollients
Ingredients explained

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Rosehip Seed Oil, Rosa Mosqueta Seed Oil, Rosa Eglanteria Seed Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

The oil coming from the seeds of the wild rose bush most common in the southern Andes in Chile (btw, Rosa Rubiginosa, Rosa Eglanteria and Rosa Mosqueta all refer to the same oil, however, the more commonly used Rosa Canina is a bit different). Similar to many other great plant oils, it is a nice nourishing and moisturizing oil loaded with fatty acids (linoleic acid - 44%, linolenic acid - 34% and oleic acid - 14%). 

What makes rosehip oil a special snowflake among all the plant oils out there is that it also contains the miracle active, trans-retinoic acid, aka tretinoin. It is the main bioactive component of the oil and has all kinds of magic abilities including restoring and regenerating tissues (the oil is great for scars and burns), decreasing wrinkles, helping acne and even normalizing pore size. 

Also-called: Passion Fruit Oil | What-it-does: emollient

The emollient plant oil coming from the passion fruit. It is a high-linoleic acid oil (about 70% LA and 15% oleic acid), that makes your skin feel nice and smooth and supports a healthy skin barrier. As a high-LA oil, it is suitable for all skin types including acne-prone.

Also-called: Cranberry Seed Oil | What-it-does: emollient

yellow-greenish oil coming from the seeds of Cranberry. Similar to other emollient plant oils, it is loaded with nice fatty acids. It contains a very balanced 1:1 ratio of anti-inflammatory omega-3 (aka linolenic acid) and barrier repairing omega-6 (aka linoleic acid) (30-38%), and also a decent amount of skin-nourishing omega-9, aka oleic acid. It also has high vitamin E content and significant antioxidant properties. 

Other than being a nice emollient plant oil, we also found a research showing that cranberry oil has wound-healing potential

Squalane - goodie
What-it-does: skin-identical ingredient, emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1

It seems to us that squalane is in fashion and there is a reason for it. Chemically speaking, it is a saturated  (no double bonds) hydrocarbon (a molecule consisting only of carbon and hydrogen), meaning that it's a nice and stable oily liquid with a long shelf life. 

It occurs naturally in certain fish and plant oils (e.g. olive), and in the sebum (the oily stuff our skin produces) of the human skin. As f.c. puts it in his awesome blog post, squalane's main things are "emolliency, surface occlusion, and TEWL prevention all with extreme cosmetic elegance". In other words, it's a superb moisturizer that makes your skin nice and smooth, without being heavy or greasy.

Also-called: Huile Vegetale, Olus Oil | What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Camelina Oil, Gold-of-Pleasure Oil | What-it-does: soothing, emollient

The oil coming from the seeds of a flowering plant called Camelina or Gold of pleasure. Similar to lots of other plant oils it's loaded with nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids.

Where it's not so similar to other oils, is that it's a very rich source (30-40%) of fairly rare Alpha-linolenic acid (aka omega-3) and contains only less of the more common linoleic (15-24%) and oleic acids (10-16%).  Alpha-linolenic acid is a very important one with anti-inflammatory properties and the lack of it can cause continuously dry skin. 

Also-called: Sacha Inchi Seed Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient, moisturizer/humectant

An emollient plant oil coming from the Sacha Inchi plant from the Colombian Amazon.

Similar to other plant oils, it's loaded with nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids: it's especially rich in α-Linolenic acid (42-49%) and linoleic acid (32-38%) and contains less oleic acid (9-14%). It also contains a decent amount of antioxidant vitamin E (200 mg/kg).

Bisabolol - goodie
Also-called: Alpha-Bisabolol | What-it-does: soothing

It's one of the active parts of Chamomile that contains about 30% of bisabolol. It's a clear oily fluid that is used in skincare as a nice anti-inflammatory and soothing ingredient. 

What-it-does: emollient

A super common emollient that makes your skin feel nice and smooth. It comes from coconut oil and glycerin, it’s light-textured, clear, odorless and non-greasy. It’s a nice ingredient that just feels good on the skin, is super well tolerated by every skin type and easy to formulate with. No wonder it’s popular. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: antioxidant, soothing

A nature-identical (but synthetic) molecule that copies a phyto-active found in grains of paradise, a spice from the ginger family. It is claimed to be a 4-in-1 active with potent topical & cellular antioxidant, anti-irritant, and hyaluronic acid booster activity, however, the manufacturer did only some in-vitro and ex-vivo (as in nothing done on real people... ) tests to back up these claims.  

Tocopherol - goodie
Also-called: Vitamin E | What-it-does: antioxidant | Irritancy: 0-3 | Comedogenicity: 0-3
  • Primary fat-soluble antioxidant in our skin
  • Significant photoprotection against UVB rays
  • Vit C + Vit E work in synergy and provide great photoprotection
  • Has emollient properties
  • Easy to formulate, stable and relatively inexpensive
Read all the geeky details about Tocopherol here >>

Also-called: Rose Geranium Essential Oil | What-it-does: perfuming

The fragrant essential oil coming from the whole plant of Rose Geranium. It has a lovely scent with a mix of rose and citrus. 

Like most essential oils, it contains antioxidant and antimicrobial components, but the main ones are fragrant constituents (like geraniol and citronellol). Be careful with it, if your skin is sensitive. 

Also-called: Clary Sage Oil

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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what‑it‑does antioxidant | emollient
Rosehip seed oil - a nice nourishing and moisturizing oil loaded with fatty acids. The cold pressed version also contains trans-retinoic acid, aka tretinoin and has tissue regenerative, wrinkle-decreasing and acne-helping properties. [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
The emollient plant oil coming from the passion fruit. It is a high-linoleic acid oil (about 70% LA and 15% oleic acid), that makes your skin feel nice and smooth and supports a healthy skin barrier. [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
A yellow-greenish oil coming from the seeds of Cranberry. Similar to other emollient plant oils, it is loaded with nice fatty acids. It contains a very balanced 1:1 ratio of anti-inflammatory omega-3 (aka linolenic acid) and barrier repairing omega-6 (aka linoleic acid) (30-38%), and also a decent amount of skin-nourishing omega-9, aka oleic acid. [more]
what‑it‑does skin-identical ingredient | emollient
irritancy, com. 0, 1
An emollient and natural moisturizer that can be found also in the sebum (oily stuff our skin produces). It leaves a nice non-greasy, non-heavy feeling on the skin. [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
what‑it‑does soothing | emollient
Gold-of-Pleasure Oil - A plant oil with a uniquely high amount (30-40%) of soothing and rebalancing omega-3 fatty acid (aka alpha-linolenic acid). Great for sensitive and dry skin types. [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant | emollient | moisturizer/humectant
An emollient plant oil that contains nourishing fatty acids and antioxidant vitamin E. It's especially rich in α-Linolenic acid (42-49%). [more]
what‑it‑does soothing
One of the active parts of Chamomile that is used in skincare as a nice anti-inflammatory and soothing ingredient. [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
A very common emollient that makes your skin feel nice and smooth. Comes from coconut oil and glycerin, it’s light-textured, clear, odorless and non-greasy. [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant | soothing
A nature-identical (but synthetic) molecule that copies a phyto-active found in grains of paradise, a spice from the ginger family. It is claimed to be a 4-in-1 active with potent topical & [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant
irritancy, com. 0-3, 0-3
Pure Vitamin E. Great antioxidant that gives significant photoprotection against UVB rays. Works in synergy with Vitamin C. [more]
what‑it‑does perfuming
The fragrant essential oil coming from the whole plant of Rose Geranium. It has a lovely scent with a mix of rose and citrus.  Like most essential oils, it contains antioxidant and antimicrobial components, but the main ones are fragrant constituents (like geraniol and citronellol). [more]