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Oolution Plump It Plumping Face Oil

Plump It Plumping Face Oil

Softness and firmness with over 55 organic plant extracts for all skin types firming & toning promotes appearance vegan
Uploaded by: pinkie on

Ingredients overview

Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil (Huile De Carthame), Oenothera Biennis Oil (Huile D'Onagre), Papaver Somniferum Seed Oil (Huile De Pavot), Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil (Huile De Cassis), Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract (Extrait De Figue De Barbarie), Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil (Huile De Framboise), Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil (Huile De Inca Inchi), Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil (Huile De Kukui), Prunus Avium Seed Oil (Huile De Cerise), Bellis Perennis Extract (Huile De Pâquerette), Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil (Huile De Pracaxi), Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil (Huile De Raisin), Oryza Sativa Bran Oil (Huile De Riz), Bixa Orellana Seed Extract (Extrait De Roucou), Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil (Huile De Sésame), Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil (Huile De Thé Vert), Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Huile De Tournesol), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil (Huile D'Amande Douce), Carapa Guaianensis Seed Oil (Huile D'Andiroba), Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil (Huile D'Argan), Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil (Huile De Baobab), Borago Officinalis Seed Oil (Huile De Bourrache), Cocos Nucifera Oil (Huile De Coco), Punica Granatum Seed Oil (Huile De Grenade), Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil (Huile De Lin), Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil (Huile De Macadamia), Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil (Huile De Noix Du Brésil), Rosa Canina Flower Oil (Huile De Rose Musquée), Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract (Extrait De Vanille), Laurus Nobilis Leaf Oil (Huile De Baie De Laurier), Mauritia Flexuosa Seed Oil (Huile De Buriti), Camelina Sativa Seed Oil (Huile De Cameline), Corylus Avellana Seed Oil (Huile De Noisette), Juglans Regia Seed Oil (Huile De Noix), Prunus Domestica Seed Oil (Huile De Prune), Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Huile De Jojoba), Cyperus Esculentus Root Oil (Huile De Souchet), Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil (Huile De Carotte), Pelargonium Graveolens Oil (Huile De Géranium Rosat), Helichrysum Italicum Flower Oil (Huile D'Hélichryse), Lavandula Angustifolia Oil (Huile De Lavande Vraie), Melissa Officinalis Leaf Oil (Huile De Mélisse), Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil (Huile De Patchouli), Rosa Damascena Flower Oil (Huile De Rose Damas), Cinnamosma Fragrans Leaf Oil (Huile De Saro), Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil (Huile D'Arbre À Thé), Eucalyptus Citriodora Oil (Huile D'Eucalyptus Citronné), Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf Oil (Huile De Petitgrain Bigaradier), Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil (Huile De Pamplemousse), Lavandula Hybrida Oil (Huile De Lavandin), Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil (Huile De Mandarine Rouge), Cinnamomum Camphora Linalooliferum Wood Oil (Huile De Bois De Hô), Laurus Nobilis Oil (Huile De Laurier Noble), Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil (Huile De Mandarine Verte), Leptospermum Scoparium Branch Oil (Huile De Manuka), Citrus Junos Seed Oil (Huile De Yuzu), Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil (Huile De Bergamote), Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Parfum (= 100% Naturel Et Sans Phtalate, Non Dérivé D'Huile De Palme), Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Eugenol

Highlights

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Skim through

Ingredient name what-it-does irr., com. ID-Rating
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil (Huile De Carthame) antioxidant, emollient 0, 0-2 goodie
Oenothera Biennis Oil (Huile D'Onagre) soothing, emollient 2, 3 goodie
Papaver Somniferum Seed Oil (Huile De Pavot) emollient
Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil (Huile De Cassis) emollient
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract (Extrait De Figue De Barbarie) soothing, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil (Huile De Framboise) emollient
Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil (Huile De Inca Inchi) antioxidant, emollient, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil (Huile De Kukui) soothing, emollient goodie
Prunus Avium Seed Oil (Huile De Cerise) emollient
Bellis Perennis Extract (Huile De Pâquerette)
Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil (Huile De Pracaxi) emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil (Huile De Raisin) antioxidant, emollient goodie
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil (Huile De Riz) antioxidant, emollient goodie
Bixa Orellana Seed Extract (Extrait De Roucou)
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil (Huile De Sésame) emollient 0, 1-3 goodie
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil (Huile De Thé Vert) emollient goodie
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Huile De Tournesol) emollient 0, 0 goodie
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil (Huile D'Amande Douce) emollient 0, 1-3 goodie
Carapa Guaianensis Seed Oil (Huile D'Andiroba)
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil (Huile D'Argan) antioxidant, emollient goodie
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil (Huile De Baobab) emollient goodie
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil (Huile De Bourrache) soothing, emollient goodie
Cocos Nucifera Oil (Huile De Coco) emollient, perfuming 0, 4 goodie
Punica Granatum Seed Oil (Huile De Grenade) antioxidant, emollient goodie
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil (Huile De Lin) emollient, perfuming goodie
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil (Huile De Macadamia) emollient goodie
Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil (Huile De Noix Du Brésil) emollient
Rosa Canina Flower Oil (Huile De Rose Musquée) emollient
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract (Extrait De Vanille)
Laurus Nobilis Leaf Oil (Huile De Baie De Laurier) perfuming
Mauritia Flexuosa Seed Oil (Huile De Buriti)
Camelina Sativa Seed Oil (Huile De Cameline) soothing, emollient goodie
Corylus Avellana Seed Oil (Huile De Noisette) emollient goodie
Juglans Regia Seed Oil (Huile De Noix)
Prunus Domestica Seed Oil (Huile De Prune)
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Huile De Jojoba) emollient 0, 0-2 goodie
Cyperus Esculentus Root Oil (Huile De Souchet)
Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil (Huile De Carotte) emollient
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil (Huile De Géranium Rosat) perfuming icky
Helichrysum Italicum Flower Oil (Huile D'Hélichryse) perfuming
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil (Huile De Lavande Vraie) antimicrobial/​antibacterial, perfuming icky
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Oil (Huile De Mélisse) antioxidant, perfuming, antimicrobial/​antibacterial icky
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil (Huile De Patchouli) perfuming
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil (Huile De Rose Damas) antioxidant, perfuming, antimicrobial/​antibacterial icky
Cinnamosma Fragrans Leaf Oil (Huile De Saro) antimicrobial/​antibacterial
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil (Huile D'Arbre À Thé) soothing, anti-acne, antioxidant, antimicrobial/​antibacterial, perfuming goodie
Eucalyptus Citriodora Oil (Huile D'Eucalyptus Citronné) perfuming icky
Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf Oil (Huile De Petitgrain Bigaradier)
Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil (Huile De Pamplemousse) perfuming icky
Lavandula Hybrida Oil (Huile De Lavandin) emollient
Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil (Huile De Mandarine Rouge) perfuming icky
Cinnamomum Camphora Linalooliferum Wood Oil (Huile De Bois De Hô) perfuming
Laurus Nobilis Oil (Huile De Laurier Noble)
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil (Huile De Mandarine Verte) perfuming icky
Leptospermum Scoparium Branch Oil (Huile De Manuka) antimicrobial/​antibacterial, antioxidant goodie
Citrus Junos Seed Oil (Huile De Yuzu) emollient
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil (Huile De Bergamote) perfuming icky
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil soothing, perfuming goodie
Parfum (= 100% Naturel Et Sans Phtalate, Non Dérivé D'Huile De Palme) perfuming icky
Limonene perfuming, solvent icky
Linalool perfuming icky
Citronellol perfuming icky
Eugenol perfuming icky

Oolution Plump It Plumping Face Oil
Ingredients explained

Also-called: Safflower Seed Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0-2

The oil coming from the seeds of the yellow flowered safflower plant. Similar to other plant oils, it's loaded with nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids: it's a high linoleic acid oil (70%) and has only smaller amounts of oleic acid (11%) (this might be great for acne-prone skin). It also contains antioxidant vitamin E (44mg/100g alpha-tocopherol).

Also-called: Evening Primrose Oil, EPO | What-it-does: soothing, emollient | Irritancy: 2 | Comedogenicity: 3

The oil coming from the seeds of the nice, little, yellow-flowered plant called Evening Primrose. Similar to other plant oils, it's loaded with nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids. It's a very rich source of linoleic acid (66-76%), and also contains the soothing and healing superstar fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid (aka GLA, 7-12%) (Btw, the richest known source of GLA is the borage oil, but evening primrose still counts as a very good source of it). It also contains oleic acid, but not too much around 6-15%.

Since the 1980's, EPO is a well-known food supplement and there are quite a lot of studies examining what happens if you take it orally. It seems to be helpful with a bunch of  things: atopic dermatitis, dry eyes, brittle nails, sunburn and even acne.

What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Black Currant Seed Oil | What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Prickly Pear Fruit Extract | What-it-does: soothing, moisturizer/humectant

The extract of Prickly Pear, a cactus that’s native to Mexico. Its main unique thing is that it can reduce the neurosensory irritation caused by the application of topical products such as retinoids (slow reaction) or alpha hydroxy acids (fast reaction). We have a shiny description about  Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract here >>

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

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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).

Also-called: Kukui Nut Oil | What-it-does: soothing, emollient

Having such a cool name and coming from Hawaii how could this oil be not good? Well, it is good. It's absorbed excellently by the skin and is used traditionally by the Hawaiians to soothe sunburn and other inflammations. 

Research confirms this: it's shown to have anti-inflammatory, pain reducing, and wound healing properties. It's also a particularly rich source of moisturizing essential fatty acids linoleic and linolenic (about 42 and 32%) and it's not so rich in oleic acid - around 15% - that can be good even for acne prone skin.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Grape Seed Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

A goodie plant oil coming from the polyphenol-rich seeds of the grape. It's a light emollient oil that makes your skin feel smooth and nice and also contains a bunch of good-for-the-skin stuff. It's a great source of antioxidant polyphenols, barrier repair fatty acid linoleic acid (about 55-77%, while oleic acid is about 12-27%) and antioxidant, skin-protectant vitamin E

Also-called: Rice Bran Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

The oil coming from the bran of rice. Similar to many other emollient plant oils, it contains several skin-goodies: nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids (oleic acid:  40%, linoleic acid: 30%, linolenic acid:1-2%), antioxidant vitamin E, emollient sterols and potent antioxidant gamma-oryzanol

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Sesame Oil | What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1-3

A goldish to dark yellow emollient plant oil coming from Sesame seeds. Similar to many other plant oils, it contains high amounts of nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids (about 38% of oleic and 48% of linoleic acid) and is a nice oil to repair and regenerate dry skin. It is rapidly absorbed and gives the skin a soft and gentle feel.  

Also-called: Tea Seed oil | What-it-does: emollient

A beautiful golden-yellow oil coming from the Camellia tree. It's a 5 -10 meters high tree with spectacular white flowers native to Asia. It's pretty common there and also used as cooking oil or salad dressing. Sometimes Camellia oil is referred to as "the olive oil of Asia". 

So what can it do for the skin? Similar to many other great non-fragrant plant oils, it's a great emollient and moisturising oil for dry skin. It's light in texture, absorbs fast into the skin and leaves it soft and supple. 

Also-called: Sunflower Oil | What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

Sunflower does not need a big intro as you probably use it in the kitchen as cooking oil, or you munch on the seeds as a healthy snack or you adore its big, beautiful yellow flower during the summer - or you do all of these and probably even more. And by even more  we mean putting it all over your face as sunflower oil is one of the most commonly used plant oils in skincare.

It’s a real oldie: expressed directly from the seeds, the oil is used not for hundreds but thousands of years. According to The National Sunflower Association, there is evidence that both the plant and its oil were used by American Indians in the area of Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Do the math: it's more than 5000 years – definitely an oldie.

Also-called: Sweet Almond Oil | What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1-3

The emollient plant oil that comes from almonds. Similar to other plant oils, it is loaded with skin-nourishing fatty acids (oleic acid - 55-86% and linoleic acid 7-35%) and contains several other skin goodies such as antioxidant vitamin E and vitamin B versions. 

It's a nice, basic oil that is often used due to its great smoothing, softening and moisturizing properties. It's also particularly good at treating dry brittle nails (source).

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Argan Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

When it comes to cosmetic oils and hype, argan oil is for sure leading the way. Dubbed as the "liquid gold of Morocco", we have to admit we have some trouble determining why this oil enjoys such a special miracle status. Not that it's not good, it is good, even great but reading the research about argan and a bunch of other plant oils we just do not see the big, unique differentiating factor (though that might be our fault not reading enough, obvs.)

So, argan oil comes from the kernel of the argan fruit that comes from the argan tree that grows only in Morocco. The tree is slow growing and getting the oil is a hard job. The traditional process is that the ripe argan fruits fall from the tree, then goats eat them up and poop out the seeds. The seeds are collected and smashed with a stone to get the kernels inside. This part is the hard one as the seeds have extremely hard shells. Once the kernels are obtained, the oil is pressed out from them (the kernels contain about 50% oil).

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

Baobab is a really big, iconic tree native to Africa (here is a nice image of it). It's the largest succulent plant in the world and almost all parts of it have traditional medicinal uses in Africa. 

The seed oil, similar to other plant oils, is loaded with things that are good-for-the-skin: it contains skin regenerating vitamin A, antioxidant vitamin E, and vitamin D3 that helps with calcium absorption. It's rich in nourishing fatty acids oleic (30-40%), linoleic (24-34%) and palmitic (18-30%).

Also-called: Borage Seed Oil, Starflower Seed Oil | What-it-does: soothing, emollient

We feel that this one is a bit under the radar probably because the Borage plant is not very well known. Maybe because its name isn't as cool as some others, it's hard to compete with kukui or baobab, not to mention murumuru. But let us tell you when it comes to skin care, borage seed oil is one of the best oils that can happen to your skin. Especially, if it's dry, sensitive, easily irritated, often itchy or eczema prone. 

So what is so special about it? It is the richest known plant source of the super important essential fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is soothing and nourishing, and can repair even severely dry and irritated skin, but it's pretty rare and borage contains by far the most of it (17-28%). Next to GLA, it also contains more common fatty acids, like linoleic (36%), oleic (18%) or palmitic acid (10%). 

Also-called: Coconut Oil | What-it-does: emollient, perfuming | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 4

There is definitely some craze going on for coconut oil both in the healthy eating space (often claimed to be the healthiest oil to cook with but this is a topic for another site) and in the skin and hair care space. 

We will talk here about the latter two and see why we might want to smear it all over ourselves. Chemically speaking, coconut oil has a unique fatty acid profile. Unlike many plant oils that mostly contain unsaturated fatty acids (fatty acids with double bonds and kinky structure such as linoleic or oleic), coconut oil is mostly saturated (fatty acids with single bonds only) and its most important fatty acid is Lauric Acid (about 50%).  Saturated fatty acids have a linear structure that can stack nice and tight and hence they are normally solid at room temperature. Coconut oil melts around 25 °C so it is solid in the tub but melts on contact with the skin. 

Also-called: Pomegranate Seed Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

The emollient plant oil coming from the seeds of Pomegranate. The red fruit has lots of seeds (100-200 per fruit), but 7 kg of them are needed for 1 kg of oil. Among the many similar plant oils, Pomegranate oil is a really unique one, as its main fatty acid (60%) is a rare one called punic acid, a so-called conjugated fatty acid with three double bonds. It also contains the common linoleic (2-10%) and oleic acids (3-12%), but only in small amounts.

Punic acid is thought to be a biologically active compound, a powerful anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant agent. The oil itself is also claimed to have strong antioxidant properties as well as having excellent nourishing and moisturizing abilities. On top of that, we also found a research that examined Pomegranate as a cosmeceutical source and it concluded that the seed oil can nicely promote the regeneration of the epidermis (the top layer of the skin).

Also-called: Linseed Oil, Flaxseed Oil | What-it-does: emollient, perfuming

The oil coming from the plant Linum Usitatissimum or commonly called Flax. If you are into healthy eating, you probably know flaxseeds as a rich source of hard-to-eat-enough omega-3 fatty acids, or if you are into fashion, you probably have some light summer cloth made from linen.

As for skincare, flaxseed oil is one of the few natural plant oils that is a rich source (35-65%) of moisturizing and probably anti-inflammatory  ω-3 fatty acid, aka linolenic acid. It also contains skin-nourishing oleic acid (11-35%) and barrier repairing linoleic acid (11-24%). 

Also-called: Macadamia Oil | What-it-does: emollient

The golden yellow oil coming from the Macadamia nut, a native Australian nut. Similar to other plant oils, it's loaded with emollient and nourishing fatty acids. It's a high oleic acid oil (50-67% oleic acid and only 0-5% linoleic acid) that makes it very emollient and ideal for dry skin types (and less ideal for acne-prone skin).

Its unique property is that it contains high amounts of a rare fatty acid called palmitoleic acid (12-25%) that give Macadamia oil a "cushiony" feel. It's also easily absorbed and makes the skin soft and supple. 

What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

This ingredient name is not according to the INCI-standard. :( What, why?!

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: Hazelnut oil;Corylus Avellana Seed Oil | What-it-does: emollient

It's the oil that comes from the edible hazelnuts. Just like many other plant oils, it's a great emollient, moisturizer, skin softener. It has a light skin feeling, spreads easily and absorbs quickly into the skin. It's rich in nourishing fatty acid, oleic containing about 66-85%.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Jojoba Oil | What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0-2

Jojoba is a drought resistant evergreen shrub native to South-western North America. It's known and grown for jojoba oil, the golden yellow liquid coming from the seeds (about 50% of the weight of the seeds will be oil).  

At first glance, it seems like your average emollient plant oil: it looks like an oil and it's nourishing and moisturizing to the skin but if we dig a bit deeper, it turns out that jojoba oil is really special and unique: technically - or rather chemically - it's not an oil but a wax ester (and calling it an oil is kind of sloppy). 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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

The oil coming from the seeds of the carrot, the orange root vegetable we all know and eat regularly. This oil is a really tricky one, as it can refer to two types of oil that can both be extracted from the carrot seeds: the essential oil (about 0.83% yield) and the fixed oil (about 7.84% yield). 

The two seed oils are very different and to make matters even worse these two oils are also very different from carrot root oil, or carrot oil, that is basically carrot root extract macerated in a carrier oil such as sunflower or olive oil and is the one that contains the vitamin A precursor, carotene. 

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: Immortelle Flower Oil | What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Lavender Essential Oil | What-it-does: antimicrobial/antibacterial, perfuming

We have to start by writing how fascinated we are by the amazing lavender fields of Provance and we do love pretty much everything about lavender: its look, its color, its scent.... but, when it comes to skincare, lavender is a questionable ingredient that you probably do not want in your skincare products.

First, let us start with the pros: it has a lovely scent, so no wonder that it is popular as a fragrance ingredient in natural products wanting to be free from synthetic fragrances but still wanting to smell nice. The scent of lavender is famous for having calming and relaxing properties and some smallish scientific studies do support that. Inhaled volatile compounds seem to have a soothing effect on the central nervous system and studies have shown that lavender aromatherapy can improve patient's anxiety and experience in hospitals.   

Also-called: Balm Mint Leaf Oil, Lemon Balm Leaf Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, perfuming, antimicrobial/antibacterial

The essential oil from the leaves of lemon balm. It has a sweet, fresh, citrus-like fragrance that is lovely to smell but when it comes to skincare, it's a mixed bag. Thanks to its tannin and polyphenol components, it has antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal effects. In-vitro (made in the lab, not on people) studies have also shown that it has high concentrations of antioxidants

The downside is that 50-70% of the oil consists of fragrant components (citronellal, geranial, and neral) that might irritate sensitive skin.

Also-called: Patchouli Essential Oil | What-it-does: perfuming

If you are into perfumes, you must know patchouli as an important essential oil in the perfume industry. It boasts a pleasant woody, earthy and camphoraceous scent and has fixative properties (makes the fragrance long-lasting).

Its composition is pretty unique: it does not contain any of the EU's 26 most common fragrance allergens, but its most important components are patchoulol (30%) and alpha-patchoulene (6%) which are responsible for its aroma and antifungal properties.

Also-called: Damask Rose Flower Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, perfuming, antimicrobial/antibacterial

We are big fans of all kinds of roses as ornamental plants but when it comes to skincare, it is a mixed bag. Before we list out the good and the not so good, here is an interesting thing. 

The oil content in rose is very, very low so distilling rose essential oil requires huge amounts of rose flowers. It has such a wonderful scent that there are no comparable synthetic alternatives. You can probably guess that this means rose essential oil is expensive.... very very expensive

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Tea Tree Oil, TTO | What-it-does: soothing, anti-acne, antioxidant, antimicrobial/antibacterial, perfuming

The famous tea tree oil. One of the best known essential oils which comes from Australia where it has been used for almost 100 years for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions. Legend has it that the medicinal benefits of the oil were considered so important that Australian soldiers were supplied with some tea tree oil in their World War II military kit.

Similar to other essential oils, tea tree oil is a very complex chemical mixture consisting of about 100 components, the major ones being terpinen-4-ol (40%), γ-Terpinene (23%) and α-Terpinene (10%). Terpinen-4-ol is considered to be the main active component but as a great article in Clinical Microbiology Reviews states "while some TTO components may be considered less active, none can be considered inactive" and most components contribute to TTO's strong antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects

What-it-does: perfuming

The essential oil coming from Eucalyptus Citriodora that has a surprisingly different chemical structure from the better known, and much more commonly used Eucalyptus Globulus essential oil. It contains hardly any eucalyptol (0.6%), but its main components are citronellal (85%) and limonene (15%) giving the oil a strong, fresh, sweet, and balsamic aroma.   

Its EU sensitizer total percentage is 20%, that counts as quite high so be careful with it if you have sensitive skin.

Also-called: Petitgrain Oil;Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Oil

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Pink Grapefruit Peel Oil | What-it-does: perfuming

The essential oil coming from the peel of the pink grapefruit. In general, the main component of citrus peel oils is limonene (around 90% for grapefruit peel), a super common fragrant ingredient that makes everything smell nice (but counts as a frequent skin sensitizer). Similar to other essential oils, grapefruit peel has also antibacterial and antifungal acitivity

Other than that, citrus peels contain the problematic compounds called furanocoumarins that make them (mildly) phototoxic. So be careful with grapefruit peel oil, especially if it's in a product for daytime use.  

What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Tangerine Essential Oil | What-it-does: perfuming, deodorant

The essential oil coming from the rind of the mandarin orange also called tangerine. In general, the main component of citrus peel oils is limonene (80-97%), a super common fragrant ingredient that makes everything smell nice (but counts as a frequent skin sensitizer).

Other than that, citrus peel also contains the problematic compound called furanocoumarin that makes them mildly phototoxic. In general, the sweeter the citrus, the less it contains, so tangerine peel contains less of it than some other citruses (like bergamot or lime), but still, be careful with it especially if it is in a product for daytime use.  

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Mandarin Orange Oil, Tangor Oil | What-it-does: perfuming

The essential oil coming from the peel of the mandarin orange or tangor. In general, the main component of citrus peel oils is limonene (77-86% for mandarin peel), a super common fragrant ingredient that makes everything smell nice (but counts as a frequent skin sensitizer).  Apart from smelling nice (and thus being a popular natural fragrance alternative), Mandarin Orange Oil also has significant antioxidant properties that's comparable to synthetic antioxidant BHT or oil-soluble antioxidant big shot vitamin E

On the con side, the fragrant components of citrus peels might irritate sensitive skin and citrus peels also contain the problematic compound called furanocoumarin that makes them (mildly) phototoxic. Orange mandarin peel contains less from it than some other citruses (like bergamot or lime), but still, be careful with it especially if it's in a product for daytime use.  

Also-called: Manuka Essential Oil;Leptospermum Scoparium Branch/Leaf Oil | What-it-does: antimicrobial/antibacterial, antioxidant

The essential oil coming from the Manuka tree native to New Zealand. It is distantly related to the Australian Tea Tree Oil, although their chemical composition is very different.

The main antibacterial active in tea tree oil is terpinen-4-ol (40%), while manuka's main actives are so-called cyclic triketones, such as Leptospermone, Iso-leptospermone, and Flavesone (20-30%). Both oils are antibacterial and antifungal but in different ways.

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

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Bergamot Fruit Oil | What-it-does: perfuming

The essential oil coming from the fruit (probably the rind) of the bergamot orange.  It's a common top note in perfumes and contains (among others) fragrant compounds limonene (37%), linalyl acetate (30%) and linalool (8.8%). 

A well-known issue with bergamot oil (apart from the fragrance allergens) is that it contains phototoxic compounds called furanocoumarins, but more and more commonly furanocoumarin-free versions are used in cosmetic products. Still, if you have sensitive skin and prefer fragrance-free products, bergamot oil is not for you.

Also-called: Roman Chamomile Flower Oil | What-it-does: soothing, perfuming

The essential oil coming from the second most common type of chamomile, the Roman Chamomile. It also contains the biologically active anti-inflammatory componentsbisabolol, and chamazulene, but less than the more commonly used German Chamomile.  It's not clear what Roman Chamomile knows that the German one does not. 

Also-called: Fragrance, Parfum;Parfum/Fragrance | What-it-does: perfuming

Exactly what it sounds: nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. Fragrance in the US and parfum in the EU is a generic term on the ingredient list that is made up of 30 to 50 chemicals on average (but it can have as much as 200 components!). 

If you are someone who likes to know what you put on your face then fragrance is not your best friend - there's no way to know what’s really in it.  

Limonene - icky
What-it-does: perfuming, solvent, deodorant

A super common and cheap fragrance ingredient. It's in many plants, e.g. rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass, peppermint and it's the main component (about 50-90%) of the peel oil of citrus fruits.

It does smell nice but the problem is that it oxidizes on air exposure and the resulting stuff is not good for the skin. Oxidized limonene can cause allergic contact dermatitis and counts as a frequent skin sensitizer

Linalool - icky
What-it-does: perfuming, deodorant

Linalool is a super common fragrance ingredient. It’s kind of everywhere - both in plants and in cosmetic products. It’s part of 200 natural oils including lavender, ylang-ylang, bergamot, jasmine, geranium and it can be found in 90-95% of prestige perfumes on the market. 

The problem with linalool is, that just like limonene it oxidises on air exposure and becomes allergenic. That’s why a product containing linalool that has been opened for several months is more likely to be allergenic than a fresh one.

What-it-does: perfuming

Citronellol is a very common fragrance ingredient with a nice rose-like odor. In the UK, it’s actually the third most often listed perfume on the ingredient lists. 

It can be naturally found in geranium oil (about 30%) or rose oil (about 25%). 

Eugenol - icky
What-it-does: perfuming

A colorless or yellowish oil that's used as a fragrance. It has a spicy scent and can be found for example in basil, clove or cinnamon oil.

A 2006 in-vitro  (made in the lab not on real people) study examined if clove oil is cytotoxic and found that not only clove oil but also its main constituent, eugenol is cytotoxic even at very low concentration (0.03%). It’s also one of the “EU 26 fragrances” that has to be labelled separately (and cannot be simply included in the term “fragrance/perfume” on the label) because of allergen potential. Best to avoid at least in leave-on products.

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