What is Face Oil? And Are Face Oils Actually Good for Your Skin?
Facial oils can be a relaxing way to give your skin some extra love, and leave skin feeling radiant the next morning. For example, our best-selling Deeply Replenishing Facial Oil was created to help renew your skin and soul as you step into the sanctuary of sleep.
Face oils are trending today, but they aren’t exclusively a modern invention. These ingredients — think of coconut, jojoba, marula, and prickly pear seed oils, to name a few — were also beloved in ancient beauty practices all over the world.
If you’re hesitant about adding a facial oil to your skincare routine turned ritual, we totally get it! The relationship between oil and skincare has been complicated. We’ve heard people say — especially our oily skin type besties — that face oils aren’t for them. “I don’t want to put more oil on my face,” they say.
However, like most things in skincare, a lot depends on your personal preference and your skin type. There’s no one facial oil that is guaranteed to work for everyone.
So, let’s dig into the details: when you should use facial oils in your skincare ritual, their benefits, the best face oils for your skin type, and more.
WHAT ARE FACIAL OILS?
First up: a simple overview. Face oils have the primary use in skincare of helping to deliver moisture, hydration, and softness to the skin.
Your skin produces oils naturally, and facial oils, in theory, can be used to supplement this process. Everyone’s skin is different. If yours is prone to dryness, you probably don’t produce enough sebum, which are lipids that help keep the skin moisturized. Oily skin types, on the other hand, produce an excess of sebum.
WHEN SHOULD YOU USE FACE OIL IN YOUR SKINCARE RITUAL?
When it comes to the order of applying your skincare, we recommend using a face oil like Deeply Replenishing Squalane Facial Oil as the step after moisturizer in your PM routine.
This fan-favorite face oil can be used alone or paired with other Keys offerings. If your ritual includes a serum, apply the serum first, allow a few moments for the serum to absorb into the skin fully, then follow with moisturizer and face oil.
If you’re pairing Deeply Replenishing with your favorite moisturizer, use the squalane face oil after applying your moisturizer or you can also add a drop of the oil into your moisturizer!
Your skin will soak up the nourishing ingredients overnight and you’ll wake up feeling radiant.
WHAT DO FACIAL OILS DO FOR SKIN?
Worries about acne, weighing down skin, and the fear of ending up with a greasy, shiny appearance are all legit concerns, so you may have to experiment to find the right facial oil for your skin type and your personal preferences.
Beyond that, many people don’t have a clear idea of the difference between face oils and serums, which can really confuse matters.
As a quick rule of thumb: oils tend to be richer in consistency, take more time to absorb, and help give the skin a boost of hydration. Serums, on the other hand, are more often water-based, lightweight, and may be used to address specific skin concerns. Serums should be applied before moisturizer while face oils can be combined with moisturizer or applied as the last step.
So, what makes facial oils stand out as heroes in a skincare story? Here are three reasons facial oils make a beloved addition to many people’s skincare rituals.
BENEFIT #1: NUTRIENT-RICH HYDRATION
Facial oils are an experience that goes beyond the superficial. While traditional options skim the surface, facial oils help provide essential hydration. Each use leaves your skin feeling more supple and radiant, helping reveal your glow.
BENEFIT #2: SKINCARE’S NIGHTTIME SECRET
As you drift off to dreamland, your skin is on a mission to renew and rejuvenate. That’s where facial oils work in tandem with your skin’s efforts. Lightweight and nutrient-packed, they help create a layer to lock in hydration. Think of it as a nightly rendezvous with nourishment, helping you rise with a radiant-feeling glow.
BENEFIT #3: AGE-DEFYING BRILLIANCE
Thanks to antioxidant-rich formulas, facial oils are your go-to for ageless radiance. The Deeply Replenishing Facial Oil with Squalane feels luxurious with each application, while the formula’s lipid-rich, olive-derived squalane helps promote a resilient and youthful complexion.
Using Your Skin Type to Find the Best Face Oil for You
BEST FACE OIL FOR DRY AND NORMAL SKIN
Dry and normal skin types may love how our "Best for Acne Prone Skin winner" facial oil leaves no greasy residue, and is both non-comedogenic and lightweight. This offering’s standout features lie in its high-quality ingredients: squalane plus prickly pear and pomegranate seed oil.
Olive-derived squalane, which mimics the squalane found in our skin’s natural oils, packs in the hydration. Prickly pear seed oil is a cold-pressed oil rich in fatty acids and nutrients, while pomegranate oil is rich in antioxidants, omega-5 oil, and vitamin E. Together, this trio helps hydrate and replenish skin overnight, so you awake feeling fresh-faced and radiant.
To aid absorption for dry and normal skin types, we recommend applying Deeply Replenishing to damp skin or including a few drops in your favorite moisturizer.
BEST FACE OILS FOR OILY AND COMBINATION SKIN
Oily and combination skin types may reach for face oils that aren’t as richly hydrating, as these skin types don’t struggle with dryness. Oily and combo skin types can be more prone to excess oil and breakouts.
Other oils that are lightweight and oily-skin friendly? One fan favorite is jojoba oil, which is similarly structured to skin’s naturally occurring oils.
Jojoba is well-loved because it’s gentle, weightless, and rich in vitamins E and B complex. It helps to balance, condition, and hydrate skin. Argan oil is another lightweight, non-comedogenic option, and is generally well-tolerated by oily and combo skin types.
As ever, when introducing a new ingredient to your skincare shelf, make sure to patch test. Remember that the right facial oil for you largely comes down to personal preference and how it makes your skin feel.
How are you using facial oils in your skincare ritual? Let us know in the comments!
SPIRIT
MIND
BODY