Smudging oils onto skin is often thought to be a rather greasy affair, particularly for those with oily skin types that live in hot and humid climates like Thailand. Those who believe this, however, are missing out on the benefits of skincare oils that are often made from a natural blend of botanical and essential oils and provide skin-nourishing essential fatty acids, vitamin E and antioxidants.
For example, fish oil supplements are taken to promote health and skincare oils keep the skin in a good condition, as well as delay the onset of wrinkles. Technology has now advanced to be able to offer non-sticky textures and even a serum-in-oil formula for those concerned about greasiness. Moreover, skincare oils are often also suitable for aromatherapy application.
Anti-ageing treatments are often hyped as "liquid gold" and come infused with precious ingredients at a hefty price tag.
Sisley Black Rose Precious Face Oil, for example, combines black rose extract with anti-ageing ingredients and camelina and prune oils that replenish the skin with Omega 3 and Omega 6. A lack of these essential fatty acids causes dry skin while normal skin can become dry or dehydrated due to environmental conditions.
Guerlain Abeille Royale Face Treatment Oil (3,500 baht).
Two plants and a tiny algae that manage to survive the harsh icy environment of the Swiss Alps led La Prairie's researchers to believe that their resilience could be transferred to skincare products. The alpine plants have been cultivated and the algae undergoes a biofermentation process in the making of the anti-ageing complex featured in Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Dry Oil.
L'Occitane journeyed to the island of Corsica, where immortelle flowers are now cultivated instead of picked in the wild, for the extraction of essential oils which are combined with seven plant oils in the Divine Youth Oil product.
Guerlain's search for precious ingredients concluded at Ouessant island off the coast of Brittany, where endemic black bees produce a rare honey featured in its Abeille Royale Face Treatment Oil.
Famed for her bee sting facial and bee venom skincare, British beautician Deborah Mitchell has added a beauty oil to Heaven's anti-ageing range. Containing organic calendula oil, vitamins A and B, as well as beta carotene, the skin saviour can be added to a cleanser or moisturiser for the facial care or applied on nails and hair to provide a healthy shine.
Vegetable oils and aquatic extracts mingle together in Blue Therapy Serum-in-Oil, made possible by a high-pressure micro-fragmentation technique that stabilises the oil within a watery serum. Biotherm claims that it's the first of its kind, with a texture that initially breaks from a fresh gel to form a lightweight serum delivering a fresh feeling before transforming into a non-sticky warming oil.
Featuring plant ingredients rich in essential Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, the innovative serum-in-oil was designed to be used as a treatment before sleep, when the skin switches on its repair mode.
Moroccan beauty secret
When Josie Maran met a 70-year-old woman who looked no older than 40, she was intrigued to learn that argan oil, a source of antioxidants, vitamin E and essential fatty acids, was one of the senior’s anti-ageing secrets. The American model went on to create her own skincare brand featuring organic argan oil as a natural beauty booster.
Her iconic product, the 100% Pure Argan Oil serves as a head-to-toe treatment; from a lightweight facial and body moisturiser to a treatment for split ends and cuticles, as well as a bath oil.
The Body Shop has recently introduced a Wild Argan Oil bath and bodycare collection with nine items for a Hammam-inspired beauty ritual. Argan oil is traditionally used by Moroccan women to protect and nourish their skin and hair from the harsh Saharan winds and fierce rays from the sun.
Both The Body Shop and Josie Maran Cosmetics are committed to fair trade practice, as they source their skin-nourishing oil from Moroccan cooperatives, whose workers depend on argan trees to make a living.
Nuts from wild argan trees that thrive in the foothills of the Atlas mountains are hand-picked and then meticulously hand-cracked. Then comes the slow-pressed extraction of pure argan oil to make The Body Shop’s new range, which includes a multi-purpose radiant oil as the last step in the beauty routine for a silky finish and a golden glow to the skin.
