Facial oils have seen a big influx of users and lovers lately and have never been so popular. I think this comes hand in hand with people becoming more educated and savvy about their skincare and formulas across the board improving. 10 years ago it was almost a specialist thing to have an oil in your routine, only used by the ultra-dry and mature skin, and often just at night time. Nowadays see’s pretty much all high-end brands with some kind of facial oil.
I have oily/combination and breakout skin and would never have dreamt of using a face oil, but with the newer textures and ingredients, ALL skin types can enjoy the benefits of face oils without the worry of overloading the skin or breakouts.
Here are some of my personal favourite facial oils and some of the newer ones on the block which I am yet to use. I (hope I) have chosen a good selection so there will be something here for you, all budgets and skin types:
REN Rose 012 Moisture Defense serum:
I recently featured this in my 5-step at-home facial. It’s the one I am using most at the moment sparingly into my day cream or night cream when I need a boost. This is quiet an oily oil – yes I just said that, but you know what I mean, it is rich in texture so combination skins need to use sparingly. I use a small drop into my creams rather than all over my face as a serum as I find it too greasy. It contains essential fatty acids, cranberry seed oil (great antioxidant) and a huge blend of other natural oils.
The packaging is good. Glass bottle, see-through and an easy pump applicator so no spillage or mess. Half a pump is all I use but if your skin is normal – dry then one pump is the dose.
USE: Like a serum – AM/PM under your creams.
BEST FOR: Natural skincare lovers, dehydrated and dry skin
£42 | 30ml
Sarah Chapman Overnight Facial:
I have used this for some time now and this is my second bottle. Maybe one of the most infamous nighttime treatment oils on the market with a lot of hype surrounding it, but with reason. This is packed full of vitamins (A,C,E), essential oils including rose, jasmine, frangipani and peptides to nourish, brighten and normalise the skin. The key selling point about this is that is contains high evels of Vitamin A which is great for sun damage and brightening.
The packaging is the only one with no transparency which is annoying for the consumer as you never know how much is left. However this is apparently required so no light gets to the oil which may effect the efficiancy of some of the ingredients. It is a pump applicator, and half a pump is all you need for a full face.
USE: PM only. Half-pump all over the face. Nothing else needed.
BEST FOR: Nightime treat, brightening the skin, sun damage, anti-ageing, all skin types
£45 | 15ml
Decleor Aromessence Mandarine serum oil*:
Decleor are one of the pioneering brands for using oils in skincare and have for around 40 years. This particular oil/serum is a new and improved formula that contains 100% natural ingredients and is essentially an anti-ageing serum/oil. The key ingredient is mandarin essential oil which has been proven to detoxes the skin cells, protect the skin cells and also repair DNA damage. I have only just got this so haven’t trialled it properly but the texture is beautiful, it smells wonderful and I think it will be perfect for my combination skin. This is the most expensive oil out of my picks, but it is super concentrated plus Decleor are using the best quality of oils and there is a lot of science and research behind this.
The packaging is really simple and elegant in a small frosted glass bottle. It is an unscrew top with quite a small hole at the top so the best way is to put your finger on top and tip upside down and then apply off your finger/hands.
USE: AM/PM under your creams.
BEST FOR: Anti-ageing / first signs of ageing / Natural skincare peeps /
£49.50 | 15ml
L’Oreal Age Perfect extraordinary face oil*
This promises to give long-lasting nourishment and radiance to the ssin. This is a very new formula, only just recently launched and has a super lightweight texture suitable for ALL skintypes. Blended with 8 essential oils including Lavender, Orange peel, Rosemary, Rose, Roman Chamomile, Marjoram, Geranium and Lavandin. All have unique and beneficial properties to ensure the skin is hydrated, soothed, plumped and protected with anti-oxidants. I am a bit of an oil whizz now and I know straight away that this is suitable for my breakout skin as it contains Rosemary and Geranium which are naturally anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. The texture is wonderful and lightweight and absorbs in quickly without any greasiness. This is replacing my REN rose serum as soon as I have used that up!
This is a more affordable face oil too as the price is slightly lower (although not cheap!) and it’s on offer at the moment at Boots.
The packaging is pretty luxe on this for a high street brand, a glass bottle with a pipette-style dropper which makes applying and dispensing really easy.
USE: AM/ PM under your creams
BEST FOR: Those wanting an all-rounder, anti-ageing, lower budget, all skin types, lightweight texture
£19.99 (£13.33 currently at Boots!) | 30ml
Argan+ Precious Oil Elixir*
This is the only oil out of my handpicked bunch that is multi-purpose, so it can be used to treat hair, body and face. This contains the key ingredient of ‘liquid gold’ AKA Argan oil which is rich in omega fatty acids and antioxidants which have numerous benefits for the skin. As a face oil it helps hydrate, protect and improve elasticity. On the body, this will help protect the skin barrier, keep the skin lovely and nourished and is also a treatment for stretchmarks. On the hair, this will smooth and hydrate and also tame flyaways on dry hair. This 50ml bottle would be perfect for holiday and travel as you can use it for so many things. for the size and the price this is the best value for money.
This, again, is in a glass bottle with an unscrew top and a small hole in which to dispense the oil. This is great for face and hair as you will never need that much but for the body it would take quite some time to get enough oil out of the bottle.
USE: However you goddamn want.
BEST FOR: All-round treatment, lower budget, multi-use, all skin types
£12.99 | 50ml
Jurlique Skin Balancing Facial Oil
I got a sample of this last year, used it all up and have just re-purchased this bottle. Really like this and works really well on my combination skin. It contains oils that are calming and balancing including rosehip (the BEST oil for breakout skins!), chamomile and calendula which are both soothing and anti-inflammatory. Smells wonderful and herby (no fake fragrance or nasties in this) and can be used day/night under your face cream like a serum. Best applied with a cotton pad all over the face. I went onto the Jurlique site to swot up more on this and it says that this is specifically for dry skin which confused me a bit as the name and ingredients to me suggest it’s more geared towards oilier skins? Either way, I think this is the best oil I have used for breakout skin and what do a huge multi-national brand full of skincare experts know more than ME??
This is very similar to the Argan+ bottle in the way it has a teeny little hole to dispense the oil, you have to give it a bit of a shake if you want a lot of oil but you definately won’t have any waste or spillage. I really like the dark brown glass bottle, it ‘looks’ like a natural brand and also appealing to men also maybe. Reminds me of Aesop or Origins.
USE: Apply a few drops onto a cotton pad and swipe across the face, under your AM/PM cream.
BEST FOR: All skin types, sensitive skin, problematic skin, lovers of natural skincare
£35 | 50ml
Any of your favourites here or what do you use? Would love some more recommendations for oilier / breakout skins too. NUDE Progenius really nearly made it into the cut but I find it quite similar to the REN rose oil I am using currently but this is also a really great all-rounder. Also Darphin Purifying balm is a godsend for my kind of skin, but this isn’t strictly an oil or serum so it got cut from the selection.