Oil vs Water Based Skincare
Face oils versus water based products that contain actives. Let's talk about it.
If we remove the water emulsifier and preservative from a water based skincare product, then what's left would be considered the active ingredient.
In most cases, this makes between two and 25% of the overall blend, so the majority of what you're paying for is the cheaper ingredients which are passive. They don't actually do anything for your skin.
Don't get us wrong water based creams have their place, some people prefer the texture of a cream, and they can be less problematic when they come into contact with clothing and fabric, however it's important to know what you're getting with a skincare cream.
You might have purchased a product with an active ingredient such as retinol, niacinamide, ceramides or collagen boasting ingredients. If this product is natural, then these ingredients will be coming from a plant, and if they're not plant-based, then that means that they're a synthetic ingredient, which generally speaking has been created to mimic the behavior of the plant-based ingredient.
These active ingredients are naturally occurring anyway, Niacinamide is Vitamin B3 and is readily available in most balanced diets, Retinol is Vitamin A and is available in Rosehip oil and Apricot Kernel Oil. Jojoba oil is high in ceramides and Chamomile Oil boosts collagen production, to name just a few.
And that's not to mention the fact that the ingredients that are used to stabilize and preserve water based skin care can potentially be damaging for your skin. Preservatives can damage the balance of good bacterias on your skin. Using a preservative on the skin on a daily basis will disrupt the skin’s microbiome, and in the long term dry skin out.
Emulsifier can wash out your skin's natural oils causing it to be dry. Emulsifiers disrupt the skin microbiome by penetrating through the skin barrier and disrupting the ability of the skin’s layers to hold onto moisture.If you feel like you can never use enough moisturiser, and your face is always dry, then you may have what is called the ‘wash out' effect.
When emulsifier is on your skin, it reduces or eliminates your skin barrier’s ability to hold in moisture. When you wash your face, the emulsifier actually washes away the moisture in your skin.
Conversely skincare oil blends are made entirely from actives. They don't require preservatives because they have a naturally long shelf life and some oils are preservatives anyway, such as Vitamin E. If the ingredients are well chosen, they can contain a blend of the active ingredients that you're looking for, for healthy skin.
Face oils are also very similar in their biological makeup to your skin's natural sebum, which makes them readily bioavailable. Plus they're naturally full of vitamins minerals, essential fatty acids, omegas, antioxidants phytonutrients and phtyo-cerimides.
Well formulated oil based skin care products help dissolve debris and unwanted oils. They also support a healthy pH and can help correct oil balance for an absolutely glowing, luminous complexion that cannot be achieved by other types of products.
When you look at it that way the term active in the skincare industry implies that unless an ingredient has a named active then it’s going to be ineffective for your skin, when in fact the opposite it true. Rather than including a single active ingredient, botanical oil blends are chocka-block full of actives. This is the reason we refer to our products moisturising oils as serums. They’re more than just a moisturiser they’re full of all the ingredients your skin needs to achieve optimal health, naturally.
If you are interested in giving our oil based skincare a try I highly recommend checking out the LoveSkin Travel Ritual.
