THE GOOD OIL GUIDE

While there are new oils on the market that may rival or trump the best serums, they come at a price. So how do you know you’re not paying over the odds? This checklist is a good place to start. An oil that ticks every box won’t be cheap – but it should be pretty spectacular

IS IT SINGLE ESTATE?

Like wine and olive oil, a single-estate oil with good traceability, preferably organic (particularly important for essential oils and grape seed to avoid contamination with pesticides), usually equates to a higher-quality product.

WHERE HAS IT COME FROM?

Oils and extracts from plants that survive in extreme environments (think: the Sahara and Kalahari deserts, the Andes, the Amazon and the seabed) tend to be very rich with phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals.

WHAT INGREDIENTS TOP THE LIST?

If ‘super’ seed oils (prickly pear, lingonberry, moringa, chia, baobab, oat and rosehip) feature first, you’re dealing with a premium product. If the list starts with caprylic/capric triglyceride (a synthesised commodity oil), the brand’s cutting corners.

IS IT BIOACTIVE? Science-backed bioactives, often derived from seaweeds, algae and shoreline plants, elevate your oil to serum level. A term like ‘native plant cell extracts’ should also inspire confidence. The packaging will make a big play of this; same for clinically proven, lipidsoluble synthetic actives.

HOW WAS IT EXTRACTED?

If the packaging speaks of cold-pressing, steam distillation or enzymatic and supercritical CO₂ extraction, you’re on to a good one.

DOES THE SCIENCE STAND UP?

There are many unproven plant extracts out there. Can your brand show in vitro (test tube) and in vivo (on skin) clinical efficacy trials? You want to pay a premium for (expensive) scientific rigour, not for raw ingredients and pretty packaging.