If you’ve been on twitter at all recently, specifically the skincare side of the popular social media app, you know that the talk is all about face oils and the pores clogged because of them. For a while now the wonderful estheticians of Black twitter, myself included, have been trying to educate the masses on why facial oils are not a replacement for moisturizers due to the fact that oils are just that, oils. Not to any surprise of my own though, this kind of information tends to fall on deaf ears for more than a few reasons, the main of them being that popular brands tend to lean towards creating products that target customers from a capitalist standpoint more so than one that actually cares about the well being of its buyers or the overall quality of the items they sell.

Meaning brands big or small will often times create products and market them to the public as being this or that when they are truly nothing of the sort. This seems to often be the case with brands that sell face oils or oil serums, most times describing the benefits of slathering your face with it every night as everything from reducing hyperpigmentation to treating cystic acne. Heres what you need to know..

Oils are not serums

In the simplest of terms face serums can be described as lightweight products that contain higher concentrations of active ingredients. There are tons of different serums and depending on the specific ingredients, concentration and formulas they can target different skin concerns. Facial Oils on the other hand are usually a mixture of fragrant and non fragrant plant oils, they may also contain synthetic oils as well. Plant oils are rich in antioxidants which can make them a great pair with your favorite moisturizer to act as a way to seal in moisture if you are especially dry but overall, a blend of plant or essential oils will never be a serum because it is simply a blend of plant or essential oils, sometimes with flowers petals at the bottom.

It does not matter if its all natural

Listen.. here me and hear me clear when I say, something being “natural” does not mean it will “work for you”. Understand that natural is not an official term and has no legal definition, combine that with the scientific fact that everything is a chemical compound and well, there ya go. Natural ingredients can absolutely still have negative effects as people can be allergic or sensitive to any of them and should not be used or sold under the guise that it is somehow superior to chemicals, let alone being sold as if it is not apart of that family itself.

Facial oils are not hydrating

If your skin is often dry or flaky, using a facial oil on top of your moisturizer is one way to lock in hydration but it does not provide hydration. Moisturizers are emulsions of oil and water that usually contain other nourishing, replenishing ingredients who’s main job is to reduce the amount of water that is evaporated from the skin. Facial oils make terrible substitutions for moisturizer because they don’t contain any emollient ingredients that would be beneficial for dry skin and for more oily skin types they can often lead to clogged pores. At best plant based oils can be considered a booster but it doesn’t hold enough weight to be the only thing used in terms of moisture or hydration, no matter what skincare brands try and tell you.

Understanding what your skincare products do and the specific results you are looking for should be the driving force behind how you build your routine and not denying scientific fact will make that journey a lot easier to navigate.

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