Apricot Oil For Skincare
You’ve heard of green tea, lavender, peppermint, and other essential oils, but have you heard about apricot oil and its awesome skin rejuvenating properties? This often-overlooked ingredient is ripe with potential for helping several kinds of skincare issues, and can be used as a carrier oil, or an oil that is used to dilute other essential oils that are too potent to apply directly to the skin. Let’s explore what makes apricot oil an effective ingredient in many high-end skincare products.
What is Apricot Oil?
Apricot oil, sometimes called apricot kernel oil, is an essential oil sourced from, you guessed it, apricots. It has been harvested for centuries for skin, hair, and general health benefits and is well-known in history as a hydrating and nourishing ingredient. Apricot oil comes from the kernel inside the large seed that makes up about half the apricot fruit and is extracted through a laborious process that involves soaking the seed, pressing the kernel, and refining the oil that comes out.
Apricot oil contains many fatty acids and vitamins that make it a potent skincare product while being a mostly non-comedogenic oil. In fact, because apricot oil is so similar to the sebum oil your skin naturally secretes, it’s used as a carrier oil for ingredients like chamomile essential oil or rose otto oil, which are too potent to be applied directly to the skin.
Key Compounds Found in Apricot Oil
The active compounds in apricot oil that provide its numerous benefits include:
- Oleic acids (Omega 9 fatty acids)
- Linoleic acids (Omega 6 fatty acids)
- Alpha-linolenic acids (Omega 3 acids)
- Palmitic acid
- Stearic acid
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
While each component of the oil has specific effects when applied topically to the skin, whether directly with the oil or as part of a skincare product, the overall benefits are compounded when the effects overlap. This means that, while stearic acid, for example, may be known to soften skin, that may not be the defining property that’s experienced when using a product with apricot oil as an ingredient.
Benefits of Apricot Oil for Your Skin
The essential compounds found in apricot oil are responsible for a host of skincare benefits, both as a moisturizer and a cleanser — counter-intuitive, but true.
Anti-Aging Properties
A large part of the signs of aging is due to environmental damage that’s inevitable to a certain degree. However, if you take care of your skin with potent antioxidants, you can protect it from these harmful elements, known as free radicals, that attack your skin cells’ DNA. Antioxidants are exactly that: anti-oxidizers. They bond to free radicals, making them inert, and preventing the harmful process of oxidation that harms cells. The most potent antioxidants in apricot oil are Vitamin A (retinol) and Vitamin E.
Blemish Prevention
Along with protecting skin from environmental stressors, the antioxidant properties of apricot oil also protect against bacteria growth. This means that regular use of this essential oil can reduce breakouts and blackheads by preventing harmful bacteria from infecting clogged pores.
Hydration for Mature Skin
Like other essential oils, apricot oil is full of fatty acids that restore natural hydration while also taking advantage of the anti-aging benefits of Vitamin A , or as it’s known elsewhere, retinol. Vitamin A helps kickstart the skin’s regeneration process, as well as stimulating collagen production. While on its own it can be a little too potent for most skin types, by incorporating it with the other ingredients in apricot oil, it’s effects can still be enjoyed while seeing a supple, dewy complexion.
Softening and Soothing
For those who frequently experience unpleasant skin sensations like tightness or irritation, it can be hard to find skincare products that are both effective and not painful. The oleic and linoleic acids are quickly absorbed by the skin, hydrating it deeply and providing a soft, silky feel that doesn’t irritate sensitive skin.
How to Incorporate Apricot Oil into Your Routine
The best way to use apricot oil in skincare is to use it in a professional-grade product that incorporates many ingredients to multiply apricot oil’s natural effects. At Epicuren Discovery, our skincare experts used their decades of pharmaceutical research to formulate dozens of moisturizers, cleansers, and sunscreens that are both effective and luxurious. Many of them include apricot kernel oil specifically for its proven effects, regardless of the category of product.
Apricot Oil in Professional-Quality Skincare Products
If you want to find out how apricot oil can help you achieve a more luminous, blemish-free glow, try some of our apricot oil-formulated products. Start with our Apricot Cream Cleanser and take advantage of its carrier oil effect in products like our Bulgarian Rose Otto moisturizer. Or take our Skin Quiz to find out which products are right for you given your unique skin type and concerns!