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From fragrance-free to scented, we’ve found lavish and lightweight buys for every budget
Face oils offer a multitude of skincare benefits, from soothing easily irritated skin to adding nourishing ingredients and promoting hydration. Designed for use with moisturisers, serums and other skincare, there are plenty of picks to choose from.
Oils offer a protective barrier – they help skin retain moisture by sealing it in. If you’re prone to dry skin or need a hydrating boost, adding an oil into your routine will help other moisturising skincare layers work more efficiently. Preventing the loss of natural moisture too, oils are suitable for skin prone to irritation, sensitivity, acne, dryness and redness.
Depending on your skin type and any concerns, ingredients to look out for include brightening vitamin C, healing rosehip, plumping peptides and soothing vitamin E. If you do suffer from sensitivity, fragrance-free formulas may be best.
At which point in the skincare process oil should be added depends on personal preference. According to skin experts, it’s best as the final step, for successfully sealing hydration into the skin’s surface. As ever, it’s still vital to pop an SPF on top, though.
Should your skin be oily, sensitive, combination or dry, oils can also rebalance sebum levels. However, not every face oil will serve up the same results, so, we’ve been sampling a selection, to find the best.
We trialled the face oils in this round-up over several weeks – though we used some of the products in our daily skincare routine for six months or more. To make the final list, the oils needed to be smoothing and nourishing while promoting hydration. Read on for our full tried and tested list of best face oils, to suit all budgets.
By Sarah London’s hero facial oil is our best buy overall, due to it being soothing, calming and skin-softening. Meanwhile, Liz Earle’s superskin concentrate oil for night offers a relaxing evening option for helping to promote hydration. Finally, Lumity’s skin nutrients facial oil is a comforting skincare layer suitable for use on hair and nails too.
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