Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat’s in Olive Oil?Skin BenefitsSide EffectsHow to Use It
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What’s in Olive Oil?
Skin Benefits
Side Effects
How to Use It
Olive oil is a pantry staple known for its health benefits in our diets. It turns out it may be beneficial for our skin as well.
Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and has been linked to improved skin moisturization and anti-aging appearance effects.
Olive oil can be used on the skin or as part of skincare products such as facial cleansers or lotions.
This article discusses the benefits and risks of applying olive oil to your skin.
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Olive oilis a nutrient-packed oil made from pressing olives and then expressing their oil. It is rich in healthymonounsaturated fatsandantioxidants, which may benefit the skin when applied directly to it.
Because olive oil helps to lock in moisture, it can be used on the skin for extra moisturization and treatment of dry skin.
Several beauty products like soaps and lotions have added olive oil to their formulations for their skin benefits.
Olives are considered a soft fruit, much like peaches and plums. That means they can bruise easily, which affects the quality of the oil.
Look for olive oils that list “hand-picked olives” on the label to ensure that you have a high-quality product.
Olive Oil’s Benefits for Skin
Currently, we know of the following skin benefits of olive oil:
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Side Effects of Olive Oil
While olive oil boasts many health benefits, it’s not for everyone. Excess oil on your skin can lead toclogged poresandacne breakouts. It may also irritate your skin.
Preliminary research suggests that applying olive oil topically candamage the skin’s barrier, potentially leading to sensitive skin andatopic dermatitis.
Olive oil should be used with caution if you have sensitive skin.
It should also generally be avoided for infant skin since it may interfere with their skin barrier.
Patch Testing to Diagnose Contact Dermatitis
There are two ways to start incorporating olive oil into your skincare routine.
First, you could invest in products that list olive oil as an ingredient. There are now many facial cleansers, soaps, and moisturizers that use olive oil as an ingredient.
The other option is to use the olive oil sitting in your pantry right now.
The composition of olive oil can change if it’s exposed to light or heat, so keep your bottle in a cool, dry place like the pantry.
Body Moisturizer
To use olive oil as a skin moisturizer:
Start with a Patch TestAn easy way to determine if your skin will tolerate an olive oil treatment is to apply a few drops to a small patch of skin and observe it. If you do not notice any skin reactions for one to two days, it should be safe to try on a larger patch of skin.
Start with a Patch Test
An easy way to determine if your skin will tolerate an olive oil treatment is to apply a few drops to a small patch of skin and observe it. If you do not notice any skin reactions for one to two days, it should be safe to try on a larger patch of skin.
Facial Moisturizer
Olive oil can be used as part of a daily skincare regimen or as needed when your skin feels dry.
Apply a few drops to your current moisturizer after cleansing. Olive oil helps to lock moisture in, so use it before makeup.
Makeup Remover
Olive oil can also be used to help wash off stubborn makeup at the end of the day.
It naturally lifts the makeup off of your skin, making your regular cleanser much more effective.
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Summary
There are some potential skin benefits of topical olive oil and it may be used as a natural skin moisturizer addition or makeup remover. It’s best to always wipe away excess oil and avoid using it on sensitive skin to avoid reactions.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Bucciantini M, Leri M, Nardiello P, Casamenti F, Stefani M.Olive polyphenols: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.Antioxidants (Basel). 2021;10(7):1044. doi:10.3390/antiox10071044
Donato-Trancoso A, V de Carvalho Faria R, C de S Ribeiro B, et al.Dual effects of extra virgin olive oil in acute wounds.Wound Repair Regen. 2023;31(3):338-348. doi:10.1111/wrr.13082
Nasiri M, Fayazi S, Jahani S, Yazdanpanah L, Haghighizadeh MH.The effect of topical olive oil on the healing of foot ulcer in patients with type 2 diabetes: a double-blind randomized clinical trial study in Iran.J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2015;14(1):38. doi:10.1186/s40200-015-0167-9
Díaz-Valenzuela A, García-Fernández FP, Carmona Fernández P, Valle Cañete MJ, Pancorbo-Hidalgo PL.Effectiveness and safety of olive oil preparation for topical use in pressure ulcer prevention: Multicentre, controlled, randomised, and double-blinded clinical trial.Int Wound J. 2019;16(6):1314-1322. doi:10.1111/iwj.13191
Cui Z, Xin M, Yin H, Zhang J, Han F.Topical use of olive oil preparation to prevent radiodermatitis: results of a prospective study in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.Int J Clin Exp Med. 2015;8(7):11000-11006.Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL.Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils.Int J Mol Sci. 2017;19(1):70. doi:10.3390/ijms19010070Melguizo-Rodríguez L, de Luna-Bertos E, Ramos-Torrecillas J, Illescas-Montesa R, Costela-Ruiz VJ, García-Martínez O.Potential effects of phenolic compounds that can be found in olive oil on wound healing.Foods. 2021;10(7):1642. doi:10.3390/foods10071642Miraj S, Pourafzali S, Ahmadabadi ZV, Rafiei Z.Effect of olive oil in preventing the development of pressure ulcer grade one in intensive care unit patients.Int J Prev Med. 2020;11:23. doi:10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_545_18Moore ZE, Webster J.Dressings and topical agents for preventing pressure ulcers.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;12(12):CD009362. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009362.pub3Zahmatkesh M, Manesh MJ, Babashahabi R.Effect of olea ointment and acetate mafenide on burn wounds - a randomized clinical trial.Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2015;20(5):599-603. doi:10.4103/1735-9066.164507
Cui Z, Xin M, Yin H, Zhang J, Han F.Topical use of olive oil preparation to prevent radiodermatitis: results of a prospective study in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.Int J Clin Exp Med. 2015;8(7):11000-11006.
Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL.Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils.Int J Mol Sci. 2017;19(1):70. doi:10.3390/ijms19010070
Melguizo-Rodríguez L, de Luna-Bertos E, Ramos-Torrecillas J, Illescas-Montesa R, Costela-Ruiz VJ, García-Martínez O.Potential effects of phenolic compounds that can be found in olive oil on wound healing.Foods. 2021;10(7):1642. doi:10.3390/foods10071642
Miraj S, Pourafzali S, Ahmadabadi ZV, Rafiei Z.Effect of olive oil in preventing the development of pressure ulcer grade one in intensive care unit patients.Int J Prev Med. 2020;11:23. doi:10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_545_18
Moore ZE, Webster J.Dressings and topical agents for preventing pressure ulcers.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;12(12):CD009362. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009362.pub3
Zahmatkesh M, Manesh MJ, Babashahabi R.Effect of olea ointment and acetate mafenide on burn wounds - a randomized clinical trial.Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2015;20(5):599-603. doi:10.4103/1735-9066.164507
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