Lavender is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. When distilled into oil, this beautiful soft purple flower is one of the most popular and versatile essential oils in use today, used widely in aromatherapy, or as a scent in many hair, skin, and other beauty products.
Lavender oil is famed for its use in aromatherapy in promoting relaxation and calm, and has been studied for use in treating anxiety, allergies, depression, insomnia, nausea, menstrual cramps, fungal infections, as well as eczema. But the flowers of the lavender plant also contain potent chemical compounds that have demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties, making this beautiful flower an impressive ingredient in promoting healthy, glowing skin.
Is Lavender Oil Good for Skin?
Lavender is a multi use essential oil, and its benefits are just as powerful and plentiful when it is used topically as when it is used in aromatherapy. Lavender oil has been shown to improve acne, combat bacterial and fungal disorders, and soothe skin without clogging pores.
In addition, lavender oil contains natural antioxidants that work to protect the skin from free radicals like chemicals, environmental toxins, and pollution. These same antioxidants also work to reduce inflammation in the skin, reducing unsightly blemishes or redness caused by skin irritants.
Does Lavender Oil Brighten Skin?
The same potent antioxidants that work to protect your skin from harsh environmental toxins can also help repair skin that has been damaged by scarring or hyperpigmentation. Lavender oil has been shown to help treat acne scars and age spots, as well as demonstrating the ability to brighten and lighten skin.
Dark spots on the skin are often caused by sun damage, irritation from harsh chemicals, or bouts of inflammation. Lavender's inflammatory powers can help combat damaging inflammation that can leave skin duller and darker.
Is Lavender Oil Good for Your Face?
A common concern when using any ingredient on your face is if it will clog your pores, leading to breakouts or oily skin. An oil that has a high comedogenic rating has a higher likelihood of clogging pores, disrupting the sebum outflow on your skin and leading to breakouts.
Luckily, lavender oil is non-comedogenic for pores, and is naturally antibacterial. By killing off harmful, acne-causing bacteria, lavender oil keeps your pores clear and less prone to breakouts. This makes lavender oil a perfect essential oil to include in products for use on the face.
Does Lavender Oil Clear Stretch Marks?
While more research is still needed, a study published in 2016 reported that lavender oil increased the production of collagen, forming new connective tissue to promote wound healing and reducing the appearance of scars. This study suggested that lavender oil may be a potent ingredient in healing stretch marks on the skin.
Lavender Oil for Eczema and Psoriasis
Eczema causes skin to become dry, itchy, and often scaly. It can appear anywhere on the body, and is caused by inflammation. Psoriasis is caused by systemic inflammation in the body, also resulting in dry and itchy patches of skin.
Since lavender oil has antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, it can help reduce inflammation and irritation on the skin, reducing redness and irritation caused by eczema and psoriasis.
Reduce Signs of Aging With Lavender Oil
While aging is a common cause of fine lines and wrinkles on the face, free radicals and environmental toxins like pollution can also speed up the appearance of wrinkles on the face. The powerful antioxidants found in lavender oil help protect against those free radicals, reducing the emergence of fine lines or wrinkles on the face, leaving skin looking youthful and healthy.
Anti-Inflammatory Ability of Lavender Oil
Inflammation causes numerous problems for skin, and can be triggered both internally and externally. Some internal causes of inflammation may be diet, health conditions, or stress, while external conditions are linked to pollution, sun exposure, or air quality. Inflammation can also occur when skin is irritated or over-exfoliated. At Shikiō Beauty, we believe that soothing your face with gentle, nurturing products will lead to healthier, happier, skin, so products that fight inflammation are incredibly important in this process.
Lavender oil contains beta-caryophyllene which acts as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. It also controls the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins, inhibiting overproduction of these compounds and thereby controlling and reducing inflammation. This has numerous benefits for the skin, controlling redness, irritation, and protecting against breakouts.
Lavender Oil Combats Fungus Growth
The antimicrobial and antifungal properties of lavender oil can help prevent infections on the skin, inhibiting the growth of certain fungi or bacteria. In addition to preventing the growth of these fungi and bacteria, lavender oil can also reduce the spread of bacteria in the tissue, preventing further damage.
Lavender As an Astringent
Lavender is part of the mint family, and mint is a known and well used astringent. While lavender oil does not have the strength of products using mint, it does have some of the same astringent qualities. By causing the skin tissue to contract, lavender can help treat swelling on the skin, causing pores to tighten, and giving skin a youthful, healthy glow.
Is It Safe To Use Lavender Oil Every Day?
While some people may have a reaction to using pure lavender oil every day on their face, when used as one ingredient in a skincare product, lavender oil is perfectly safe for daily use. Its calming scent and powerful chemical compounds give products containing lavender oil a natural and dynamic tool in revealing pure, healthy skin.
How To Use Lavender Oil for Skin
Lavender essential oil is an essential ingredient in many skin care products, such as Seiso Beauty’s Water Velvet Cream moisturizer. Seiso’s Water Velvet Cream uses lavender oil to prevent makeup, dirt, and debris from settling into pores, priming the face to help achieve “glass” skin.
Combined with two types of hyaluronic acid for deep hydration, Water Velvet Cream smooths surface layers and seals in moisture. Lavender oil assists again in helping to protect skin from environmental stressors, while its cousin, Spearmint Leaf Oil aids in offering a refreshing, cooling effect, delivering antimicrobial properties that leave skin clear and clean.
Lavender Oil in Seiso Beauty Products
Seiso Beauty also includes Lavandula angustifolia, or Lavender oil, in its signature Ceramide Moisture Milk, Fuwafuwa Foaming Cleanser, and Pure Ceramide Concentrate. While lavender oil gives all of these products a distinctive calming and soothing scent, it also works in them as an ingredient that helps reduce inflammation, tighten pores, and provide a dose of protective antioxidants to the skin.
Our Seiso Beauty Full Size Routine allows you to try all of these skin nurturing products together, delivering Seiso’s signature ceramide complex derived from Japanese Koji, alongside other natural moisturizers and skin soothing ingredients. And when you smell that faint hint of tranquil lavender in any of Seiso’s products, you can relax knowing that this delicate purple flower is doing so much more for your skin than you ever may have dreamed.
