Essential oils not only smell amazing but add therapeutic benefits to your favorite skincare products. These are our favorite essential oils to use to brighten, plump, and clear the skin.

Essential oils in skincare offer such a wide variety of benefits and uses. The only problem is choosing which one best meets your skin concerns. In our skincare formulas, we take great care to handpick essential oils that brighten and profoundly transform the skin. Here are our favorite picks and how they work… 

What Are Essential Oils and How Do They Work? 

Essential oils are concentrated plant, herb, and bark extracts. They’ve been made for thousands of years as a way to use medicinal properties from healing plants. Essential oils capture the essence of a plant, leaving its properties in a stable form that can be used over time.

The three main ways to use essential oils are through skincare, aromatherapy, and ingestion. Each oil has its own unique benefits, but in general, essential oils work to kill bacteria, scavenge free radicals from the cell, and soothe disruptions in the body.

The Benefit of Using Essential Oils in Skincare

Each essential oil comes with a unique benefit for the skin and complexion — from sandalwood (for microbiome balance) to chamomile (to calm inflammation). Here are some common benefits of using essential oils in skincare…

• Better skin tone. Carrot seed, lemon, and frankincense essential oils can help reduce hyperpigmentation and brighten the complexion.
  

 

• Reduced scarring. Add a little plant power to your scar and stretch mark care. The best essential oils for scarring are helichrysum, rose, frankincense, and lavender.
  

 

• Less tension. Use essential oils at night to ease muscle tension, boost circulation, and promote pain-free sleep. Peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender are our favorites.
  

 

• Skin barrier repair. If your skin barrier is disrupted from too many chemical products (or too much stress), use lavender, rose, or chamomile to restore and balance your natural oils.
  

 

• Reduced inflammation. Many essential oils contain anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants that scavenge free radicals from the cells. Use frankincense, chamomile, and helichrysum to reduce redness.
  

 

• Healthy skin microbiome. Much like in your gut, the bacteria on your skin plays an important role. Without a healthy skin microbiome, you may experience acne, dull skin, and dehydration. Use sandalwood, frankincense, and geranium to restore balance.
  

 

• Hydrated skin. Your ability to retain moisture says a lot about your overall skin health. Use lavender, rose, frankincense, carrot seed, and ylang-ylang to lock in hydration.
  

 

• Less acne. The right essential oils can help resolve acne and brighten your complexion. Try geranium, clary sage, bergamot, and peppermint.

Our Top 10 Essential Oils In Skincare

In herbal skincare, each botanical offers unique benefits and nourishment, and there are dozens of herbs to choose from. It’s the same way with essential oil skincare, and it’s so important to spend time researching so you can find the right one for your skin goals.

 

1. Frankincense Essential Oil

With stress-relief and hormone-balancing properties, frankincense is the most beneficial essential oil for all skin types. It’s packed full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties that promote a youthful glow.

• The Benefits: Frankincense in skincare helps brighten and repair. It’s energizing, anti-inflammatory, hydrating and restorative for any skin type. Frankincense is said to boost skin elasticity and encourage quick cell turnover.
  

 

• Skin Type: Aging skin, dry skin, acne-prone skin, oily skin, and combination skin.
  

 

• When to Use It: If you’re stuck in the hamster wheel of skincare solutions, start with frankincense. Use it to resolve dryness, early signs of aging, scars, and skin barrier disruption.

 

2. Lavender Essential Oil

The ultimate calming herb, lavender is perfect for anyone who struggles to prioritize sleep, relaxation, and self-care. It’s best used before bed to calm both the skin and the mind. 

• The Benefits: Lavender helps calm the skin and soothe irritation. You can use it to promote a state of relaxation while balancing oil production improving skin tone.
  

 

• Skin Type: Mature skin, oily skin, and dry skin.
  

 

• When to Use It: Use lavender essential oil if your skin is both inflamed and prone to breakouts. 

 

3. Bergamot Essential Oil

Citrus essential oils are known to brighten the skin and the mood. Our favorite is bergamot, for its unique earthy scent. 

• The Benefits: A natural astringent, bergamot helps balance the skin. It can regulate sebum (for dry or oily skin types) and brighten patches of hyperpigmentation.
  

 

• Skin Type: Oily skin, dry skin, uneven skin tone, and aging skin.
  

 

• When to Use It: Use bergamot if your acne or dry skin is aggravated by mood swings.

 

4. Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil

Ylang-ylang comes from a tropical tree that’s native to Asia. The oil itself is extracted from the tree’s flowers and makes a beautiful remedy for skin rejuvenation. 

 

• The Benefits: Ylang-ylang works as a natural toner, but with added benefits, especially for aging skin. It has skin cell rejuvenating properties that can boost elasticity and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

 

• Skin Type: Mature skin, premature aging, and uneven skin tone.

 

• When to Use It: Use ylang-ylang essential oil if your skin is prone to both premature aging and dryness.

 

5. Helichrysum Essential Oil

One of our favorite natural remedies to brighten the skin, helichrysum oil is native to the mediterranean region. It’s naturally anti-inflammatory with nutrients that help moisturize and tighten.

• The Benefits: Helichrysum is incredibly soothing to irritated and disrupted skin. It’s the perfect do-it-all remedy to promote elasticity, glow, and a smooth complexion.
  

 

• Skin Type: Any skin type, but especially dry skin, mature skin, and inflamed skin.
  

 

• When to Use It: You can use helichrysum for premature aging, inflammation, rash, sunburn, and to boost elasticity.

 

6. Magnolia Essential Oil

Deeply hydrating and regenerative, magnolia essential oil brightens the skin and promotes a sense of overall calm. The oil is naturally cooling, so it can be used if inflammation is radiating heat.

• The Benefits: Magnolia is a do-it-all oil with hydrating, regenerating, and brightening benefits.
  

 

• Skin Type: Dull skin, dry skin, mature skin, and sensitive skin.
  

 

• When to Use It: If you know your skin needs improvement, but don’t know where to start, magnolia is a powerful first step. Use it on sunburns and to brighten dull or aging skin.

 

7. Chamomile Essential Oil

Chamomile is deeply calming, so it’s great for sensitive skin. Even people who are sensitive to essential oils in skincare often find that chamomile is ultra-soothing and won’t disrupt their skin barrier. 

• The Benefits: A gentle herb, chamomile is naturally anti-inflammatory and calming. It’s known to de-stress both the skin and the mind.

 

• Skin Type: Use it on acne prone skin, sensitive skin, and baby skin.

 

• When to Use It: Chamomile should be part of your skincare routine if you have acne, redness, inflammation, skin barrier disruption, or if you’re sensitive to other essential oils.

 

8. Blue Yarrow Essential Oil

Blue yarrow is an uplifting oil. It naturally brightens both your skin and your mood. The bright blue color speaks to its strong antioxidant properties and skin regenerating benefits.

• The Benefits: Blue yarrow can soothe sensitivity while repairing skin cells. It can help balance oil production, heal scars, and soothe redness.
  

 

• Skin Type: Sensitive skin and aging skin.

 

• When to Use It: Make blue yarrow part of your skincare routine if you experience both redness and scarring. Its rejuvenating properties make it great for mature skin, too.

 

9. Grapefruit Essential Oil

Any citrus essential oil comes with mental health support, meaning a gentle boost of dopamine. This oil naturally brightens and refreshes the skin with unique purifying benefits. It’s commonly used as a decongestant for the lymphatic system and the pores. 

• The Benefits: Grapefruit naturally brightens the skin and decongests pores through gentle detox.
  

 

• Skin Type: Acne prone, oily, dry, or dull skin.
  

 

• When to Use It: Use grapefruit essential oil anytime you need a boost of brightness or gentle detox. It works well for blackheads and lymphatic drainage support.

 

10. Blue Tansy Essential Oil

Not only does it add a sweet floral scent to your favorite skincare products, blue tansy is a calming oil that’s packed with antioxidants for healthy skin cells.

• The Benefits: Blue tansy is gentle on sensitive skin and can help reduce swelling and inflammation. It’s also great for mature skin, especially if you have retinol burn or are prone to hyperpigmentation.
  

 

• Skin Type: Mature skin, sensitive skin, redness-prone skin, and dry skin.
  

 

• When to Use It: Use blue tansy if you have active skin disruption (acne, rash, or rosacia). It’s great for mature skin, especially if you have uneven tone and hyperpigmentation.

High-Quality vs. Low-Quality Essential Oils: How to Tell the Difference

There are a few key differences between high-quality and low-quality essential oils. But it mainly comes down to transparency and processing.

High-Quality Essential Oils:

• Organic
• Thoughtfully grown from reputable sources
• No additives
• Third-party tested for contaminants is recommended
• The brand advocates for education and safe use
• Always choose steam distillation

Low-Quality Essential Oils:

• Includes additives or preservatives
• Never third-party tested
• The brand isn’t transparent about safety
• Oils are chemically extracted

We Take Essential Oil Safety Seriously

We began our natural skincare journey because of our daughter’s eczema. That’s why it’s become our personal mission to create nourishing products that are safe for everyone, from toddlers to breastfeeding moms. Each of our products are formulated with high-quality, organic, and safely diluted essential oils. We only create skincare products with essential oil blends that are safe for children and moms (pregnant and breastfeeding, too).

Essential oils are a smell-good confidence boost and chemical fragrance alternative. If you care about how your products smell but also want safe options, they are the best way to get you there (with a few medicinal benefits along the way).

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