Comments on: Skincare Oils and Free Fatty Acids: The Science

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 08:45:57 +0000

In reply to Ricardo. Would you be able to link the ones you're referring to please? Thank you!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 08:45:00 +0000

In reply to Racheal. The physical properties usually come from the saturated carbon chains, which align and form crystalline structures more readily - the saturated carbon chains will be there in the free fatty acids, and are still there when the fatty acids are bound up in triglycerides, so the properties carry through regardless of whether they're free or not. Hope that makes sense!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 08:40:57 +0000

In reply to Victoria.

The study assumes that it’s just the free fatty acid contaminants in the oils having the effect, and there’s no contribution from the triglycerides e.g. “Natural oils are heterogeneous lipid mixtures composed of triglycerides and minor components—mono- and diglycerides, free fatty acids (FAs), phosphatides, sterols, fatty alcohols, fat-soluble vitamins, and other substances [4]. FAs are the main components in natural oils which can modify the skin barrier.”

“It must be noted that predominant components in natural oils are triglycerides while FAs are minor constituents along with mono- and diglycerides, phosphatides, sterols, fatty alcohols, fat-soluble vitamins, and other substances” (whereas if they also counted the fatty acids bound up in triglycerides, the fatty acids would be the major constituent)

By: Victoria

Victoria — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 21:15:14 +0000

Michelle, hello! Thank you for your blog, it is very interesting and useful. The other day I came across a study of oils as enhancers and their effect of natural oils on the fatty acid content of the epidermis and dermis. The study was conducted ex vivo in 2017. It is freely available. Skin Penetration Enhancement by Natural Oils for Dihydroquercetin Delivery. If you are familiar with this study, you could tell why the fatty acid composition of the skin changed when different oils were applied to it. Can the conclusions of this study be trusted? Sincerely, Victoria.

By: Iva

Iva — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 19:34:46 +0000

In reply to Michelle. Thanks for reply! The supplier did in vivo clinical study that showed statistically significant improvement in skin texture, hydration, tone, firmness & radiance, which all sounds great. I wasn't able to find any studies showing the conversion from ethyl linoleate to linoleic acid in vivo. I'm going to ask the supplier for this documentation.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 05:15:46 +0000

In reply to Iva. It sounds like it could potentially work quite well! Do they have any evidence to show the conversion and clinical effects?

By: Iva

Iva — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 17:24:54 +0000

Great article! What is your take on Ethyl Linoleate? According to raw material supplier: it is a more stable form of linoleic acid which “gets converted to linoleic acid in-vivo and provides all the skin benefits of linoleic acid with improved skin permeability”? Thank you!

By: Alicia

Alicia — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 08:39:25 +0000

Do you think that rosehip oil is still worth using if it’s mainly for moisturizing properties only? Or would it be better to just save money and use Vaseline/mineral oil since they are more moisturizing anyway? I was interested in rosehip oil for the antioxidant aspects, but now I’m not sure if it’s worth the cost.

LOVE your blog. And. Still so grateful for you taking the time to do written articles with your movies. I much prefer learning by reading.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 07:13:01 +0000

In reply to Dana. If you like them that's great! It's just that you're probably not going to get the pigment fading etc. properties of linoleic acid, just the properties of the oil (mostly moisturising).

By: Dana

Dana — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 15:39:49 +0000

This was amazing- thank you!!- But because I am not a chemist, just a beauty industry pro- I don’t fully understand the conclusion. I am an oil junkie and love using oils such as Rosehip, avocado, squalene, rice bran etc.. – am I doing harm to my skin? help!
(btw- thank you for taking the time to research this, I have gone down the rabbit hole of other cosmeceuticals in an effort to better understand ingredients that are truly active- and whoa! It sure is a never-ending rabbit hole of information)- so I “get” that you have invested extraordinary effort into this- THANK YOU