WHY ARE ESSENTIAL OILS USED IN SKINCARE? Essential oils increase the blood supply to the tissues, which helps the proliferation of cells and regeneration as it increases oxygenation and lymphatic flow.

The Egyptians had a highly advanced civilisation that recognised the importance of these extracts for health and beauty. They used them in everyday life and placed great value on them. They also used them to keep their skin supple in the hot, dry environment by adding base oils which we call carrier oils to them. In the reign of Rameses, the monument builders even went on strike because, as they wrote, “we have no ointment”.

Essential oils are very complex and contain many trace compounds – very small components, some of which may not even have been analysed scientifically. It is the combination of all its ingredients that make an essential oil what it is.  Extracting one component won’t work effectively without the other trace elements to provide balance. The better the quality of the essential oils, the more effective it will be in treatment.

Essential oils work well in cosmetics and beauty treatments as anti-ageing agents because their properties work to stimulate skin cells into reproducing at a faster rate,  and by protecting the body against free radicals (believed by many scientists to be the greatest cause of ageing). Skin that has been treated with essential oils becomes stronger, healthier and more even in appearance.

They improve circulation, which aids oxygenation and increases the rate at which nutrients are fed into the dermis. The production of the skin’s sebum is influenced by hormones. Certain essential oils balance the rate at which sebum is produced by the sebaceous glands, thereby encouraging healthy skin.  As certain essential oils may influence the hormonal level it makes sense to include these as a treatment when dealing with skin problems that are caused by hormonal imbalances.