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Borage Seed Oil For Skin: Benefits & Best Products
Borage - we might know it as a great plant to keep in the garden for bees, but did you know that this wonderful plant is also the source of a fantastic plant oil for skin? Borage Seed Oil is a low-key skincare superstar that features in a whole lot of skincare products. But what exactly makes this such a great addition to a skincare formula?
Here’s our guide to the benefits of Borage Seed Oil and why you should consider adding this nurturing ingredient to your beauty routine!
What Is Borage Seed Oil?
Borage Seed Oil is pressed from the small, dark seeds of the Borage plant, and it’s also called the starflower plant! It can also appear on skincare ingredients lists under its scientific name: Borago officinalis.
The resulting oil is packed with benefits for the skin, making Borage Seed Oil a popular addition to many skincare products - including some of our favourites right here at Beauty Affairs! What sets Borage Seed Oil apart from other plant oils is that it’s incredibly high in gamma-linolenic acid, aka GLA.
Grown Alchemist Matte Balancing MoisturiserAll oils have a certain balance of fatty acids that determine their texture and how they benefit the skin. Borage Seed Oil has double the GLA of Evening Primrose Oil, another plant oil used for its high levels of GLA. Gamma-linolenic acid is a type of omega-6 fatty acid - these fatty acids are crucial for helping our skin function normally!
So, knowing what makes Borage Seed Oil special, what benefits does it actually bring to skin?
Dermalogica Barrier RepairWhat Are The Benefits Of Borage Seed Oil?
Borage seed oil is a skincare ingredient that you won’t want your skin to miss out on! Here’s why.
1. Soothes Inflammation
One reason that Borage Seed Oil is a fan favourite for so many is that it’s excellent for reducing inflammation and irritation on skin! If your skin is a little over exfoliated or feeling sensitive, one skincare ingredient that you can rely on to bring it back to perfect health is Borage Seed Oil.
The high amount of GLAs in this oil are what make it so good at soothing inflammation - omega fatty acids are well known for their ability to calm inflamed, irritated skin and Borage Seed Oil is no exception!
Grown Alchemist Anti-Oxidant+ Facial OilWe all know that the moisture barrier (aka acid mantle) is a critical part of our skin to keep hydration in and external irritants out. Borage Seed Oil helps to add moisture into the microscopic spaces between skin cells, helping to strengthen your skin’s moisture barrier.
Skin with a healthy moisture barrier has a visible glow and bounces back better from irritation, and can even help long-term skin concerns such as hyperpigmentation fade away faster. It’s an important part of our skin to support with the right skincare products.
Dermalogica Super Rich RepairOne of the most well known benefits of Borage Seed Oil Is its power to reduce redness in skin. If you have visibly red skin, Borage Seed Oil is an ingredient that you should look for in your skincare products!
Studies have found that Borage Oil has the ability to calm symptoms of atopic dermatitis - characterised by red, flaky skin - and bring skin back to good health.
Redness can also be caused by over-exfoliated skin and sun damage - because Borage Seed Oil is so soothing, it can help mitigate any redness for healthy, glowing skin.
Payot Les Démaquillantes Milky Cleansing OilThis term might seem thrown around a lot, but to put it simply, skin’s elasticity is its power to bounce back from stress. When skin has a higher elasticity, it’s firmer and looks more youthful with fewer wrinkles - Borage Seed Oil is able to boost skin’s elasticity and potentially ward off premature wrinkles thanks to a unique ability to stimulate ceramide levels in skin.
Our skin actually produces ceramides in an effort to remain healthy and moisturised, however, sometimes our skin needs a little bit of help in that department! Improving ceramide levels gives your skin an anti-ageing boost for a youthful, radiant appearance.
L’Occitane Immortelle Divine OilWhich Skin Types Should Use Borage Seed Oil?
Pure Borage Seed Oil is one of those rare oils that's actually perfect for all skin types. It’s often described as a ‘dry oil’, meaning that it’s thin, lightweight, and easily absorbed into the skin. This thinner texture means that even oily skin can benefit from borage seed oil for glowing, healthy skin!
Murad Renewing Cleansing CreamNourish Your Skin With Borage Seed Oil
Borage Seed Oil is a versatile skincare ingredient that appears in cleansers, moisturisers, and facial oil blends - and for good reason. It soothes irritation and helps to calm visible redness, bringing stressed-out skin back to equilibrium. This superstar skincare ingredient is one of our new favourites this year - will you make it one of yours?
Or, if you’re after a pre-made skincare routine that’s just for you, try our skincare quiz! You’ll get an analysis of your skin type plus a custom skincare routine that’s designed to help you reach your skin goals.
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