Cleopatra first made the anti-aging properties of olive oil famous, with her olive oil bathing rituals and skincare routines. Today, consumers are following in the seductive queen’s footsteps by incorporating the naturally healing, wrinkle-fighting, and extra-moisturizing properties of olive oil into their own skincare products and regimes.
As more and more consumers seek out skin care and personal care products with natural claims, olive oil has quickly become one of the most popular ingredients to incorporate to new and reformulated anti-aging skincare products.
Thanks to key three antioxidants, and its naturally high oleic acid content, olive oil-based skincare products are the perfect way for consumers to fight the signs of aging skin – naturally.
Antioxidants
Olive oil is packed with no less than three antioxidants that are exemplary at fighting the signs of aging skin: Vitamin E, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds.
Why are these antioxidants so critical to reducing the appearance of new wrinkles, fine lines, and dry, sagging skin? Antioxidants reduce the damaging effects of free radicals – highly reactive atoms formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules – on cellular structures, and help protect skin over the years.
The most disruptive and skin-harming causes of free radicals we encounter on a daily basis are UV rays, tobacco smoke, and radiation. It’s why they’re responsible for the most outwardly, unpleasant, and visible aging signs – wrinkles, sagging, fine lines, uneven tone, and discoloration.
In fact, experts estimate up to 90% of premature aging signs are the result of sun exposure. Luckily, the Vitamin E, phenolic compounds, and carotenoids found in olive oil, and in olive-oil based skincare products can help reduce or delay the skin damage caused by free radicals.
Consumers can turn back the clock – or at least slow down – the effects of time on their skin.
Vitamin E, which is naturally occurring in olive oil, protects skin against ultraviolet light and the wrinkles and discoloration that come from time outdoors. Polyphenols, micronutrients found in food sources like olive oil, provide anti-inflammatory benefits and help maintain skin health over time.
And lastly, carotenoids, the third member of olive oil’s antioxidant trio, are fat-soluble nutrients that have been shown prevent free radical damage to the skin.
By harnessing the antioxidant powers of the Vitamin E, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds found in olive oil based skincare products, consumers can turn back the clock – or at least slow down – the effects of time on their skin.
Oleic acid
Olive oil, or Omega-9, is also great at fighting the signs of aging skin, thanks to its incredibly high oleic acid content. Olive oil contains a whopping 80% or more of oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
As skin ages, it naturally begins to retain less moisture. Unfortunately, dry skin is the most apt to look wrinkly, lined, or show visible sagging and creping. In short, dry skin looks like older skin. Luckily for consumers, the oleic acid in olive oil based skincare products is here to come to the rescue!
Oleic acid not only easily penetrates the surface of the skin to lock in moisture, oleic acid also keeps the moisture from quickly evaporating off skin in the future. The result? Dewy skin that looks younger, healthier, and plumper. For consumers who want to fight dry, aging skin naturally, incorporating an oleic acid-filled skincare product, like an olive oil based face wash, serum, or lotion, is the perfect solution.
Turning back the clock on skincare
Aging might be inevitable, but wrinkles, fine lines, sagging, uneven tone, and dark spots don’t have to be. It’s a world-class opportunity for product teams and formulators who are willing to take advantage of the right ingredients for their products.
A skincare routine harnessing the natural, anti-aging powers of olive oil based skincare products? It can help consumers maintain a timeless beauty to rival even that of Cleopatra herself.
