6 Benefits of Jojoba Oil

By Philip Tajanko

DEC 4, 2022

Jojoba oil has been a common ingredient in skin care and hair care products since the 1970s. It is extracted from Jojoba seeds, and its popularity dates all the way back to the pre-colonial era, as Native American communities have long used it for its numerous health benefits ¹. This blog will bring you up to speed about the health benefits you can expect from using this natural oil topically and how to best integrate it into your skin health routine.

Native to the deserts of Sonora, Arizona, California, and Baja California, the Jojoba plant, or simmondsia chinensis, has been used for centuries due to its medicinal properties. Traditionally, this oil (also known as jojoba wax) would be spread directly on the skin to treat sores, wounds, dry skin, and inflammation². Jojoba oil contains many beneficial compounds for use in topical skin care. These compounds include an abundance of fatty acids (palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and arachidic acid), vitamins E and D, and various polyphenols³. Additionally, pure jojoba oil has antioxidant properties, making it a popular ingredient in skin care formulations. How does jojoba oil benefit your skin? Here are 6 key benefits of jojoba oil backed by scientific research. The antioxidants in jojoba oil help protect the skin from UV rays, which can minimize sun damage and the formation of fine lines. If you’ve wondered how to get rid of crow’s feet, or other unwanted wrinkling, consider trying jojoba oil. Particularly, it can help prevent and repair oxidative stress that the skin is subjected to as a result of sun damage, a leading cause of skin cancer and wrinkling of the skin⁴. While antioxidants prevent wrinkles, vitamin E can help smooth out existing fine lines and wrinkles. This is because vitamin E plays a role in the biosynthesis of collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans, which are all structural components of the extracellular matrix of the skin ⁵. Antioxidants and Vitamin E are known for their anti-inflammatory and reparative properties, as they accelerate the process of cellular repair ⁶. Whether you have oily skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, or any other skin type, your skin needs hydration. The fatty acids (palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and arachidic acid) found in jojoba oil can replenish the beneficial oils that naturally dry up in skin with age, helping to keep skin hydrated⁷. With pure jojoba oil’s natural non-comedogenic properties, it hydrates without clogging your pores. Jojoba oil can act as a synthetic analog to the sebum that your body naturally produces. Thus, when applied to the skin for moisturization and hydration, it signals the body to limit sebum production. This, in turn, prevents your skin from becoming too oily and potentially clogging pores. ⁸ Thanks to the high amount of Vitamin E in jojoba oil, which promotes collagen synthesis, jojoba oil can help speed up the healing process of a wound and limit the appearance of scars. Also possessing anti-microbial properties, jojoba oil can help lower the chances of developing an infection that prolongs the healing of a wound¹⁰. Wondering how to brighten your eyes and under-eye area? Jojoba oil, rich in essential vitamins and minerals that heal the dull parts of the skin, can help brighten your eyes and give you a rejuvenated look. Jojoba oil can also help nourish fine lines that form when your skin is not hydrated properly¹⁵. One of the greatest concerns when using oily compounds on facial skin is whether or not it will clog pores. Fortunately, jojoba oil is relatively light and thus scores a 2 out of 5 on the comedogenic scale. With this score, the oil is likely to absorb quickly and leave behind little residue. However, those with acne-prone skin may opt to test it on a patch of skin before integrating it into their routine¹¹. As jojoba oil is unlikely to cause acne breakouts, it is a great choice of oil to be applied to facial skin. The nutrients and compounds found in jojoba oil can potentially mitigate the appearance of redness and puffy skin while hydrating drier patches of skin. As the periocular skin under and around the eyes is thinner and more sensitive than skin elsewhere on the face, it is important to use products that are gentle and non-irritating. Fortunately, jojoba oil is similar to the natural oils in your skin, making it incredibly gentle and unlikely to cause irritation. Also, due to its high concentration of vitamin E and antioxidants, it can prevent and repair the appearance of wrinkles and dark circles that develop around the eyes, which can be some of the most common and prominent on the face. If you’ve been wondering what causes dark circles under your eyes and how to get rid of them, jojoba oil is an excellent choice. Vitamin E has also been shown to reduce the appearance of dark circles around the eyes¹². Due to these traits, jojoba oil is particularly well-suited for the skin around the eyes. Incorporating jojoba oil into a skin care routine is relatively easy due to its abundance in common skin care products. Jojoba oil is commonly included in skin care formulations as a “carrier oil”, and is especially popular due to its inert properties that allow it to play well with other ingredients. These “carrier oils” are used to dilute essential oils and vitamins, so they are not as irritating to the skin. It is an ideal complement to retinoids and other potential skin irritants (such as vitamin C or essential oils), as it can mitigate irritation and boost the skin’s uptake of certain vitamins¹³. Research into how jojoba oil affects humans when ingested orally is limited, however studies have shown that it is not easily digestible and can cause stomach distress, therefore, it should be limited to topical usage. While jojoba oil is considered hypo-allergenic, in rare cases, it can cause an allergic reaction resulting in hives and itching¹⁴. As with any skin care product, it should be tested on a patch of skin as a precaution before incorporating it into daily use. Otherwise, jojoba oil is unlikely to cause any side effects, such as irritation or inflammation, due to its soothing properties. Jojoba oil is known for its hydrating, healing, and antioxidant properties. Additionally, because it is structurally similar to the sebum naturally found in skin, it is unlikely to cause negative reactions in most skin types, making it an ideal ingredient in daily skin care products. These traits are why OneSkin chose to incorporate ethically sourced jojoba oil in OS-01 EYE, a daily eye treatment formulated to strengthen, firm, and smooth the ultra-thin skin around the eyes. Powered by the OS-01 peptide, OS-01 EYE was formulated with synergistic ingredients like jojoba oil to reduce the appearance of crow’s feet and to deliver nutrients to the sensitive skin around the eyes.

• Jojoba contains essential fatty acid compounds, vitamins E and D, and various polyphenols.
• Jojoba oil boosts collagen synthesis, which can help smooth skin, reduce scarring, and promote wound healing.
• Antioxidants in jojoba oil help reduce skin inflammation and prevent photodamage, leading to wrinkles and fine lines.
• Jojoba oil has moisturizing and hydrating properties due to its essential fatty acid compounds.
• Jojoba oil can regulate the production of sebum and the appearance of oily skin.
• Jojoba oil is a gentle carrier oil that can be used to deliver helpful nutrients into the skin.

By Philip Tajanko.
Philip is studying Bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego, and is passionate about scientific writing and hormonal research.

Sources:

1. https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/jojoba.html
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