Naked & Thriving Prevent Anti-Aging Face Oil

Vitamin E is also prevalent in this ingredient and the most dominant form is gamma-tocopherol.

These compounds give the ingredient emollient and skin conditioning properties that keep the skin soft and hydrated.

There's no regulatory maximum cap for this ingredient so you'll see it across a huge concentration range (100% as a single ingredient facial oil).

On allergies: refined cosmetic-grade oils carry almost no protein. The CIR notes that people allergic to a food generally do not react to the refined oil because the allergenic protein does not partition into it (though cold-pressed grades retain more).

However, it's worth patch testing if you have a stone fruit or tree nut allergy because manufacturer processes for removing the protein can vary.

Malassezia lacks the cytosolic fatty acid synthase gene so the yeast cannot make palmitate on its own and instead uses lipases and phospholipases to release fatty acids from host lipids. Since apricot kernel oil is entirely C16-18 (right in the usable range of C11-24), this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Old rabbit-ear testing did assign this ingredient a comedogenic rating of 1-2. The original author has stated that testing on rabbit ears is not an ideal model for human comedogenicity.

Human testing has proved that any finished product with a comedogenic ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.

Just know high-oleic oils tend to feel heavier on oily skin so it's worth patch testing.

A 2024 review found evidence for the Rosa canina species supports its use for scarring, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and atopic dermatitis; this was mostly credited to its vitamin C content and fatty acid composition as the primary active mechanisms.

You might see this ingredient marketed as a "natural retinol". Some rosehip seed oils contains traces of all-trans-retinoic acid but these trace amounts are far below biologically active levels.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel has deemed this ingredient safe and it's well-tolerated.

Fungal acne: The fatty acids of this oil fall into the C11-24 range that Malassezia yeast can metabolize, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Notably, this ingredient is oxidatively stable for an oil and resists going rancid as fast as other oils.

A small, in vivo study on 32 participants found a cream with this ingredient increased skin hydration with no reported skin irritation. It also found the tocopherol content gave it some antioxidant activity as well.

Because this oil is so high in oleic acid, Malassezia can use it as a food source and this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

For everyone else, this ingredient is well-tolerated and nourishing with a good safety track record.

This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.

Ratings for other ingredients mostly come from a 1980s rabbit ear test. This test doesn't translate well to human skin or to real products because the ingredient sits at a much lower percentage.

Some people still find it breaks them out. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin.

All studies done on this ingredient are in vitro or animal; carrot seed essential oil has been shown to speed up wound closure in rats. Cell culture has also shown it to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activity against gram-positive bacteria.

There is a myth going around that this ingredient has an SPF of 38-40. It traces back to a 2009 paper that tested multi-ingredient herbal sunscreen and not just this oil. When tested properly, carrot seed oil measured SPF 0.1 in vitro and 2.5 in vivo. Please do not treat this ingredient as sun protection!

Allergies are documented but uncommon and most of the documented cases come from canning factory workers. It's safe to patch test if you have botanical sensitivities or allergies.

The essential oil version of this ingredient is a terpene-rich fragrance material so those with fragrance sensitivities should also patch test.

There is a published case of phytophotodermatitis after use of a carrot extract-containing sunscreen that presented as a hyperpigmented patch. This is because Apiaceae plants can carry furanocoumarins.

Carrot is in the same plant family as celery and parsley, which contain furanocoumarins. These are compounds that can make skin more reactive to sunlight.

Carrots themselves have very little of them (usually only trace amounts) and the steam-distilled version shouldn't carry them at all since they're too heavy to come through distillation.

If you're using a leave-on product with it during the day, wearing sunscreen covers it.

This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.

Ratings for other ingredients mostly come from a 1980s rabbit ear test. This test doesn't translate well to human skin or to real products because the ingredient sits at a much lower percentage.

Some people still find it breaks them out due to the fatty acid profile. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin.

The Malassezia yeast feeds on long-chain fatty acids (C11-24). The fatty acids in this ingredient fall right into that range, making it not fungal acne safe.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract contains numerous antioxidants such as ferulic acid. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material.

These compounds protect your skin two ways:

1) They fight off free radicals, or the unstable molecules from things like sun and pollution that age and damage skin.
2) They help calm inflammation by switching off the chemical signals that tell skin to get red and irritated.

Lab studies also suggest that rosmarinic acid may help protect collagen and slow sugar-related damage to it.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded rosemary-derived ingredients to be safe when formulated to be non-sensitizing.

Rosemary can occasionally cause allergic contact dermatitis (due to carnosol), so be sure to patch test if you have reactive or fragrance-sensitive skin.