Cruelty-Free Vitamin E Oils for Your Face
Vitamin E is one of your skin’s best friends. It helps repair, restore, and hydrate the skin naturally for that gorgeous glow you crave. Because of its popularity, there are a lot of vitamin E oils on the market, and some are certainly better than others.
We’ll tell you everything you need to know about vitamin E oil and help you pick a cruelty-free beauty option you can feel good about using.
What is vitamin E oil?
Vitamin E is an essential vitamin, which means we need it to remain healthy but we can’t make it ourselves. Thankfully, vitamin E is naturally found in foods like avocados, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ, but topical forms of vitamin E oil can be helpful on a whole other level.
Isn’t all vitamin E oil cruelty-free?
We wish! Unfortunately, not all vitamin E oil is cruelty-free. While most sources of the vitamin E used in facial oils are plants, that doesn’t eliminate the possibility of animal testing. Animal testing involves forced exposure of ingredients to animals.
If you want to ensure your vitamin E oil hasn’t been safety tested on your animal friends, always choose a reputable brand that promises 100-percent cruelty-free products.
What does vitamin E oil do for your skin?
Vitamin E shows up in many skin creams and serums alike. Its wide range of benefits makes using vitamin E oil a smart choice for amping up your skincare game without adding tons of additional products. If you’re interested in learning more about this outstanding oil, here are a few of the many benefits of vitamin E.
Protects against the sun
While there’s nothing like a good beach trip, the sun can damage your skin when you get too much exposure. Numerous studies show that vitamin E helps lessen the effects of UVB skin damage (which is what often leads to dark spots and discoloration) and can help make a sunburn sting just a little less. The next time you end up looking like a lobster, vitamin E just might be the beach buddy you wish you brought along.
Combats free radicals
Free radicals are unbalanced molecules that attack our skin cells (and really all of our other cells, too—what jerks!). They come from environmental stressors like the sun, cigarette smoke, pollution, and even some household cleaning products that are a little too harsh for our skin.
Free radical damage on your skin shows up in the form of fine lines, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and areas of hyperpigmentation. Basically, these molecules aren’t going to make the guest list at a party anytime soon.
A potent antioxidant like vitamin E works by acting as a bouncer against free radicals, protecting your skin cells from damage by effectively giving free radicals a chill pill so they’re not so unstable anymore.
Moisturizes and hydrates
Even oily skin still needs hydration. When your skin is dehydrated, it produces more oil to compensate for what it thinks is dryness, leaving your skin greasy and making you think your skin is oilier than it actually is.
Vitamin E oil absorbs quickly and penetrates deeply to hydrate dry skin. It’s also effective as an emollient, which means it can fill in some of the cracks in your skin and moisturize rough patches for the perfect glow.
Accelerates healing
Vitamin E helps boost your skin’s natural ability to heal and restore itself. Using vitamin E can even help support wound recovery.
Protects your skin barrier
Vitamin E creates a barrier on the skin that holds moisture in. This barrier traps water deep inside your skin and protects your epidermis from external stressors.
Soothes skin
The ultimate in skin soothing, vitamin E alleviates irritation and helps calm the skin. Skin irritations and even some forms of dermatitis can benefit from the topical application of vitamin E oil.
Are there any myths about vitamin E oil I should know about?
Topical vitamin E oil is fabulous for your skin, but there are two popular claims about vitamin E that just aren’t true.
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MYTH: Vitamin E works better than sunscreen. Sorry, but definitely no. Vitamin E offers skin protection in addition to sunscreen, but by itself, it only has an SPF of 3. You’ll still need to slather on that SPF of at least 30 if you want to protect the skin you’re in.
- MYTH: Vitamin E will completely remove your scars. Studies about the effectiveness of vitamin E to remove scars are inconclusive. However, some studies show that vitamin E can help reduce the appearance of scars, which is why so many people see it as a life-changer for acne scarring. That said, don’t expect it to vanish blemishes overnight.
How do you use vitamin E oils on your face?
Finding the perfect vitamin E oil for your face can be tricky. Vitamin E oil is often highly concentrated, and every skin type will react differently to it.
A word to the wise: If you have sensitive skin or struggle with breakouts, it might be worthwhile to speak to your dermatologist before diving into the wide world of vitamin E oil.
If you’ve decided that you want to give this face oil a go, keep these tips in mind when you shop.
Play Goldilocks and find the potency that’s just right
Vitamin E by itself is incredibly strong, and some people may experience burning, tingling, or redness if they use a formula that’s too strong.
Instead of applying pure vitamin E oil to your skin, look for vitamin E that has been carefully diluted into a clean, high-quality carrier oil like coconut oil, jojoba oil, rosehip oil, or sweet almond oil.
You’ll normally find vitamin E diluted into a carrier oil and measured in international units (IUs). Choose an oil with no higher than 14,000 IUs to ensure it has been properly diluted but isn’t losing its potency. In skincare products, you’ll also often find vitamin E paired with other skin-healthy ingredients like vitamin C for added benefit.
Spot test it first
If you remember what happened when you didn’t spot test that self-tanner, you have probably already taken this rule to heart. Always spot test new products, including a new vitamin E oil, on an inconspicuous area of your skin to make sure it doesn’t cause irritation (or, you know, orange skin).
Apply to specific areas or scars
If you have a specific area of hyperpigmentation or scarring, apply an additional drop of vitamin E oil to the area and massage it into your skin using small circular motions to help stimulate circulation. Who doesn’t love a little face massage at the end of a long, hard day, anyway?
Use under sunscreen
To protect your skin from free radicals and give yourself a little added sun protection, apply your vitamin E oil to cleansed skin. Once it has absorbed, apply sunscreen for optimal sun protection.
The best cruelty-free vitamin E oils
Once you’re ready to shop, here are our top five favorite vitamin E products (be on the lookout for products from these brands in upcoming boxes from Kinder Beauty).
- Scentuals Vitamin E Oil. Just two natural ingredients, vitamin E oil and grapeseed oil, make this one of the most potent face oils available. Dilute it into your favorite moisturizer for easy application.
- Derma-E Vitamin E Skin Oil. The perfect oil for sensitive skin types, this oil also contains soothing safflower seed oil and is also fragrance-free and hypoallergenic.
- Derma-E Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Oil. This is everything you want in a vitamin E oil, plus the power of vitamin A to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Jason Vitamin E 5,000 I.U. Skin Oil. A blend of vitamin E and other nourishing plant oils makes this oil a seriously powerful moisturizer that you can use all over your body.
- One Love Organics Botanical E Youth Preservation Serum. Vitamin E and sea botanical extracts combine in this oil formulated for blemish-prone skin. This formula hydrates and balances natural moisture levels, so you see fewer bumps.
These oils are all 100 percent cruelty-free, so you can keep a clear conscience and upgrade your skincare routine.
Get your daily dose of vitamins
You take advantage of multivitamins for your body—why not take advantage of vitamins for your face? Vitamin E oil is exactly what your skin needs to stay hydrated, protected, and radiant.
If you’re ready to try the cleanest, cruelty-free, vegan products available, Kinder Beauty has you covered. Our monthly beauty boxes are the easiest ways to learn about the green beauty brands out there that actually deserve the limelight.
If you still have questions, the Kinder Beauty Blog is your go-to source for information about all the products featured in our boxes and all your skincare concerns.
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