Lavender Oil in Skincare: Scent, Risks and Why We Use It
Lavender oil is in skincare for scent, not for skin results, and we think you should choose it with your eyes open. Its two main components can react with air and become skin sensitisers, so it suits people who already tolerate fragrance, and it deserves a patch test if your skin is reactive.
What is lavender oil in skincare?
Lavender oil (INCI: Lavandula Angustifolia Oil) is an essential oil from the lavender plant. It is a concentrated plant oil, not a simple moisturising oil like sunflower or almond.
Its main components are linalool and linalyl acetate, which give lavender its familiar smell. They are also the reason it needs care. Both slowly react with oxygen in air, and the oxidised forms are the ones that can sensitise skin.
What does lavender oil do for skin?
In most products it is there for fragrance. That is its job. If you see it sold as a treatment for a skin concern, treat that as marketing rather than evidence.
Why we use lavender oil
Lavender oil is in our Retinol & Peptide Night Repair Cream, in a small amount for scent.
A fragrance ingredient with a known allergy profile should be easy to spot and easy to avoid. That is why we say plainly that if you react to fragranced products, you should patch test first.
Who is lavender oil good for?
People who like fragrance in their routine and have never reacted to scented products.
Be careful if you have reacted to perfume, a fragranced moisturiser or an essential-oil product, or if your skin is irritated or easily upset.
The numbers matter here. In a 2016 study in Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 2.8% of patients being tested for suspected allergic contact dermatitis reacted to oxidised lavender oil. That is a clinic population, so it does not describe the general public, but it shows why dermatology clinics test for it.
How do you use it?
You do not apply lavender oil on its own. You meet it as one ingredient in a finished product, so the useful steps are about checking your own tolerance:
- Patch test any new fragranced product before using it on your face. Our patch testing guide explains how.
- Keep it away from your eyes.
- Stop using the product if you notice redness, itching or stinging that does not settle.
We do not recommend putting undiluted essential oil on skin.
What does it pair with?
No pairing rule applies to lavender oil itself. What matters is the total fragrance load of your routine.
If you know you react to fragrance, count every scented product, because a reaction can come from the combined exposure. Other essential oils are in the same boat, like orange essential oil.
What does the research say?
Lavender oil is well documented as an allergen, and no published trial shows it improves a skin concern.
The 2016 Swedish patch-test study found that testing with only the main marker sensitisers missed some cases. Of the patients allergic to oxidised lavender oil, 56% also reacted to oxidised linalool or linalyl acetate, and 52% reacted to the fragrance markers in the standard baseline series.
Not sure which routine fits your skin? Take the skincare quiz.
FAQ
Is lavender oil a fragrance allergen?
Its main components, linalool and linalyl acetate, are recognised fragrance allergens, and oxidised lavender oil is a known cause of contact allergy in clinic studies.
Is lavender oil good for acne or sensitive skin?
No published study shows it helps either, and for sensitive skin it carries a known allergy risk, so we do not recommend it for either purpose.
Why does oxidation matter?
Linalool and linalyl acetate react with oxygen to form compounds that can sensitise skin. That is why the clinical research tests the oxidised oil rather than the fresh oil.
Is lavender oil the same as lavender extract or lavender water?
No. They are different ingredients with different names and compositions. Check the full ingredient list for the exact name.
Related ingredients
Sources
- Hagvall L, Bråred Christensson J. Patch Testing with Main Sensitizers Does Not Detect All Cases of Contact Allergy to Oxidized Lavender Oil. Acta Dermato-Venereologica 2016;96(5):679-683. Journal page
- Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (European Commission). Fragrance allergens in cosmetic products, opinion adopted June 2012. Citizens' summary
