Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Dec 27;19(1):70.
doi: 10.3390/ijms19010070.

Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils

Tzu-Kai Lin  1 , Lily Zhong  2 , Juan Luis Santiago  3
Affiliations
Review

Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils

Tzu-Kai Lin et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Plant oils have been utilized for a variety of purposes throughout history, with their integration into foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. They are now being increasingly recognized for their effects on both skin diseases and the restoration of cutaneous homeostasis. This article briefly reviews the available data on biological influences of topical skin applications of some plant oils (olive oil, olive pomace oil, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, safflower seed oil, argan oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, avocado oil, borage oil, jojoba oil, oat oil, pomegranate seed oil, almond oil, bitter apricot oil, rose hip oil, German chamomile oil, and shea butter). Thus, it focuses on the therapeutic benefits of these plant oils according to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on the skin, promotion of wound healing and repair of skin barrier.

Keywords: antioxidant activity; barrier function; barrier repair; inflammation; plant oil; skin aging; wound healing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The potential benefits of plant oil topical application are diverse. Physiological responses are a result of the interaction between the bioactive compounds and the pathophysiological context of the skin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Elias P.M. Epidermal lipids, barrier function, and desquamation. J. Investig. Dermatol. 1983;(Suppl. 80):44s–49s. doi: 10.1038/jid.1983.12. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kang L., Ho P.C., Chan S.Y. Interactions between a skin penetration enhancer and the main components of human stratum corneum lipids. J. Therm. Anal. Calorim. 2006;83:27–30. doi: 10.1007/s10973-005-7050-8. - DOI
    1. Ziboh V.A., Miller C.C., Cho Y. Metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids by skin epidermal enzymes: Generation of antiinflammatory and antiproliferative metabolites. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2000;71(Suppl. 1):361S–366S. - PubMed
    1. Ansari M.N., Nicolaides N., Fu H.C. Fatty acid composition of the living layer and stratum corneum lipids of human sole skin epidermis. Lipids. 1970;5:838–845. doi: 10.1007/BF02531977. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jiang W.G., Bryce R.P., Horrobin D.F. Essential fatty acids: Molecular and cellular basis of their anti-cancer action and clinical implications. Crit. Rev. Oncol. Hematol. 1998;27:179–209. doi: 10.1016/S1040-8428(98)00003-1. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms