PRODUCT REVIEW: BIOSSANCE SQUALANE + VITAMIN C ROSE OIL - BEST FACIAL OIL FOR DRY SKIN, BEST ANTIOXIDANT OIL WITH VITAMIN C
BIOSSANCE | SQUALANE + VITAMIN C ROSE OIL
This review was originally part of my blog article titled, New Pampering Facial Oils that Wow Me - from Kjaer Weis, Biossance and More - Best Facial Oils for Dry Skin, Best Facial Oil for Acne Prone Skin. You can still catch the full piece here.
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This past week was grueling. It was the coldest it’s been in over a year. I don’t remember it being this frigid last winter. Of course, that was in a pre-pandemic blur and I was having mid-life hot flashes.
At the start of the winter season in November, I set out to craft a series of blog articles on cold weather skin care and winterizing the skin to defend against skin-aging dryness and dehydration. I was determined to prevent myself from aging the entire year in the months between December and February! It began with my series on my top ten Winter Moisturizers. You can catch Part I here; Part II is here.
I followed up my series on the best face creams for dry skin and all skin types in the cold with a piece on the best hydrating face mists titled, Favorite Face Mists for Keeping Skin Hydrated in the Cold — available to read here.
Continuing with my recommendations for keeping skin optimally hydrated and preventing trans-epidermal water loss, or TEWL, in mid-January I published an article on what I consider the best Hyaluronic Acid serums titled, My Favorite Humectant Serums — which you can catch here.
MY #SLUGGING ESSENTIALS: SKINFIX 911 OINTMENT AND SKINNIES WATERLESS SUNGEL SPF 30
And last week, I crafted an article on one of my favorite new skincare trends for keeping skin healthy, happy and hydrated in the deepest, coldest, tundra-like conditions: #slugging. My #slugging Essentials: Skinfix 911 Ointment and Skinnies Waterless Sungel SPF 30 is available to read here. I’ve been slugging just about every other night for the last two weeks and I have to say my skin is as plump and hydrated today as it is on any hot, humid day in July.
I had always intended to cap off my winter series with a final piece on the best facial oils for dry skin. I love facial oils! In fact, I prefer them to conventional cream moisturizers. I didn’t always understand facial oils and, like so many, thought they were somehow better for other people.
There is a really wonderful article from the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, How Facial Oils Help Skin. Here is a glimpse of their insights:
You may have noticed more and more brands are launching pure oils like argan, jojoba, coconut, or blends of oils with all manner of tempting claims. But do these facial oils live up to their potential?
The research-supported facts about what plant oils can do for skin is rather fascinating. They're not miracles, but the right plant oil or a beautiful a blend of beneficial oils can make a remarkable difference for dry, flaky, or dehydrated skin; in fact, non-fragrant facial oils can be suitable even for eczema-prone skin. Facial oils are for anyone whose skin could use a boost of nourishing, smoothing renewal, especially when seasonal cold or drier climates disturb your skin.
What are Facial Oils?
Facial oils can include any fragrant plant oils (often called essential oils, but they are anything but essential—more on that in a moment), non-fragrant plant oils (your skin will love these) or synthetic oils (such as mineral oil—which gets a bad rap in the world of skincare but for the record, the research doesn't support the negative information you find on the Internet).
Despite the name, these oils can be used anywhere on the face or body—there's no research showing that certain oils are better for one part of your skin or another. Such a notion is without logic or science.
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ARE YOU SLUGGING YET? WATCH AND FIND OUT WHY IT’S THE BEST DRY SKIN SOLUTION!
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This isn’t my first article on facial oils; far from it. Given that my affinity for them goes back several years now, I think this may actually be my fourth or fifth piece. Some of my favorites include the Codex Beauty Bia Facial Oil and Herbivore’s Phoenix facial oil, an exceptional anti-aging facial oil infused with rose hip oil — one of the best non-fragrant plant oils for smoothing the look of lines and wrinkles and promoting optimal skin health.
Over the past several months, I’ve amassed quite the museum-worthy collection of facial oils in anticipation of this piece capping off my winter skincare picks. At one point just two weeks ago, there were still nearly a dozen oils in contention. Alas, I was able to whittle it down to my four favorites.
Each stands out for one reason, or several reasons — among them, uniqueness, superior quality, versatility, innovation and, as is the case with so many facial oils, sheer damn pleasure. That really is the gist of it. Facial oils are simply a pleasure to use! If you're not using a facial oil yet — either daily or every once in a while — now’s your chance to find one you’ll love.
Let’s have a look at the benefits of the Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil in detail…
Biossance | Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil
I love a good Vitamin C face oil! Among my favorites are the Josie Maran Argan Bright Skin Vitamin C Serum, formulated with Josie’s signature Argan Oil. It’s such a good, clean, well-formulated brightening and nourishing facial oil. I reviewed it recently on the blog here.
Funny, my very first serious Vitamin C serum was The Ordinary’s Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F — a simple Vitamin C-powered facial oil and one of the best Vitamin C oils for face.
I’ve tried every one of The Ordinary’s six or seven Vitamin C serums, but the Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F will always have a special place in my heart! It’s quite rich and a relatively tight formulation with just seven ingredients in all.
When formulating with Vitamin C, less is more. Vitamin C is notoriously fickle. And Biossance kept it tight with their Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil.
This super lightweight, somewhat refreshing facial oil contains just six ingredients: Squalane, Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Geraniol. (Boo, Geraniol is a derivative of geranium oil, a fragrant plant oil.)
Like all of the Biossance products, its star active is Squalane at about a 65-70% concentration of the formula, I’d say. I haven’t had much of an opportunity to really test drive the brand. But what I have tried, I’ve enjoyed — including the Biossance Squalane + Zinc Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, which I reviewed on the blog here.
Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil gets its antioxidant and brightening potency from Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, an oil-soluble form of Vitamin C. According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, “Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate is a stable form of vitamin C that is considered an analogue of L-ascorbic acid. Unlike pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid), tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate is lipid (fat) soluble. Some researchers believe this form of vitamin C has a greater affinity for skin because its fatty acid component helps aid penetration. It pairs well with other forms of vitamin C and retinol for enhanced effectiveness.”
MY FAVORITE HUMECTANT SERUMS FROM PAULA'S CHOICE, THE INKEY LIST, GHOST DEMOCRACY AND MORE
The skin is composed of natural fats, or lipids, like ceramides, fatty acids and cholesterol. In fact, vital ceramides compose approximately 50% of the skin’s content of natural fats. One of the reasons I so strongly believe in facial oils is that they are anhydrous, meaning they contain no water — and thus have greater affinity with the lipid composition of the skin.
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NEW PAMPERING FACIAL OILS THAT WOW ME - FROM KJAER WEIS, BIOSSANCE AND MORE
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE
What are ceramides in the skin?
There’s a rather in-depth piece on the Paula’s Choice website titled, What Are Ceramides and How Do They Work in Skin Care Products? You can read the full piece here. Here’s what I loved most from the article:
What are ceramides?
Simply put, ceramides are lipids (fats) that are found naturally in high concentrations in the uppermost layers of skin. They make up over 50% of skin’s composition, so it’s no surprise they play a vital role in determining how your skin looks (and how it responds to environmental threats).
What do ceramides do?
Think of ceramides as the mortar between bricks—if the bricks are your skin cells. Ceramides help hold skin together by forming a protective layer that limits moisture loss and protects against visible damage from pollution and other environmental stressors. In addition, ceramides—even more than retinol, niacinamide, and peptides—are one of the anti-aging “powerhouses” responsible for supporting skin’s dynamic nature. Two particular ceramide precursors—phytosphingosine and sphingolipids—actually help skin make more ceramides.
Biossance’s Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil is somewhat of a dry oil. It goes on a bit wet but remarkably dries down on skin within moments when massaged in. It reminds me a bit of The Ordinary’s 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane.
If you’re not into a rich, heavy facial oil, this one is for you. It’s clean, vegan, cruelty-free, and even gluten-free.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil for $72 here.
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WINTER MOISTURIZERS PART I – THE BEST FACE CREAMS FOR DRY SKIN WITH PAULA'S CHOICE, SKINFIX & MORE!
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE
The Ingredient List of the Biography Golden Ray Glow Drops:
Jojoba seed oil* Camellia seed oil* Pumpkin seed oil* Rosehip fruit oil* Raspberry seed oil* Pomegranate seed oil Cranberry seed oil* Carrot seed oil Watermelon seed oil Avocado oil* Sea buckthorn oil* Amla oil* Natural vitamin E Marine algae Sunflower seed oil Safflower seed oil Rosemary leaf extract Cedarwood oil Palmarosa oil Ylang Ylang oil Frankincense oil Geranium oil * Organic Ingredient
The Ingredient List of the Kjaer Weis The Beautiful Oil:
Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus (Almond) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam) Root Extract, D'Orientine S, Spilanthes acmella (Buzz Buttons) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Fragrance, Geraniol, Citronellol, Canola Oil, Limonene, Citral, Linalool,
The Ingredient List of the Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil:
sii|emo 0 1, Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate aox|sb, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emo, Geraniol 
perfThe Ingredient List of the Blume Meltdown Acne Oil:
so|aox|emo|perf, Rosehip Oil emo, Tamanu Seed Oil so|emo, Sunflower Seed Oil emo 0 0, Comfrey Root Extract so, Olive Leaf Extract perf, Lavender Oil amic|perf, Jojoba Seed Oil emo 0 0-2, Tea Tree Oil so|aacne|aox|amic|perf, Helichrysum Flower Oil perf, Blue Tansy, Chamomile Flower Oil perf, Rosemary Leaf Extract aox|so|amic
