Lavender oil is a topical remedy which is simply the distillation of lavender petals into a liquid. Unlike tamanu oil or shea butter, lavender oil has only become an acne mainstay relatively recently.
The old story goes that back in 1910, when World War 1 was still an unimaginable fantasy, a chemist called René-Maurice Gattefossé was experimenting with perfumes when a sudden gas explosion badly burned his hands. In a manic attempt to control the rapidly spreading infection, he plunged his hands into a purple vat of lavender oil, which was sitting in his office purely by chance.
Gattefossé was amazed as the burns subsided within hours, with a fraction of the severe scarring he expected. From the day forth, Gattefossé made it his mission to uncover the secret medicinal properties of lavender oil, experimenting constantly on injured WW1 soldiers in crowded military hospitals.
This story isn’t 100% true, as Gattefossé knew about the medicine properties of lavender oil beforehand, and didn’t randomly have a giant, unlidded vat bubbling away in his laboratory either (this aint a Bond movie). However, using lavender oil deliberately did save his hands from what he described as “a rapidly developing gas gangrene“.
These days, lavender oil is recommended for acne as well, and the powers are real: it does sit in the upper echelon of essentials oils…
…but the problem is that this purple liquid is drowning in controversy. According to some detractors, dabbing lavender oil on your face is a terrible idea in any circumstances, regardless of how many powers for acne it has.
To find out the top 10 lavender oil brands for acne and skincare, read this article, but today we will discuss the truth about lavender oil – pure and simple.
The fearmongering – don’t be fooled!
The panic over lavender oil is mainly down to two natural compounds called linalool and linalyl acetate, which make up approximately 30% of lavender oil each (with natural variation, of course). These are the main active medicinal components of lavender oil, the parallels of terpinen-4-ol in tea tree oil or rosmarinic acid in rosemary extract. Popular wisdom states that thanks to linalool and linalyl acetate, lavender oil is…
ONE: cytotoxic to human skin cells.
TWO: photosensitising, weakening your skin cells’ resistance to UV radiation.
THREE: reddening and irritating.
These rumours have planted the nagging seeds of doubt in acne patients’ minds, but most are totally false.
Cytotoxicity refers to skin cell death, not something a happy go lucky acne patient should aspire towards. Lavender oil was shown in one much feared study on isolated skin cells to have cytotoxic properties at concentrations of just 0.125%, by damaging the cell membrane. Linalool had equal cytotoxic properties to lavender oil itself, while linalyl acetate was more cytotoxic still.
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However, it looks like being performed on isolated skin cells made a massive negative difference, because one time, when lavender was tested at full concentration on 50 living patients, no damage to skin cells was detected. Another experiment used the standard essential oil concentration of 1% on human skin, testing eczema patients, and noticed no damage once again.
Some believe that an irritating compound called camphor is a threat, but the levels in lavender oil are 0.1-1%. A true fact mutated into something completely different.
Meanwhile, only one case of lavender oil-induced phototoxicity has ever been reported in scientific literature. In fact, one experiment found that lavender oil inhibited sun damage, by preventing the formation of singlet oxygen free radicals, one of the classic free radicals generated by sunlight contact. The benefit wouldn’t be strong enough to clear acne, but it’s enough to completely vanquish the fears. Remember this fact: citrus essential oils are a much bigger photosensitising threat.
The only problem is degraded lavender oil
One of the few negative studies was this this 2014 experiment on linalool, alongside the limonene found in citrus oils. 4731 UK dermatology patients were enrolled. The goal was to test oxidised essential oil compounds, and 5.9% experienced irritation from oxidised linalool while 5.0% experienced irritation from oxidised limonene.
Overall, 97% of reactions occurred with oxidised linalool and limonene, and only 3% from the intact versions.
It’s clear as day that the only danger comes when lavender oil is damaged somehow. Even if the linalool does oxidise, you only have a 5% chance of disaster. It’s a risk to be aware of, but a reason to dismiss the whole remedy? Definitely not.
At best, you should restrict lavender oil to a short term, in and out quickly treatment, avoiding oxidants like intense sunlight and make-up while you wear it. You don’t have to huddle in a dark cavern, but applying lavender oil in the morning and sunbathing on a beach all day probably wouldn’t be smart. Applying benzoyl peroxide on top of lavender oil would be a nightmare, because BP works by generating free radicals.
Another question, however, is whether linalool oxidises easily in the first place, given that lavender petals are chock full of powerful natural antioxidants. The scientists above deliberately applied a toxic morass of oxidised linalool; how often would that occur in real life? Overall, the risks of irritation are real, but have taken on a life of their own over the years.
Is lavender oil an estrogen mimic?
The second big scare story orbiting lavender oil is that it’s so estrogenic that applying it will give you man-boobs, or send your hormones completely out of whack if you’re female. The origin was this ominous 2007 study on three pre-teenage boys with gynecomastia, AKA man-boobs, caused by excessive estrogen. Two of the boys were using a soap containing lavender oil, while the third soap was a tea tree/lavender oil combo.
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Once the boys quit the products, the gynecomastia resolved. The scientists understandably branded both lavender oil and tea tree oil as endocrine (hormone) disruptor extraordinaires…
…but the study had several flaws, not least a tiny sample of just three. Secondly, each soap contained the chemical dimethyl sulfoxide to dilute the ingredients – which is a confirmed xenoestrogen, or estrogen mimicker.
The study already means nothing, and the good name of lavender oil was restored entirely by this study which used far higher doses of 4% and 20%. Lavender oil was rubbed into rat skin and no estrogenic effects were observed at either dosage.
4% is the standard dosage for essentials oils, but some of the fantastic acne studies (coming soon) used dosages as low as 0.1%. Effectively, exceeding the necessary dosage by 40 to 200 fold was still hormonally safe. The dosages were 1000 times higher than in the dreaded soaps of the three boys.
The is the final nail in the coffin for the notorious study. How could lavender oil be blamed if massively higher doses had no effect? It was clearly a completely misunderstanding; it must have been the dimethyl sulfide. Lavender oil does not 1) contain estrogen, 2) mimic estrogen, 3) stimulate estrogen receptors, or 4) interfere with estrogen metabolism, with anything other than feeble strength.
Good news: most of the fears about lavender oil are unfounded. Now let’s get to the fun part…
Why it’s great for acne – the first power
Most essential oils have their specialities. Tea tree oil wages war on p.acnes bacteria, as does rosemary extract. Rose water calms inflammation like a soothing damp cloth, while juniper berry oil is excellent at nothing at all.
Lavender oil, meanwhile, is an above average oil against inflammation, as you can witness from this study analysing the power of ten essential oils to inhibit neutrophils. These guys are a specific proinflammatory immune agent which churns out free radicals, theoretically to break down old skin, but in practise, often breaking down living flesh.
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Lavender oil ranked in 7th, equalling tea tree oil and bettering eucalyptus oil, but falling short of spearmint oil and the glorious winner lemongrass oil. However, it was still brilliant. Only spearmint, lemongrass and geranium oil were able to reduce neutrophils at 0.0125% concentrations, while lavender oil required a 0.1% concentration. The standard topical concentration for an essential oil is 1-4%, so only a nitpicker would be disappointed at this 7th place.
Lowering neutrophil production is a great power for acne. For example, increasing neutrophils is why the bipolar disorder medication lithium commonly causes acne.
A second neutrophil study produced nearly identical results, with lavender oil inhibiting neutrophils strongly, though not amazingly. Geranium was the strongest of this essential oil five-some, but lavender oil placed in 2nd, outdoing tea tree and eucalyptus oil and demolishing juniper berry oil (the only oil to achieve nothing). This time, linalool wasn’t responsible for the decrease, whereas in the first study, linalool reduced neutrophils slightly.
The conclusion: “cutaneous application of several essential oils, especially geranium oil, to mice suppressed the cellular inflammation… this suggests that essential oils using in aromatherapy massage may suppresses the inflammatory symptoms related with neutrophil accumulation and edema”.
This is excellent stuff, as the redness and swelling which taunts you in the mirror each morning is nothing more than cellular inflammation. The disease of acne is cellular inflammation at its core.
Studies on wider inflammation have also been promising, including this one where the allergy response chemical histamine fell, and this study where lavender oil calmed inflammatory swelling when applied topically.
Lavender oil isn’t the greatest essential oil for inflammation, but it’s a very good one.
The second gimmick – fast fading acne
What really takes lavender oil to superstardom, however, is its ability to accelerate wound healing. Moderately deep wounds were created on rats in this study. In the lavender oil group, wound closure accelerated, while total wound area was lower. Both type 1 and type 3 collagen increased by day 4 of lavender oil, with the increase persisting to day 7 for type 1.
Structural components called myofibroplasts also increased nicely, and both factors were triggered by an upregulation of a protein called transforming growth-factor beta, which controls collagen synthesis among many other wound healing processes.
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Since your garden variety pimple heals like any wound once the first burst of inflammation has cooled off (particularly if you can’t resist the urge to hack away at them), these results are excellent for acne. Lavender oil probably won’t work for long term acne scars, as the benefits peaked at day 4 of wound healing. The wounds were smaller at 4 to 10 days, but no different after 14 days, so what lavender oil will do is heal existing acne extra quickly.
This study confirmed the awesome power, and this study was particularly fantastic, as a combination of a lavender oil with honey effectively sealed the wound – forever…
Interestingly, wound healing is an unusual power for an essential oil. They normally dabble in the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory arenas. Carrier oils (grapeseed oil, emu oil) tend to specialise in vitamin E and moisturising properties, while for diet, fruits are the masters of vitamin C and antioxidants. But there’s always secrets to be discovered in every category, and this is one of them.
Eucalyptus oil – an oily skin saviour?
Eucalyptus oil is derived from the Australian eucalyptus tree, which now grows all over the world. The essential oil is used as an insect repellent against mosquitoes, and some believe that inhaling the fragrance can combat asthma and bronchitis. The two studies above showed that eucalyptus oil is a neutrophil-inhibiting extraordinaire, though slightly less effective than tea tree oil or lavender oil…
…but like lavender oil, eucalyptus oil has another trick up its sleeve: curing oily skin. Scientists decided to apply pure eucalyptus oil to rat skin (study), and firstly, there were no side effects whatsoever, with erythema and edema absent.
Secondly, the size of the rats’ sebaceous glands decreased significantly. Sebum-producing glands which had been enlarged by testosterone decreased like a balloon. It’s clear – eucalyptus oil may join the supreme ranks of green tea and sea buckthorn as a topical treatment for oily skin. There are downsides, such as having one study, and that you’re a human, not a rat (hopefully), but it illustrates great potential, with the anti-neutrophil powers being a bonus.
There’s also a great study where 2% concentration eucalyptus oil inhibited acne bacteria (propionibacterium acnes) much more effectively than guava oil, which required a 4% concentration. Many essential oils such as clary sage or juniper berry have no studies at all on p.acnes. The only warning you should consider is that eucalyptus oil is even higher in cineole than lavender oil, with eucalyptol actually being a synonym for cineole, so take special care to adopt the vampire mentality when using it.
If you want to experiment with this promising acne oil, then a pure and steam distilled (very important) brand is this Plant Therapy Organic Eucalyptus Oil. It’s even certified organic by the USDA, and eucalyptus oil is its only ingredient.
The verdict and best product
I wouldn’t be surprising to hear that a shady, smoke-filled gathering of lemongrass oil dealers decided to wage war on lavender oil many years ago.
The horror stories are blown out of proportion. Rather than via deliberate propaganda, the rumours have spread via word of mouth on the internet. One person mentions the estrogen scare story, causing a regular user of lavender oil to get worried, making some ask panicked questions. Other acne patients stumble across the conversation, and before you know it, it’s common knowledge that lavender oil is estrogenic.
Luckily, you now the truth. If you had sensitive skin and applied lavender oil religiously at full concentration for several weeks, then you might wake up to a little irritation, but the risk is unspectacular: you need to to keep a tight leash on all essential oils. Lavender oil is in the upper tier of essential oils for acne.
If you want to experiment, then one of the ultimate brands is this Plant Therapy Organic Lavender Oil. This brand is steam distilled for optimal nutrition, and sourced from traditional lavender farmers in the south of France.
A recipe for wound healing acceleration
If your acne is taking forever to heal, leaving you with a freshly cooked Italian pizza of a face even while the conveyor belt of new acne is slow, here’s one possible all-out strategy:
Use lavender oil – it’s a wound healing specialist, but to keep all your new acne healing extra rapidly, you need to use lavender oil daily. Therefore, apply a small concentration each morning, diluted sufficiently to prevent irritation but concentrated enough to succeed. To use lavender oil you should…
Combine it with tamanu oil – another topical treatment which is proven accelerate wound healing. This study found that tamanu oil increase collagen levels 1.4 fold after 24 hours, and up to 1.23 fold after 4 hours.
Lavender oil is an essential oil, a distillation of the plant’s petals, while tamanu oil is a fatty oil derived from the tamanu nut. Consequently, tamanu oil is the perfect carrier oil to maximise the penetration of lavender oil through the skin’s layers, since it piles on its own wound healing properties simultaneously.
Use aloe vera in the morning – the ritual above should be performed before bedtime. Tamanu oil will make your face greasy, while to be safe, lavender oil should never be combined with make-up, overly harsh sunlight or air pollution, which are all a nonfactor as you sleep. In the morning, you can apply aloe vera gel to select areas of slowly healing pimples.
Aloe vera is another secret wound healing weapon, featuring two plant growth hormones called glucomannan and gibberellin which stimulate collagen production. Use a small amount of oil on each spot to enhance penetration; it could be tamanu oil once more, or perhaps shea butter, which sends collagen soaring by inhibiting collagenase enzymes.
This with topical strategy, it is hard to fail.
NEXT: discover the root causes of acne and banish your pimples forever
Thanks for reading!
What are your thoughts on lemon myrtle oil? Some claim it is stronger than tea tree.
Also manuka oil? Does that kill p.acnes?