Juniper berry oil is a mildly popular topical acne remedy, derived from the blue or black berries of the juniper plant.
You can find juniper trees in Japan, Europe and North Africa, growing to between 6 and 25 feet tall, and having stiff, needle-like blue and green leaves. Scandinavian countries use the berry for flavouring meat, and in Turkey, they’re ground down into a traditional fruit paste called pekmez.
For centuries, juniper berries have been used to flavour gin; the name ‘juniper’ derives from the word ‘genievre,’ which is French for gin.
America isn’t missing out on the fun either; they’re now an invasive species in Arizona because of years of uncontrolled cattle grazing. The native grasses are being killed, and people are despairing and wishing that they could at least grab a handful and eat them like blueberries (you can’t).
Juniper oil can come from two parts of the plant: the needles, twigs, wood, and berries, or the plant’s berries alone. The berry oil is what we’re interested in. This is an essential oil like tea tree oil or thyme oil; it’s not a fat-based carrier oil like grapeseed oil or olive oil.
Why do we care about juniper berry oil? Because of the following study from 2005:
A promising study on acne bacteria
Firstly, the main focus of this study wasn’t juniper berry at all. The real goal was testing the rapidly developing technology of microparticles (a relative of nanotechnology) and its power to enhance acne remedies. Juniper berry oil was simply the remedy they chose to test, but this is already an excellent sign, as it suggest that juniper oil’s powers were common knowledge, like they weren’t even debating it behind the scenes.
Anyway, juniper oil was tested both in isolation and in the suspended microparticle form. The former deactivated 100% of p.acnes bacteria within 1 hour, not too shabby, but the latter managed to kill 60% of p.acnes within 90 minutes.
Diluting the juniper oil with a carrier oil barely reduced its effects. These details were buried right at the end of the study after pages of technical microparticle discussion. According to the conclusion, microparticles are “promising carriers for the development of anti-acne topical formulations containing Juniper oil“. This quote shows just how confident they were.
This study came out of nowhere; there was little evidence previously for acne.
Whispers from the past
Looking through the history books, there are a few hints at juniper oil’s potential. For example, Turkish folk medicine used the juniper berry for wound healing, which could translate to faster pimple healing. The Native Americans of the south-eastern USA used it to cleanse and heal the body and keep away infection. They dubbed the berry “an excellent survival food”, and lived off it during starvation, possibly when the buffalo all went on holiday to Hawaii; perhaps this was a sign of abundant acne nutrients.
The Ancient Greeks, who seem to have had a crystal orb showing them every plant confirmed to be healthy by the 20th century (including honey and aloe vera), used juniper berries in Olympic events to boost their physical stamina.
However most of the old legends are deep in the realm of superstition, not skincare. The juniper berry is riddled with old wives tales.
Read Annihilate Your Acne – get the ultimate diet and clear your acne permanently!
During the biblical era, the juniper berry was used to banish evil spirits. By the Medieval times, this had progressed to warding off witches. Bundles of juniper berries were hung over doors to prevent witches from entering the household. Others planted a juniper bush by the front door; the theory was that a witch could only breach the magical barrier if they correctly counted the number of needles on the plant.
There’s no use for acne there, unless a cackling witch on a broomstick is the real cause. Tales like this surface repeatedly throughout history; burning juniper wood was said to deter demons as well.
It’s clear that our only avenue left is the hard data from scientific studies…
The studies are all over the place
Firstly, we have a couple of studies which tested the antibacterial properties in a broader way, rather than on p.acnes bacteria specifically.
This 2005 study tested 16 different bacterial strains, 7 yeast-like fungi and 3 yeasts. Juniper oil showed strong antibacterial activity, against both gram-positive and gram negative bacterial species.
That’s promising news because p.acnes, which wasn’t tested, is gram positive. The oil clearly killed a wide variety of bacteria as well. There was a strong fungicide activity against yeasts, with the strongest being against candida (oft feared in natural circles).
Recommended – the top 6 vitamins and minerals for acne-free skin
This study, however, was far more mixed. 3 different oils from 3 different species of the juniper plant were applied to antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. Only one of the juniper oil varieties had significant antimicrobial properties.
There’s over 70 species worldwide, so it’s possible that the positive study had terrible luck and selected one of the few effective ones. Or maybe, this study selected three of the most ineffective ones. It’s a mixed picture at best.
Good for red, angry pimples?
Next up are the anti-inflammatory properties of juniper berry oil, if they exist. This study found that they do in some species, as the J. oxycedrus and J. phoenicea both demonstrated “remarkable wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities”.
These are two of the less researched species of juniper berry; the most common variety is Juniperus communis. They also tested J. excelsa, J. foetidissima, and J. communis itself, which all had no significant effect.
There’s some promise here, but with the 70 species worldwide, it would be a challenge to identify which truly work on acne.
This study on inflammation was a disaster. Neutrophils are immune system chemicals which release bursts of free radicals to break down old and dying tissue. This allows for a healthy replacement, but excessive neutrophil accumulation can 1) inflame the skin, and 2) deplete antioxidants there.
Geranium oil performed superbly, inhibiting the skin inflammation associated with neutrophil accumulation. Put it on your list then, but juniper oil was the only oil of five that failed.
It was left in the dust, as tea tree, lavender and eucalyptus oil were beaten by geranium oil, but still reduced inflammation nicely.
Finally, we have the relationship with antioxidant levels, which is far more promising. This study used berry extracts from six different juniper species. J. oxycedrus, J. Sabinal, J. excelsa, and J. phoenicea all had strong antioxidant activities when tested on linoleic acid.
That’s promising news for acne, because linoleic acid is a natural ingredient of human sebum; you don’t want it to oxidise and spread free radicals across your face. The four species of juniper were reportedly rich enough in antioxidants to be used as preservatives in processed foods.
7 natural topical treatments which could transform your skin
This study analysed 5 different Juniperus species from Turkey. All had high levels of overall antioxidants, and particularly polyphenol antioxidants.
This study delved deeper into the specific antioxidants, discovering two completely new compounds called gossypetin-hexoside-pentoside and gossypetin-hexoside. Juniper berry was already known to contain various polyphenols, flavonoids, and bioflavonoids. It’s clear that the variety is high as well as the antioxidant content.
For bacteria, the news is mildly positive. For inflammation, the jury is out. For antioxidants, juniper berry oil is promising.
The active components of juniper berry oil
Like tea tree oil or rosemary extract, this essential oil is made up of several dominant components. One study found a mixture of alpha-pinene (29.17%), beta-pinene (17.84%), sabinene (13.55%), limonene (5.52%), and mircene (0.33%), but there’s also minor components such as P-cymene, camphene, and alpha and beta phellandrene.
Are any of these active compounds known to affect acne?
ALPHA PINENE – the main active compound in juniper berry oil, with minor variation in its content based on specific species. Alpha pinene also appears in tea tree oil, where it comes second to terpinen-4-ol. It’s the most promising compound on our list, as this study tested the tea tree oil version against p.acnes bacteria, and found strong inhibition. The scientist dubbed it a “broad spectrum antibiotic”.
This study found that guava oil wiped out p.acnes, another oil whose main compound is alpha pinene. This mouse study was promising, as alpha pinene inhibited several pro-inflammatory chemicals, including interleukin-6, COX-2, TNF-a, and the master chemical manipulator NK-KappaB.
BETA PINENE – beta pinene is a lot less researched than its older brother. This study found that alpha pinene was only mildly active at reducing inflammation, while beta pinene was completely inactive.
However, it seems to have decent antibacterial properties; this study found that when combined, alpha pinene and beta-pinene have a synergistic effect against bacteria. Juniper berry oil contains them both side by side. Both a-pinene and b-pinene killed 100% of candida yeasts within 60 minutes of application.
Vitamin E – the ultimate nutrient for clogged pores
This study compared the antibacterial powers of three compounds from rosemary extract. 1,8-cineole was the weakest while alpha pinene was the strongest, with beta pinene following closely behind in strength. The powers may extend to p.acnes bacteria, or they may not.
SABINENE – a plant compound also found in holm oak, carrot seed and Norway spruce oils. Sabinene provides some of the spicy tang of black pepper and nutmeg. This study analysed both water hemlock oil and sabinene, which the oil contains in 29.0% concentration.
Apparently “both the oil and sabinene demonstrated strong anti-inflammatory activity” when tested against irritated skin.
Another study analysed angelica essential oil (the amount of essential oils is endless) and concluded that sabinene was the predominant compound. M-cresol, α-pinene, α-bisabolol and α-bornyl acetate were the others, and sabinene had the lowest inhibitory activity against microorganisms.
However, its antioxidant powers were the strongest. Sabinene is a fairly obscure compound and has little acne research to its name.
LIMONENE – definitely well-researched, because it’s found widely in plants like lemons and lime. Limonene is safe for consumption, but is a known skin irritant and sensitizer when applied topically (study). If you experience a random breakout after using juniper berry oil, then limonene could be why.
However, the concentrations are low, at just 5.52%. Limonene isn’t a complete car crash, because this and this study found reduced free radical activity on the skin.
P-CYMENE – this compound also appears in cumin oil and another acne-clearing favourite, thyme oil. The evidence is mixed, as this study found that eating p-cymene led to increased antioxidants in the brains of mice, including superoxide dismutase and catalase. Free radicals such as thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARs) went down.
However, this study analysed various Greek essential oils and concluded that p-cymene and y-terpinene had no significant antioxidant effect when applied topically. Both catalase and SOD are made by the body itself, so it’s possible that p-cymene only fuels your own production and lacks any strong antioxidants powers itself.
P-cymene has also been reported to be skin irritant like limolene. The exact concentrations in juniper berry oil are unclear – it varies significantly between species – but it’s one of the most commonly detected compounds.
The verdict
If it wasn’t for the original 2005 study, juniper berry oil would deserve next to no attention.
Its effects on the root causes of acne are very mixed, particularly in its antibacterial properties. Moreover, there are over 70 different species across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Even within the USA there are many species. It’s a big hassle to identify the perfect one for acne.
J. oxycedrus and J. phoenicea perform well, but the search is pointless when tea tree oil is so simple to track down, and is proven to reduce acne counts by between 23.7% and 62.1% (see more here).
Alpha pinene is the strongest compound, but also pops up in tea tree oil. The antioxidants are decent, whether it’s in the overall studies or isolated sabinene, but grapeseed oil and and honey are much more convenient sources, and with a hefty dolloping of bonus powers (vitamin E, antibacterial) to boot. There’s no standout gimmick, like the pink-tinged rose water and its amazingly specific neutrophil inhibition.
Juniper berry oil isn’t in the lower rungs of acne remedies, as there’s no evidence of horrific side effects like lemon juice. In the one in a million chance that all other remedies give you an allergic reaction, then it’s safe to try. It might work, but overall, there are countless better uses for your time and money.
NEXT: get the complete strategy for clearing acne naturally
Thanks for reading!
Is eating juniper berries a good idea though?