Olive oil can work as a moisturizer, but it comes with some notable trade-offs that make it a poor choice for certain skin types. It reduces water loss from the skin and delivers antioxidants, yet regular use has been shown to weaken the skin’s outer barrier and cause mild redness, even in people without pre-existing skin conditions.
How Olive Oil Works on Skin
Olive oil is made up of 55 to 83% oleic acid, a fatty acid that gives the oil its thick, rich feel. It also contains smaller amounts of linoleic acid (3 to 21%) along with fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. When you apply it to skin, it acts primarily as an emollient and mild occlusive, meaning it fills in gaps between skin cells and forms a light layer that slows moisture evaporation.
In a clinical comparison, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) reduced transepidermal water loss from 9.56 to 8.52 g/m²/h, a modest improvement. Petrolatum (the base ingredient in Vaseline and Aquaphor) performed significantly better, dropping that same measurement to 8.18 g/m²/h. So olive oil does help your skin hold onto water, just not as effectively as dedicated occlusive products.
One unique finding: olive oil appeared to speed up epidermal renewal, increasing the presence of early-stage skin cells at the surface. This suggests it promotes faster cell turnover, which could benefit dull or rough skin over time.
The Skin Barrier Problem
Here’s where olive oil gets complicated. A well-designed study at the University of Sheffield tested olive oil against sunflower seed oil on the forearms of 19 volunteers, some with a history of eczema and some without. Participants applied six drops to one forearm twice daily for four weeks. The results were striking.
Olive oil caused a significant reduction in stratum corneum integrity, the structural soundness of your skin’s outermost protective layer. It also triggered mild redness in both groups, including those with no history of skin problems. Sunflower seed oil, by contrast, preserved barrier integrity, caused no redness, and improved hydration. The researchers concluded that olive oil “significantly damages the skin barrier” and has the potential to promote or worsen eczema. They specifically recommended against using it for dry skin treatment or infant massage.
The likely culprit is oleic acid itself. While it feels moisturizing, oleic acid can disrupt the tightly organized lipid layers that keep your skin barrier intact. Oils higher in linoleic acid, like sunflower seed oil, tend to reinforce that structure instead of weakening it.
Who Should Avoid It
If you have eczema, dermatitis, or any condition involving a compromised skin barrier, olive oil is not a good moisturizer for you. The research is clear that it can worsen these conditions. The same applies to babies and young children, whose skin barriers are still developing.
Olive oil has a comedogenic rating of 2 on a 0-to-5 scale, placing it in the “moderately low” category. For most people, this won’t cause breakouts, but if your skin is acne-prone, it’s a risk. The fatty acids in olive oil serve as a food source for acne-causing bacteria and yeast. In fact, Malassezia, the yeast responsible for fungal acne and dandruff, thrives on olive oil so readily that laboratories use it as a growth medium for culturing the organism. If you’ve ever dealt with small, uniform bumps on your forehead, chest, or back that don’t respond to typical acne treatments, olive oil could make things worse.
The Antioxidant Upside
Extra virgin olive oil does contain genuinely beneficial compounds that most plant oils lack. Its polyphenols, particularly hydroxytyrosol, oleocanthal, and oleacein, have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Oleocanthal works through a mechanism similar to ibuprofen, reducing inflammation at the skin’s surface.
A randomized trial of 70 participants found that a skincare formulation containing oleocanthal and oleacein produced a significant reduction in wrinkles. These polyphenols can cross the skin’s outer layer and interact with cellular receptors, potentially improving the structural organization of deeper skin layers and increasing hydration. So the antioxidant case for olive oil is real, but you’d get the same compounds (in more stable, better-absorbed forms) from a formulated skincare product that includes olive-derived polyphenols without the barrier-disrupting oleic acid.
How to Apply It If You Choose To
If your skin is healthy, not acne-prone, and you want to use olive oil as an occasional moisturizer, a few guidelines will help you get the most out of it. Apply it to damp skin right after a shower, when your pores are more open and can absorb the oil more effectively. Use a small amount, give it a few minutes to sink in, and your skin should feel smooth rather than tacky. If it still feels greasy after five minutes, you’ve used too much.
Always use extra virgin olive oil. It’s the least processed type and retains the highest concentration of polyphenols and antioxidants. Lower-grade olive oils are often blended from multiple sources and may contain additives or processing chemicals that irritate skin. Store it in a cool, dark place at around 23°C (73°F). Light exposure breaks down the protective polyphenols and turns chlorophylls in the oil into pro-oxidants that accelerate spoilage. Heat above 40°C (104°F) degrades the oil further. If your olive oil smells rancid or off, don’t put it on your skin. Oxidized oil contains aldehydes and other breakdown products you don’t want on your face.
Better Alternatives for Most People
Sunflower seed oil is the most directly comparable swap. It’s widely available, inexpensive, and outperformed olive oil in clinical testing by preserving barrier integrity while improving hydration with no redness. Look for high-linoleic versions (cold-pressed sunflower oil typically fits this profile).
For a stronger moisture seal, plain petrolatum remains the gold standard occlusive. It reduced water loss significantly more than olive oil in head-to-head testing and has decades of safety data behind it. If the greasy feel of petrolatum bothers you, applying a thin layer over damp skin minimizes that while still locking in moisture. Formulated moisturizers that combine humectants (like glycerin or hyaluronic acid) with emollients and light occlusives will generally outperform any single oil because they address multiple layers of the hydration equation at once.