Ingredient Library
Sesame Oil
Sesamum indicum
Sesame oil is a warming, antioxidant-rich oil traditionally used to nourish and protect. Replenishing and grounding, it suits dry and mature skin.
A natural history
Sesame is among the very oldest oilseed crops in the world, treasured across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa for thousands of years for its fragrant, stable oil. Its name lives on in a famous phrase: open sesame, the magic words of Ali Baba, said to echo the way the ripe sesame pod bursts suddenly open to scatter its seed.
For just as long, sesame oil has been the heart of one of the gentlest beauty rituals there is. In Ayurveda, the warm oil self massage called abhyanga has traditionally used sesame oil, stroked slowly over the body as a grounding, nourishing daily practice. Rich and warming, naturally protected from going rancid by its own antioxidants, it has earned the affectionate title queen of oilseeds.
What it does for your skin
Sesame oil is a nourishing emollient carrying its own antioxidant compounds, chiefly sesamol and sesamin. In a controlled trial, topical sesame oil massaged onto the skin was linked to greater comfort and a calmer look at the treated site, with no adverse effects.[1] In laboratory study on human skin, sesame oil helped deliver its antioxidant sesamol and showed lasting free radical scavenging activity at the surface.[2] In a formula it is a warming, nourishing oil that helps dry, mature skin feel soft and look defended.
References
[1] Gholami M, et al. Effects of topical sesame oil on pain severity in trauma patients: a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. Bull Emerg Trauma. 2020;8(3):179-185. doi:10.30476/BEAT.2020.82561
[2] Puglia C, et al. Nanostructured lipid carriers as vehicles for topical administration of sesamol: in vitro percutaneous absorption and antioxidant activity. Planta Med. 2016;83(5):398-404. doi:10.1055/s-0042-105293
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
It is a nourishing, antioxidant-rich oil long used in Ayurvedic massage, helping dry, mature skin feel soft and look defended.
The warm-oil self-massage called abhyanga has traditionally favored sesame oil for its grounding, nourishing, warming character.