Beauty Oils: Timeless Skincare
The ancient Chinese used it, so did the Egyptians, Indians, Romans, Greeks, and the Australian Aboriginals.....What is it? Pure oils. All of these ancient cultures used oils for beautifying the complexion.
Beauty oils may seem like a new trend in skincare but the truth is, it's one of the oldest beauty rituals in ancient civilizations. Using pure extracted plant and animal based oils, for the purpose of healing and nourishing the skin, has been around for thousands of years. Aboriginal tribes from Australia have used emu oil for more than 40,000 years (1). In India, Ayurvedic traditions (2) often use sesame oil, coconut oil, and ghee (purified butter) for both internal and external treatments. Cleopatra was reputed to favor olive and almond oils in her beauty rituals. Roman naturalist and philosopher, Pliny the Elder, touted castor oil for improving complexion and promoting hair growth.
Ancient Chinese medical texts documented using herb-infused oils for various dermatological conditions; pure seed oils such as sesame seeds, were most commonly used as a base in Chinese medicinal ointments and pastes.
Other than plant oils, herbal oil extracts also used animal fats, such as lard, tallow or poultry fats in ancient beauty rituals. The fastidious Empress Dowager Cixi (3), who had perfect skin well into her 70s, was known to consumed ginseng, red dates, walnuts, and sesame oil religiously to keep her youthful glow. For centuries, the enigmatic maikos and geishas of Kyoto used camellia seed oil for cleansing, moisturizing, and beautifying. Not only has oil played an important role in food, medicine, and beauty, it is an integral part of spirituality; enter any buddhist temple and one will see illuminating oil lamps flanking the altar.
Heightened awareness and collective interest in holistic skincare in the last 10 years led to the resurgence of beauty oils and ultimately the decline of the “oil-free” fad. Modern beauty oils are now predominantly plant based and intelligently blended to mimic the natural oils present in skin to address different dermal conditions.
YINA Botanical Serums are based on Traditional Chinese Medicine principles and emerging research.