I’m a cold weather person. I love sipping hot cocoa in front of a warm fire. But this type of weather can do a number on my skin. To combat my dry and itchy skin I reach for a moisturizer with sunflower seed oil. It’s a fantastic natural ingredient that deeply moisturizes the skin.
Sunflower Seed Oil Provides Skin Hydration
Sunflower seed oil or helianthus annuus, its official scientific name, is extracted from the seed of the sunflower plant. In skin care sunflower is mainly used as an emollient which soothe and soften skin. In fact, a study found that the use of…
“Sunflower seed oil preserved stratum corneum [outer layer of skin] integrity, did not cause erythema [superficial reddening of the skin], and improved hydration in the same volunteers.”
Additionally sunflower seed oil seems to create a barrier on the skin and protect it from infection. Two different studies researched the benefits of sunflower on infant skin.
In one study of preterm infants in Egypt:
“Treatment with sunflower seed oil (n = 51) resulted in a significant improvement in skin condition (P = 0.037) and a highly significant reduction in the incidence of nosocomial infections.”
In another study of preterm infants in Bangladesh:
“Topical therapy with skin barrier-enhancing emollients [used sunflower seed oil] improved survival rates among preterm hospitalized infants in Bangladesh. This study provides strong evidence for the implementation of topical therapy for high-risk preterm neonates in developing countries.”
Wow these are pretty amazing results of course we recommend reading the full studies for yourself and consulting your doctor if you have any ingredient questions in regards to your skin and your child’s.
Sunflower seed oil also delivers high concentrations of oleic acid and linoleic acid, which help reduce moisture loss on the skin’s surface. While acids may sound scary both of these acids are fatty acids. Fatty acids are the building blocks of all oils and even the naturally occurring oil on our skin.
Antioxidant Power in Sunflower Seed Oil
In addition to moisturizing and protecting benefits, sunflower seed oil is also packed with vitamin E. Vitamin E offers antioxidant advantages in the fight against free radicals present in our environment.
To learn more about antioxidants and vitamin E check out our blog post “Ingredient Truths: What Are Antioxidants?“.
Block Island Organics and Sunflower Seed Oil
Of course nature would deliver such a wonderful and powerful ingredient! That’s why we had to include it as a key ingredient in our Natural Face Moisturizer SPF 30, Organic Revitalizing Night Cream and Organic Purifying Facial Cleanser.
More Ingredient Truths
Find out everything about our ingredients and our products on Our Ingredients page and in our Ingredients Truths blog series.
