Review and Comparison: MEDYSKIN Argan Oil and Sonoma Naturals Chia Oil Serum

L to R: MEDYSKIN Argan Oil and Sonoma Naturals Chia Oil

Face oils blends recently became very popular in cosmetics industry, though as ingredients, oils have been used in skincare for decades. Pure oils can be for sure a great addition to your routine, especially if you have dry skin. However they do not have miracle properties. Usually any non-fragrant plant oil has fatty acids, which are good for increasing moisture content of the skin and repairing skin protective function. All oils have certain amount of antioxidants and have some anti-inflammatory properties (however, they are weak to medium strength).

There is no single best oil for the skin, despite companies claims. Agran oil isn't any better than boring sunflower oil. Also 40$ oil from Sephora isn't better than 10$ one from IHERB. The quality of them is the same, but you do pay for the brand name.

There are plenty of oil blends on the market, but be careful, lots of them have essential oils in them, than can harm your skin. The worst: any citrus oils (they are photo-toxic, when exposed to UV rays), lavender (very irritating even in small amounts) and mint. If you want aroma-therapeutic properties of essential oils, inhale them, but do not put them on the skin (separate them from your skincare!)

Overall, I encourage anyone to try out this new trend (I am definitely a fan). But do not expect any dramatic results. Oils can't substitute well formulated serum or treatment. So if you have skin concerns like acne, hyper-pigmentation or signs of aging, do not stop using your regular treatments in a favor to oils.

I've found two oils I am reviewing today at TJMaxx. Their official price tag is 48$ each, but I've paid ~8-10$. They both came in brown glass bottles, which I prefer over plastic bottles. And of course, never buy any skin care product in a clear bottle (it will not keep ingredients safe from the sun exposure). Medyskin oil comes with a pump, which is actually easier to use and more air tight than a dropper style bottle, which is a type of packaging that Sonoma Naturals uses. The amount of oil you get is the same for both products - 30ml (1fl.oz).

Excellent (only beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial, not extensive research or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary, but not a skincare per se) 

Bad (irritants and anything bad that shouldn't be in a skincare, usually fragrance)

[I would like to point out, that ingredient lists were printed in both cases on the actual bottles as well as on the outer packaging, which I greatly appreciate. However, ingredients on Sonoma Naturals list had their Latin names as well as common names in the brackets. But Medyskin only included Latin names, making it hard to recognize plants behind those names.]

Dermapeutics Sonoma Naturals Chia Oil Anti-Oxidant Facial Treatment Serum

Ingredients:

Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica (Chia) Oil, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E), Tocopherol (Vit E).

Ingredients Discussion:

Though this product is labeled as a chia seed face oil, it actually features an oil blend (and chia oil is only second on the list). First on the list is a safflower oil, which is an excellent facial oil, that has high content of fatty acids. Third oil in this blend is a sunflower oil. All three are good non-fragrant plant oils (not much different from another). Safflower and sunflower oils are quite cheap, making price tag very very unreasonably high. Most plant oils have some amount of antioxidants, but you never now how much is actually there. This formulation features vitamin E (two forms) addition, which serves as an antioxidant and as a natural preservative. No essential oils or any other irritants were added here. Sonoma Naturals calls this product an antioxidant treatment serum, but it is nothing like a typical light serum, with high concentration of active ingredients. It doesn't feature a range of antioxidants. There is only some amount of vitamin E here (which is standard for most oil blends). Product names can be deceiving sometimes.

4,5 out of 5.

(took off points for labeling it as an antioxidant serum)

MEDYSKIN Natural Argan Argan Oil

Ingredients:

Brassica Napus Oil (Rapeseed), Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Coriandrum Sativum (Coriander) Oil, Tocopherol (Vit E).

Ingredients Discussion:

And again, though this product is labeled as an argan oil, it actually is an oil blend that doesn't even feature argan oil on the first place. There are rapeseed and sunflower oils, as well as shea butter in the mixture (all of them are good for the skin). There is also vitamin E added for extra antioxidant benefits, as well as for keeping mixture fresh longer. Unfortunately, this blend features coriander essential oil, which is very irritating for the skin. The scent is too noticeable to discard presence of essential oil in this case (though I do like how coriander oil smells very much).

On the side note, I've seen some other oil blends from this brand, and they unfortunately all feature some kind of essential oil in the mixture. As much as I like serums from Medyskin, I would avoid any of their facial oils.

2 out of 5.

Verdict:

If you happen to come across these oils at bargain price, go for Sonoma Naturals (not the Medyskin). I will repeat myself, but no oils are worth 48$ price tag. None of this products really have "treatment strength" to them. They will not be able to reduce signs of aging and discolorations. These oils will be great for someone with dry skin to add into their regular cream (or just used alone) for moisturizing benefits.