Characteristics
- INCI
- Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
- Ru.
- Sunflower Oil
- CAS
-
8001-21-6
This is the substance number in the Chemical Abstracts Service registry. The CAS number uniquely identifies a substance regardless of language, trade name, or synonyms.
- EC
-
232-273-9
This is the substance number in the European chemical identification system (EC number), used in European regulatory databases including ECHA/CosIng.
- Functions
- emollient, masking, skin conditioning
- Irritancy
-
0 / 5
Irritation potential: 0–5, where 5 is the highest irritation rating for the ingredient.
More detail → - Comedogen.
-
0 / 5
Comedogenicity index: 0–5. A non-comedogenic ingredient (0–1) is unlikely to cause cosmetic acne.
More detail →
Who it's for
Description
Sunflower does not need a big intro as you probably use it in the kitchen as cooking oil, or you munch on the seeds as a healthy snack or you adore its big, beautiful yellow flower during the summer - or you do all of these and probably even more. And by even more we mean putting it all over your face as sunflower oil is one of the most commonly used plant oils in skincare.
It’s a real oldie: expressed directly from the seeds, the oil is used not for hundreds but thousands of years. According to The National Sunflower Association, there is evidence that both the plant and its oil were used by American Indians in the area of Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Do the math: it's more than 5000 years – definitely an oldie.
Our intro did get pretty big after all (sorry for that), so let's get to the point finally: sunflower oil - similar to other plant oils - is a great emollient that makes the skin smooth and nice and helps to keep it hydrated. It also protects the surface of the skin andenhances the damaged or irritated skin barrier. Leslie Bauman notes in Cosmetic Dermatology that one application of sunflower oil significantly speeds up the recovery of the skin barrier within an hour and sustains the results 5 hours after using it.
It's alsoloaded with fatty acids (mostly linoleic (50-74%) and oleic (14-35%)). The unrefined version (be sure to use that on your skin!) is especially high in linoleic acid that is great even for acne-prone skin. Its comedogen index is 0, meaning that it's pretty much an all skin-type oil.
Truth be told, there are many great plant oils and sunflower oil is definitely one of them.
Evidence & Research on Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
-
1
Darmstadt, G. L., et al. "Impact of topical oils on the skin barrier: possible implications for neonatal health in developing countries." Acta Paediatrica 91.5 (2002): 546-554.Find in PubMed
-
2
Leslie Baumann, MD, Cosmetic Dermatology, 2nd edition, Natural Oils, 274
Products with Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (21 615 total)
Most often found in alverde products (212 items)
