3 Reasons Why Black Seed Oil Deserves To Be Part of Your Skin Care Routine

Gone are the days where shopping for beauty products simply means grabbing the first cleanser or serum that catches your eye. Today’s beauty consumer is a skintellectual, someone who shows a much stronger interest and desire to know the ingredients in their skin care products, along with how and why the formulas deliver certain results. To help foster this ongoing skin care education for our readers, you’ll see us at Skincare.com talk about a handful of our favorite skin care ingredients, and how you can incorporate them into your routine.

To date, we’ve covered a wide scope—charcoal, hyaluronic acid, turmeric, witch hazel, and aloe vera, just to name a few—but we haven’t discussed the benefits of black seed oil…yet. Well, that’s about to change. Keep reading to discover what black seed oil is and its beauty benefits for skin! 

WHAT IS BLACK SEED OIL?

This ingredient is as ethereal as it sounds. According to board-certified dermatologist, founder of Dermatology & Laser Group, and Skincare.com consultant Arash Akhavan, MD, FAAD, black seed oil is a botanical ingredient pressed from black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa). Research published by the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine (APJTB) states that this essential oil has been used for centuries thanks to its medicinal properties, and it is cultivated in many countries around the world including the Middle Eastern Mediterranean region, South Europe, India, Pakistan, Syria, and more.

THE BENEFITS OF BLACK SEED OIL

IT’S FILLED WITH NUTRIENTS

“Black seed oil contains vitamins A, B, and C and is rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, and zinc,” said board-certified dermatologist, and Skincare.com expert, Dr. Dendy Engelman. “All of these nutrients can help skin.”

IT’S A GREAT ADDITION TO MOISTURIZER

Dr. Akhavan states that black seed oil is a great ingredient to look for in moisturizer. Typically, moisturizers with black seed oil in their formulas can help provide a calming sensation that you’d like to see from your moisturizing products.

IT HAS ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

As if black seed oil couldn’t be more impressive, the APJTB notes that it contains antioxidant properties, which can help protect skin from external aggressors such as pollution.