If the utterance of ‘skincare’ and ‘oil’ in one sentence still gives you an eye twitch, you’re not alone
Particularly for those with a relentlessly oily complexion, there’s a high chance your first foray into the world of skincare was a harsh cleanser, ultra-drying toner and oil-free moisturiser that (surprise, surprise) did little to balance your adolescent skin.
Overconfident your face’s sebaceous glands may have been, it’s likely that your own confidence was the thing that took the knock. And no amount of supermarket skincare brands backed by cashed-up campaigns, glossy advice columns, or skin tip sharing in the school yard could shake that. Oil – despite being integral to the skin’s inbuilt processes, and a powerful skincare ingredient – was the devil. Our personal supplies of blotting paper and Dream Matte Mousse were testament to that.
Happily, the word has since come around to the fact that adding oil to your face, no matter your complexion, is one of the best things you can do for it. Hydration is, after all, the gateway to good skin, and if your face is naturally oily, ‘drying it out’ will only kickstart sebum overproduction all over again. From cleansers to serums, oils are enjoying a new lease of life. And in many cases, becoming the most luxurious and high-performance product in our beauty routines.
Embodyme, a newly launched line of oils is the latest on our radar. Four blends, each assigned an emotional heart, have been crafted to cater to the skin, body and mind. Kindness is a blend said to evoke “feelings of being loved, and of a generous spirit”. Alongside it are Joy, Peace and Courage – the latter designed to enhance one’s sense of confidence. Silky and gently scented, it’s one to keep in the car pre-job interview or first date.
The oils in the Embodyme range aren’t body products as you know them. Lightweight formulations are chicly housed in 100ml glass dropper bottles (hello hand luggage-friendly hand massage), allowing you to dot the ideal amount on-the-go. They’re not officially ‘dry oils’, but it is worth noting that they are very quick to dry. Add to that the oils’ tried-and-tested ability to infuse some lite emotional reflection into your routine (without entering aromatherapy territory), and Embodyme adds to the mounting evidence that cosmetic oils are both a skincare and self-care MVP.
Launching the brand the year of her 50th birthday, founder Sarah Reid drew on her experience working in-house for some of the biggest cosmetics companies in the world, notably Bulgari Parfums in Switzerland. “I wasn’t creating fragrances, but I did a lot of fragrance training to understand how fragrance works,” says Sarah, explaining that she worked closely with a perfumer to get Embodyme’s evocative scents just right. “It’s about awakening the senses. To me, that’s what really defines luxury, the ability to step out of the ordinary and awaken as many senses as you can.”
Of course, there’s awakening the senses, and then there’s *actually* finding the time to do so, an obstacle that Embodyme is acutely aware of. Sarah’s advice is to find a moment for introspection that fits your routine. Perhaps it’s a quick self-massage on your hands while you’re waiting in traffic. Or, take a leaf out of Sarah’s personal playbook and create a simple, post-shower ritual. “I like to layer it on after the shower, and be intentional about the emotion that I want to channel that day.” She notes, “I’ve been using a lot of Courage lately. I also love to put the body oil into the bath – an absolute treat. The water becomes the carrier for the oil and it absorbs beautifully into the skin.”
When the luxury of a bath or even an ‘everything’ shower is out of reach, micro moments with the oils are encouraged. Make that hand massage a cuticle massage. As I discovered rather accidentally, dabbing the oil on your septum is enough to reap the benefits of a calming scent.
It’s clear that body oils are having their moment, powered by endless iterations and innovations across the skincare space. But what makes them more than a passing trend is what they bestow beyond skin benefits: bite-sized moments of indulgence, layered with effects lingering beyond their quick absorption, and providing us a sensory safe place to return to amid the potential chaos of our days.