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44 ASCP Skin Deep Summer 2026 THE CAVEAT? Oils high in oleic acid help other ingredients absorb. For most clients (dry, mature, sensitive, or posttreatment), that's a good thing. For clients with active acne, it may not be, depending on the acne type. Acne-prone skin often runs low on linoleic acid and high on oleic. Remember, adding more oleic to the T-zone is not always the right call. Camellia is more forgiving than many oleic-rich oils because of its squalene and antioxidant content. It's known to be low on the comedogenic scale. But matching the oil to the skin is still your job. Camellia oil is best for acne mechanica, acne cosmetica, and dry acne, but not ideal for acne vulgaris. USE IN THE TREATMENT ROOM Camellia oil is one of those rare tools that works both at the backbar and on the retail shelf. Following are a few ways to incorporate it into your practice: • As a slip for facial massage or gua sha—It absorbs quickly enough that it won't feel heavy through a 15-minute sequence. Because it blends into the skin's own oil layer, clients leave feeling hydrated, but not greasy. • As posttreatment barrier support—After a peel, mechanical exfoliation, or anything that has stressed the barrier, a thin layer of pure Camellia oil provides the skin with fatty acids to rebuild it. The oleic acid helps any active ingredient you layer on top absorb better, and the linoleic acid feeds the barrier itself. • As a cleansing oil—Its high oleic content dissolves sebum, sunscreen, and most makeup pigments. It does this without harsh surfactants that strip the acid mantle. Plus, it feels amazing as a first cleanse. • As a ritual you can teach—Show your client how to warm three drops between their palms. Tell them to press the oil into damp skin, not rub it in. You are teaching the same calm, slow gesture that geisha used 400 years ago. When it comes to home routines, people stick with what feels like care. They don't stick with what feels like a chore. Slow application, intentional touch, a moment of attention: Those are the things that build a habit. But the chemistry only matters if the client uses the product. A WORTHWHILE PRACTICE Camellia oil has survived because, on a molecular level, it does exactly what a barrier-supportive ingredient should: It delivers oleic acid to the skin's protective barrier, linoleic acid to build ceramides, squalene and antioxidants to protect, and, if we are paying attention, a small moment of slowness back to a profession that often forgets to slow down. Estheticians live where clinical skin care and ritual meet. Camellia oil is one of the few ingredients that has always been known to belong there. Resources Choi, H. K., et al. "Ceramide NPs Derived from Natural Oils of Korean Traditional Plants Enhance Skin Barrier Functions and Stimulate Expressions of Genes for Epidermal Homeostasis." Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 21, no. 10 (October 2022): 4931–41. doi.org/10.1111/jocd.14905. Jung, E., et al. "Effect of Camellia Japonica Oil on Human Type I Procollagen Production and Skin Barrier Function." Journal of Ethnopharmacology 112, no. 1 (May 2007): 127–31. doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2007.02.012. Ouyang, X., et al. "Can Aged Camellia Oleifera Abel Oil Truly Be Used to Treat Atopic Dermatitis? " Frontiers in Pharmacology 15 (December 2024): 1449994. doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1449994. Zhou, L., et al. "The Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Moisturizing Effects of Camellia Oleifera Oil and Its Potential Applications." Molecules 29, no. 8 (April 2024): 1864. doi.org/10.3390/molecules29081864. GETTY IMAGES INGREDIENT DECK Camellia japonica flowers and Camellia oil.