Olive Oil and Skin: Which Claims Hold Up

May 23, 2026

By Marianella

Woman among figs, citrus and flowers holding a Marianella pump bottle

Some of what is said about olive oil and skin is well supported: it softens dry skin, and it improves hydration about as well as you would expect from a rich oil. Other claims, about erasing wrinkles, building collagen or protecting skin from the sun, are stretched from lab studies or from concentrated extracts that are not the oil in your bottle. And one fact is often left out: on oily or blemish-prone faces, olive oil can clog pores. Here is how each claim holds up.

Holds up: it softens dry skin

Olive oil is mostly oleic acid, a rich, conditioning fatty acid, with small amounts of squalene and vitamin E. On dry skin, those lipids fill in the rough spots between surface cells and leave a soft, smooth finish. That is the oldest reason people have used it, and it is entirely real. Dry elbows, shins and heels respond well to it.

Holds up, with a comparison: it helps hydration

A 2025 study compared extra virgin olive oil with petrolatum, the classic barrier ointment, on the forearms of 57 people. Both improved skin hydration, reduced flakiness and left skin looking less red. Petrolatum, though, did a better job of slowing water loss from the skin.

That is a fair picture of olive oil. It moisturizes, it does so as well as a good ointment in some respects, and it is not a miracle. If what you need is a strong seal over very dry skin, a heavier occlusive does that better. If you want softness and a pleasant feel, olive oil is a reasonable choice for the body.

Partly true: "it is full of antioxidants"

Fresh extra virgin olive oil does contain antioxidants: vitamin E and polyphenols such as hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein and oleocanthal. They are a large part of why good olive oil keeps reasonably well. The amount varies a great deal with the olive variety, the harvest and how the oil was pressed and stored, and refined olive oil has far less.

Where the claim gets stretched is in what those antioxidants do on your face. Much of the research behind the most striking statements was done on skin cells in a dish, exposed to ultraviolet light under lab conditions. That is useful science, but it does not mean a layer of olive oil protects your skin outdoors. Olive oil is not a sunscreen, and it should never stand in for one.

Overstated: "it reduces wrinkles"

You will see a 2024 trial quoted as proof that olive oil smooths wrinkles. In that study, about 70 people used a serum made with two purified olive polyphenols, oleocanthal and oleacein, twice a day for 30 days, and their wrinkles looked less visible afterward. It is a promising result for those extracts. But it was a formulated serum with concentrated compounds, not olive oil rubbed on the face, and the two are not interchangeable.

The same goes for claims that olive oil builds collagen. Those come mostly from studies of cells in a lab. On real skin, the most you can fairly expect from plain olive oil is that it softens, and softer, well-moisturized skin does make fine dry lines look less obvious.

Overstated: "it sinks deep into skin"

Oleic acid is known to loosen the orderly fat layers in the outer skin, and it is sometimes used in formulas for exactly that reason, to help other ingredients through. That is often presented as a benefit. For sensitive or easily congested skin it can be the opposite, making the outer layer more permeable than you want. Deeper is not automatically better.

Not our claim: medical uses

Olive oil turns up in old medical texts and in modern clinical trials of all kinds. Those are medical questions, and we make no such claims for any oil. If you have a skin concern that worries you, talk to a doctor rather than a cosmetics brand.

Often left out: pores and oily skin

Olive oil is usually rated as moderately likely to clog pores. Research also links oleic acid with breakouts in skin that is already prone to them. For oily and blemish-prone faces, that outweighs most of the benefits above. On the body, where skin is generally less prone to congestion, it matters much less.

What we suggest instead, for the face

If you want the softness of olive oil without the weight, our Marula Face Oil is also rich in oleic acid but surprisingly light, sinking in within moments and leaving no film. If you are drawn to olive oil for its squalene, our Squalane Face Oil is plant squalane from olives: clear, silky, almost weightless, and very stable because it contains no fatty acids. Both are 100% pure with no added fragrance.

Questions about olive oil claims

Does olive oil reduce wrinkles?

Plain olive oil softens skin, which can make dry lines look less obvious. The wrinkle results often quoted came from a serum of purified olive polyphenols, not from the oil itself.