Ingredient glossary
Lavender Oil
On your shelf ✓What Lavender Oil does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil
In short: Lavender Oil delivers fragrance and antimicrobial, plays a broad, supporting role, and the evidence behind it is limited. One thing to know: clear it with your doctor if pregnant; introduce it gently.
- What it does
- Fragrance, antimicrobial
- Best for
- A broad, supporting role
- Watch out
- Clear it with your doctor if pregnant; introduce it gently
- Evidence
- Limited
The Glow take
The first thing I would drop if skin turns reactive.
Your skin gains nothing from Lavender Oil beyond the scent, and fragrance is one of the most common triggers for irritation. If your skin is calm, it is usually fine.
— Maya
What it does
- fragrance
- antimicrobial
weak evidenceFresh lavender oil is a weak sensitizer, but its two main components autoxidize on air exposure into hydroperoxides that are strong contact allergens; 2.8 percent of dermatitis patients reacted to oxidized lavender oil in a multicentre patch study. The EU requires linalool, linalyl acetate and lavender oil itself to be named on labels above 0.001 percent in leave-ons. A cell study found whole oil toxic to skin cells at 0.25 percent, well above typical fragrance doses; that is a reason not to use it neat, not evidence of harm at label levels. Soothing and acne claims rest on lab data only.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
No specific skin type. It is a broadly used ingredient.
Approach with care
- fragrance allergy
- very sensitive
- broken skin
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskModerate
How it fits each skin type
- DryNeutral
- CombinationNeutral
- OilyNeutral
- SensitiveTake care
Take extra care if any of these apply to you: fragrance allergy, broken skin.
Where it fits in your routine
Lavender Oil, answered
Is Lavender Oil safe during pregnancy?
Clear it with your doctor first. Lavender Oil is flagged as use-with-caution during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so check with your doctor or midwife before adding it.
Who should avoid Lavender Oil?
Approach Lavender Oil with care if any of these apply to you: fragrance allergy, very sensitive, and broken skin. Its irritation risk is moderate, so introduce it slowly and patch test first.
What concentration of Lavender Oil actually works?
Its concentration is rarely printed on the label, so use the ingredient list as your clue: near the top third it is likely doing real work, near the bottom it is more of a sprinkle.
During pregnancy
Treat Lavender Oil as a maybe rather than a yes for now. It is flagged as one to use with caution while pregnant or breastfeeding, so it is worth clearing before you carry on.
When in doubt, check with your doctor or midwife. They outrank any website, including this one.When it is worth booking →
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Sources & how we reviewed this
- PMID 18759894abstract only, the full text is paywalled
- PMID 15144499abstract only, the full text is paywalled
- EU Regulation 1223/2009-AnnexIII-fragrance-allergens-2023/1545summary page only, the document itself was not read