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Last Updated on November 29, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

skincare benefits of olive oil

Disclaimer: I’m Italian = biased. I was raised on olive oil. In Italy, it’s the only oil you use for cooking. You drizzle it on everything. Salads, bruschetta, pizza… Don’t even get me started on people who use canola oil or vegetable oil. Like, no. Please, get yourself a bottle of olive oil. It’ll change your life. Plus, it does double duty, too. If you run out of conditioner, makeup remover or moisturizer, olive oil will do the trick. In this article, I share the skincare benefits of olive oil, the many uses it has in DIY beauty, and all you need to know to make the most of it for your skin:

What The Heck Is Olive Oil?

Olive oil is derived from pressed olives. The greenish yellow liquid is rich in vitamins, antioxidants and oleic acid, all goodies your skin loves (more on them later). But, not all olive oil is created equal. Most olive oil out there is crap. Olive oil is often contaminated with cheaper refined olive oil, which ruins the fun for everyone. Poor olive oil doesn’t do much good to your skin. It may irritate it, too.

You want the real deal. That’s extra virgin olive oil. Yes, it’s more expensive, but it’s worth it. EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil) comes from the first pressing of the olives and has NO refined oil. This one is full of goodies and unlikely to irritate your skin. Here’s what EVOO does for your skin:

1. Olive Oil Is An Excellent Moisturizer

Olive Oil is loaded with fatty acids like oleic, palmitic, and linoleic acids. Fatty acids are super moisturizing. They make even the driest of skin soft and smooth again. You can use EVOO on its own or mix a few drops with your fave eye cream for an extra moisturizing boost. The only problem? EVOO is on the thicker side, so it doesn’t feel too good when you slather it all over your skin. It takes a while to sink in, too. You’re better off adding a few drops in your fave moisturizer or buying a ready-made cream with olive oil.

Related: Dry Skin? Here’s What Your Moisturiser Should Contain

2. Olive Oil Helps Fight Premature Aging

You know what else olive oil is loaded with? Antioxidants. Just to name a few:

Basically, it’s a wrinkle-buster. With all these antioxidants, your skin will stay younger for longer.

Related: Common Antioxidants Used In Skincare: Which Ones Are Best?

3. Olive Oil Makes A Great Makeup Remover

Olive oil is one of my fave makeup removers. It works according to the likes attracts like principle. The oil acts like a magnet, attracting the oils in your makeup and sunscreen and then rinsing them away. Plus, after it’s done its cleansing job, it stays around to moisturize your skin. That makes it one of my fave oils for the OCM (oil cleansing method). P.S. If you use the good kind (EVOO), you shouldn’t experience breakouts.

Related: What Is The Oil Cleansing Method?

4. UVB Boosts Your Sun Protection

One more thing. Olive oil protects skin from UVB damage. Mind you, it’s NOT an alternative to sunscreen. It can protect you from some UVB rays but most of them will still get through. A moisturizer with olive oil can give your sunscreen that extra boost. But don’t just slather olive oil all over and then spend hours in the sun. That’ll turn you into a fried lobster.

Does Olive Oil Has Any Side Effects?

If you have super sensitive skin, olive oil can cause contact dermatitis and irritation. For everyone else, olive oil is harmless. Do a patch before slathering it happily all over your skin, just in case.

What Are The Best Skincare Products With Olive Oil?

  • DHC Deep Cleansing Oil Facial Make Up Remover ($5.50): A hydrating makeup remover with olive oil to remove all traces of impurities, makeup, and sunscreen from your face without irritating skin. Available at Dermstore, Look Fantastic, and Superdrug
  • DHC Olive Virgin Oil Facial Moisturizer ($44.00): This literally contains only olive oil and vitamin E to deeply nourish all skin types. Available at Dermstore
  • Furtuna Skin Biphase Moisturising Oil ($125.00): A moisturising oil loaded with olive oil and antioxidants to deeply moisturise skin and prevent wrinkles. Available at Cult Beauty and Dermstore

FAQs

Can I just use the cheap olive oil from the grocery store on my face?

Here’s the deal – that $4 bottle at the grocery store? Yeah no. The article mentions this but basically most cheap olive oil is contaminated with refined olive oil. They mix the good stuff with cheaper processed oils to stretch it out and make more money. And refined olive oil doesn’t have all those antioxidants and vitamins your skin actually wants. It’s basically been stripped of all the good stuff. So you’re just putting bland oil on your face that won’t do much of anything. Worse, it can actually irritate your skin because who knows what else is in there. You need extra virgin olive oil – that’s from the first pressing of the olives and it’s NOT mixed with any of that refined garbage. Yeah it’s more expensive but you’re only using a few drops at a time on your face so a bottle lasts forever. The cheap stuff is fine for cooking pasta or whatever but keep it away from your face.

Wait, can I use olive oil if my skin’s already oily?

Yeah actually! I know it sounds completely backwards to put MORE oil on already oily skin but hear me out. Good quality EVOO won’t clog your pores – it’s got a low comedogenic rating which basically means it doesn’t cause breakouts. The whole oil cleansing thing actually works because it helps balance out your skin’s oil production. Like, when you strip your skin with harsh cleansers, it freaks out and makes MORE oil. But when you cleanse with oil, your skin’s like “oh cool we’re good” and chills out. Just make sure you’re using actual extra virgin and not some sketchy refined version that’s been sitting in a warehouse for two years. The cheaper kind of olive oil? I wouldn’t use that on oily skin as some of the impurities may clog pores.

When do I put it on with all my other skincare stuff?

So if you’re using it straight up as a moisturizer, it goes dead last. Oils seal everything in so you want all your other products to absorb first. If you’re mixing a few drops into your regular moisturizer or serum, then obviously it goes whenever that product normally goes in your routine. For makeup removal it’s gotta be first – you need to get all that gunk off your face before you do anything else. And if you’re doing the full oil cleansing method, that’s your cleanser so it replaces your regular face wash.

Does it matter if the olive oil is organic?

Honestly? The organic certification is nice if you’re worried about pesticides and all that but it’s not the most important thing. What matters way more is that it’s actually extra virgin and good quality. You can have organic olive oil that’s still been sitting around forever or mixed with other stuff. Look for things like cold-pressed, single origin, harvest date on the bottle. And here’s a pro tip – if it tastes like crap for cooking, it’s gonna be crap for your face too. Good olive oil should taste peppery and a little bitter, not bland and greasy. Some of the best stuff I’ve found isn’t even certified organic but it’s from small producers who actually care about what they’re making.

Q: What if I’m allergic to it or it breaks me out?

A: So first off, do a patch test. Put a little bit on your inner arm or behind your ear and wait 24 hours to see if anything weird happens. If you’ve got super sensitive skin, olive oil can sometimes cause irritation or contact dermatitis. It’s rare but it happens. And if you break out, it might not be the olive oil itself – could be that it’s not actually pure EVOO or it’s gone bad. But yeah, not every ingredient works for everyone and that’s fine. There are other oils out there like jojoba or rosehip if olive oil isn’t your thing. Don’t force it if your skin hates it.

The Bottom Line

Olive oil is awesome. Cook with it. Drizzle it on cold dishes. Slather it all over your skin. It’ll keep you younger for longer.