Virgin coconut oil is pure cold-pressed coconut oil from the coconut palm fruit.
Virgin coconut oil is rich in beneficial fatty acids that help nourish your skin and can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for plumper looking skin.
There are many benefits of virgin coconut oil for dry skin.
- Virgin coconut oil is rich in nutrients
- Virgin coconut oil is easily absorbed into dry skin.
- Virgin coconut oil softens dry skin
- Virgin coconut oil relieves dry skin
- Virgin coconut oil protects dry skin
What is virgin coconut oil?
Virgin coconut oil (Cocos nucifera) is pure cold-pressed coconut oil from the coconut palm fruit.
Virgin coconut oil is made by cold pressing the oil from the coconut meat.
Virgin coconut oil is unrefined - it has not been bleached or deodorized.
Virgin coconut oil has a strong natural coconut aroma that is buttery and sweet and evokes memories of summer days at the beach.
Learn more: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?
1. Virgin coconut oil is rich in nutrients
Virgin coconut oil is composed of fatty acids, vitamin E polyphenols.
Virgin coconut oil is mainly composed of saturated fatty acids, including lauric acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid.
Fatty acids
Virgin coconut oil contains fatty acids including:
- 49% lauric acid
- 18% myristic acid
- 8% palmitic acid
- 8% caprylic acid
- 7% capric acid
- 6% oleic acid
Polyphenols
Virgin coconut oil is also rich in polyphenols with antioxidant activity (Marina et al, 2009) that can protect your skin against oxidative stress and damage.
Virgin coconut oil has been shown to contain:
- 5.09 mg/kg ferulic acid
- 2.08 mg/kg vanillic acid
- 0.45 - 0.90 mg/kg syringic acid
- 0.75 mg/kg p-coumaric acid
- 0.12 mg/kg caffeic acid
The total phenolic contents in virgin coconut oil are higher than refined coconut oil (Marina et al, 2009; Rohman et al., 2021).
Vitamin E
Coconut oil has been shown to contain small amounts of vitamin E (Shahidi et al, 2016).
Vitamin E is a family of compounds with different vitamin E activities and antioxidant properties that includes tocopherols and tocotrienols
2. Virgin coconut oil is easily absorbed into dry skin
Virgin coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but melts upon contact with your skin.
The texture of melted virgin coconut oil is thin and light.
Coconut oil is easily absorbed into your dry skin.
Virgin coconut oil initially creates an oily, protective barrier on the skin, which is then absorbed fairly quickly, leaving your skin feeling soft and plump.
3. Virgin coconut oil softens dry skin
Virgin coconut oil is skin conditioning – it gives skin a soft and smooth appearance, restoring suppleness and improving elasticity.
Virgin Coconut oil is easily absorbed into your skin and has clinically been shown to soften and lubricate dry skin (Agero et al, 2004; Verallo-Rowell et al, 2008; Evangelista et al, 2014).
Coconut oil has been shown to be as effective and safe as mineral oil when applied as moisturizers for mild to moderate dry skin (Agero et al, 2004).
Coconut oil is rich in beneficial fatty acids that help nourish your skin and can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for plumper looking skin.
When formulated properly, virgin coconut oil is non-comedogenic and will not clog your pores.
4. Virgin coconut oil relieves dry skin
Dry skin appears dry, rough, and may scale and flake. It may also show premature signs of aging, like fine line, surface wrinkles and loss of elasticity.
Symptoms of dry skin include:
- Loss of skin elasticity
- Skin feels tight, dehydrated
- Skin appears dull, rough and blotchy
- Slight to severe flaking, scaling or peeling
- Fine lines and wrinkles are more pronounced
- May have itching
Virgin coconut oil can relieve your dry skin.
Virgin coconut oil can help reduce flaking from dry skin. It can also alleviate chapping, cracking and roughness due to dryness.
Virgin coconut oil can also relieve itching due to dry skin.
Virgin Coconut oil has clinically been shown to improve symptoms of dry skin (Agero et al, 2004; Verallo-Rowell et al, 2008; Evangelista et al, 2014).
In a study of children with mild to moderate dry skin, topical applications of virgin coconut oil was shown to be effective at decreasing the severity of dry skin and improving skin barrier function (Evangelista et al, 2014).
Virgin coconut oil can help nourish your skin and can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for plumper looking skin.
5. Virgin coconut oil protects dry skin
Virgin coconut oil is an emollient and can protect the skin's moisture barrier.
The function of emollients in skincare is to soften the skin, help the skin retain its moisture and to support the skin’s barrier function.
Skin that does not have sufficient lipid content on its surface can appear dull, dry and rough. Emollients "fill in the gaps" in the skin barrier and soften it along with giving it a healthier look
When your skin barrier is healthy, it feels and appears smooth, soft, and plump.
Virgin coconut oil can protect your skin against chapping, cracking and roughness due to dryness.
Virgin coconut oil can help protect your dry skin against abuse of the elements, including the drying effects of the sun.
Summary
There are many benefits of virgin coconut oil for dry skin.
Virgin coconut oil is rich, creamy and decadent.
Virgin coconut oil is easily absorbed and makes your dry skin feel soft and plump.
Coconut oil is rich in beneficial fatty acids that help nourish your skin and can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for plumper looking skin.
We use organic extra virgin coconut oil that is cold-pressed and unrefined.
Our coconut oil is Fair Trade and comes from a sustainable source.
Our virgin coconut oil has a strong natural coconut aroma that is rich, buttery and sweet.
Dry Skin Love Nourishing Coconut 5% Vitamin C Face Oil is a luxurious face oil made with 9 premium ingredients, including cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil and gentle vitamin C ester tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate.
References
Agero AL, Verallo-Rowell VM. A randomized double-blind controlled trial comparing extra virgin coconut oil with mineral oil as a moisturizer for mild to moderate xerosis. Dermatitis. 2004 Sep;15(3):109-16.
Evangelista MT, Abad-Casintahan F, Lopez-Villafuerte L. The effect of topical virgin coconut oil on SCORAD index, transepidermal water loss, and skin capacitance in mild to moderate pediatric atopic dermatitis: a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial. Int J Dermatol. 2014 Jan;53(1):100-8.
Huang WC, Tsai TH, Chuang LT, Li YY, Zouboulis CC, Tsai PJ. Anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of capric acid against Propionibacterium acnes: a comparative study with lauric acid. J Dermatol Sci. 2014 Mar;73(3):232-40.
Kelsey JA, Bayles KW, Shafii B, McGuire MA. Fatty acids and monoacylglycerols inhibit growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Lipids. 2006 Oct;41(10):951-61.
Kitahara T, Koyama N, Matsuda J, Aoyama Y, Hirakata Y, Kamihira S, Kohno S, Nakashima M, Sasaki H. Antimicrobial activity of saturated fatty acids and fatty amines against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Biol Pharm Bull. 2004 Sep;27(9):1321-6.
Masaki H. Role of antioxidants in the skin: anti-aging effects. J Dermatol Sci. 2010 May;58(2):85-90.
Marina AM, Man YB., Nazimah SA. & Amin I. (2009). Antioxidant capacity and phenolic acids of virgin coconut oil. International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, 60, 114-123.
Nakatsuji T, Kao MC, Fang JY, Zouboulis CC, Zhang L, Gallo RL, Huang CM. Antimicrobial property of lauric acid against Propionibacterium acnes: its therapeutic potential for inflammatory acne vulgaris. J Invest Dermatol. 2009 Oct;129(10):2480-8.
Rohman A., Irnawati, Erwanto Y., Lukitaningsih E., Rafi M., Fadzilah NA., Windarshi A., Sulaiman A., Zakaria Z. Virgin Coconut Oil: Extraction, Physicochemical Properties, Biological Activities and Its Authentication Analysis. Food Reviews International. 2021. Volume 37, Issue 1. Pages 46-66.
Shahidi F, de Camargo AC. Tocopherols and Tocotrienols in Common and Emerging Dietary Sources: Occurrence, Applications, and Health Benefits. Int J Mol Sci. 2016 Oct 20;17(10):1745.
Tran TQ, Hsieh MF, Chang KL, Pho QH, Nguyen VC, Cheng CY, Huang CM. Bactericidal Effect of Lauric Acid-Loaded PCL-PEG-PCL Nano-Sized Micelles on Skin Commensal Propionibacterium acnes. Polymers (Basel). 2016 Aug 27;8(9):321.
Verallo-Rowell VM, Dillague KM, Syah-Tjundawan BS. Novel antibacterial and emollient effects of coconut and virgin olive oils in adult atopic dermatitis. Dermatitis. 2008 Nov-Dec;19(6):308-15.
Widianingrum DC, Noviandi CT, Salasia SIO. Antibacterial and immunomodulator activities of virgin coconut oil (VCO) against Staphylococcus aureus. Heliyon. 2019 Oct 20;5(10):e02612.
Yang D, Pornpattananangkul D, Nakatsuji T, Chan M, Carson D, Huang CM, Zhang L. The antimicrobial activity of liposomal lauric acids against Propionibacterium acnes. Biomaterials. 2009 Oct;30(30):6035-40.
Zduńska K, Dana A, Kolodziejczak A, Rotsztejn H. Antioxidant Properties of Ferulic Acid and Its Possible Application. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2018;31(6):332-336.
Author Information
Dr. Natasha Ryz is a scientist, skin care expert and an entrepreneur. She is the founder of Dry Skin Love Skincare, and she creates skincare products for beauty, dry skin and pain relief.
Dr. Ryz has a PhD in Experimental Medicine from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and she is a Vanier scholar. She also holds a Master of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.
Natasha is the former Chief Science Officer of Zenabis Global, and she oversaw extraction, analytics, and product development. Her team brought 20 products to market including oils, sprays, vapes and softgels.
Why I Started A Skincare Company