Summary
For decades, the beauty industry taught us to avoid oils.
When lightweight synthetic formulas first entered the market, “oil-free” became a mark of innovation—a promise of clean, shine-free skin. As acne research grew, brands leaned even further into the idea, linking breakouts to excess sebum and convincing people that less oil meant fewer spots.
The result? A generation of people left with stripped, sensitised, and unbalanced skin—tight from dryness, inflamed from over-cleansing, and producing more oil to compensate.
It made sense at the time—but we now know it missed a crucial truth: oils are essential for strong, resilient skin—a truth long recognised by herbalists and affirmed by dermatologists. Healthy skin depends on a balanced barrier, and that barrier is built on lipids—the skin’s own natural oils. When we take them away, the skin becomes fragile, overactive, and inflamed.
Still, old beliefs die hard. Even today, many people hesitate to use facial oils because of things they’ve heard—that oils clog pores, cause breakouts, or make skin greasy. These ideas come from half-understood science and outdated marketing, not from how the skin actually works.
So let’s clear up a few of the biggest myths—and explain what’s really happening when your skin meets the right oils.
Why Oils Are Not the Problem
Myth 1: Oils Clog Pores
Not all oils are created equal—and this is where most people get it wrong.
Comedogenic oils can block pores and lead to congestion, especially when used on the face. Yet many people use coconut oil—which ranks highly on the comedogenic scale—to remove makeup, then break out and conclude that “oils aren’t for me.”
But it wasn’t the oils—it was the wrong oil.
Many plant oils are non-comedogenic and actually help prevent congestion. When chosen correctly, they balance sebum production, dissolve excess oil, and reinforce the skin’s barrier—keeping pores clear and hydrated at the same time.
At Herbal Gardens, every oil we use is carefully selected for its absorption rate, fatty-acid profile, and compatibility with the skin barrier. Instead of clogging pores, our oils keep them clear, balanced, and healthy.
Myth 2: Oils Make You Greasy
It’s an easy assumption—oil equals shine, right? Not quite.
When your barrier is stripped or dehydrated, your skin compensates by producing more sebum. That excess production is what causes the shine—not the use of oils themselves.
Light, fast-absorbing oils like jojoba and grapeseed mimic your skin’s own sebum, signalling that it doesn’t need to overproduce. For acne-prone or oily skin, oils rich in linoleic acid are particularly effective — this essential fatty acid is often deficient in breakout-prone skin, leading to thicker sebum and clogged pores. Restoring that balance helps calm flare-ups while keeping the skin hydrated.
That’s why our Acne & Oil Control Serum contains linoleic-acid-rich botanicals that rebalance sebum production naturally — to reduce surface shine while strengthening the barrier, leaving skin matte, calm, and comfortable.
Myth 3: Only Dry Skin Needs Oils
Oils aren’t just for hydration—they’re for harmony.
Every skin type needs lipids to function properly, including oily and acne-prone skin. Without them, the barrier weakens, inflammation increases, and breakouts become worse.
Each Herbal Gardens formula delivers targeted nourishment for different skin needs—from the light, clarifying oils in our Detoxifying Night Brightening Serum, to the rich, reparative blend in the Bakuchiol Antioxidant Complex.
When your skin gets the balance it needs, it naturally becomes smoother, stronger, and more even-toned—no matter your skin type.
Barrier Repair Comes First: Why Every Routine Needs a Face Oil
Healthy skin starts with a healthy barrier—the thin layer of lipids that keeps moisture in and irritants out.
When that barrier is weakened by over-cleansing, harsh exfoliants, or “oil-free” products, your skin can’t defend itself. The result is a cycle of dryness, breakouts, and sensitivity that never truly resolves.
Face oils don’t just sit on the surface—they rebuild what’s missing.
Because your skin’s barrier is made of oils, plant oils integrate seamlessly, delivering essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins that strengthen its structure and restore its natural ability to protect and hydrate itself.
By replenishing the barrier instead of stripping it, oils help the skin return to its balanced, resilient state—calm, supple, and self-sufficient.
Why Oils Speak Your Skin’s Language
Your skin is lipophilic—it loves oils. Its natural barrier is built from fatty acids, ceramides, and lipids, not water.
That’s why plant oils absorb so effortlessly: they speak the same language as your skin, replenishing what’s been stripped away and reinforcing the barrier from within.
Moisturisers, by contrast, are mostly water-based. They hydrate the upper layers of the skin, but on their own, they can’t restore the deeper lipid barrier that keeps that hydration locked in. Without oils, much of that moisture simply escapes.
That’s where face oils come in—sealing in hydration, rebuilding the skin’s natural defences, and delivering nutrients directly where they’re needed most.
Pure Nutrition for the Skin
Face oils contain natural compounds that are self-preserving, meaning they don’t need the synthetic preservatives often found in water-based products.
This allows them to stay pure and potent—100 % active ingredients with no dilution.
Every drop is filled with essential fatty acids, omegas, antioxidants, and vitamins that your skin uses to rebuild itself.
And because oils don’t evaporate like water-based moisturisers, they continue to nourish and protect the skin long after application.
That’s why oils like those in our Detoxifying Night Brightening Serum work so beautifully—staying on through the long hours of the night to feed the skin as you sleep, leaving you to wake up calm, replenished, and glowing.
The Herbalist’s Advantage
Choosing oils isn’t as simple as picking “hydrating” ones.
A herbalist understands how each oil behaves — its molecular size, absorption speed, fatty-acid profile, and interaction with the skin.
When Minelle, our founder and qualified herbalist, formulates, she studies comedogenic ratings, nutrient density, and how each oil complements the others. Some calm irritation. Some regulate sebum. Some repair. And the right combination brings harmony.
This understanding shapes every Herbal Gardens formula — choosing the right oils for the right purpose.
That’s why our oils aren’t just “natural.” They’re intelligent blends, backed by both traditional herbal knowledge and modern cosmetic science.
Finding the Right Match
Every skin type can benefit from oils—it’s just about finding the right one.
- Jojoba oil mirrors human sebum, ideal for oily or combination skin.
- Rosehip oil brightens and repairs, helping fade pigmentation and scars.
- Squalane restores suppleness and elasticity to mature or depleted skin.
- Sea Buckthorn delivers antioxidants and omega fatty acids that strengthen the barrier and calm redness.
This understanding forms the foundation of every Herbal Gardens formula.
- Acne & Oil Control Serum replenishes dry, acne-prone skin with linoleic-acid-rich oils that regulate sebum and reduce congestion without dryness.
- Detoxifying Night Brightening Serum clears congestion overnight with lightweight, breathable botanicals that purify without irritation.
- Bakuchiol Antioxidant Complex blends gentle retinol-alternative bakuchiol with nourishing oils for firming and renewal—without barrier disruption.
- Balancing Facial Serum brings harmony to stressed-out skin, calming oiliness and dryness while restoring glow with nutrient-rich botanicals that support regeneration and tone.
- Makeup Melting Cleansing Oil dissolves makeup and buildup effortlessly, unclogging pores while nourishing your barrier—so your skin feels soft, not stripped.
Our formulas work with your skin—supporting, strengthening, and restoring what it already knows how to do: protect itself.
Your Routine, Reimagined
Once you understand your skin, you realise oils aren’t the enemy—they’re its native language.
Guided by herbal knowledge, they become powerful tools of repair and renewal, restoring balance, radiance, and resilience from within. A face oil doesn’t replace your moisturiser—it works alongside it to strengthen your barrier and seal in hydration. While water-based products hydrate the surface, oils lock that moisture in and rebuild the barrier beneath.
Together, they create the foundation of lasting skin health—calm, nourished, and resilient.
