Evening Primrose Oil is the knight in shining armor of my skincare routine; its skin benefits are almost endless. Here’s why you need to include this powerful oil in your routine!
What are some Evening Primrose Oil Skin Benefits?
EPO works wonders both outside and in! It works wonderfully when applied topically but taking daily evening primrose oil capsules have also been proven to greatly improve skin health and fight acne. Here are some Evening Primrose skin benefits:
- Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) – reduces inflammation and boosts new cell growth (source)
- Oleic Acids(OMEGA-9) – helps stimulate cell regeneration
- Linoleic Acids(OMEGA-6)– boosts skin barrier and helps skin retain moisture. Linoleic acid can also fight acne! (source 1- 2)
- Palmitic Acid – an emollient (a.k.a helps to soften skin and boosts water retention)
- Stearic Acid– also an emollient!
It won’t work miracles instantly, but that’s the case with almost any product you can find. It seems like a ton of amazing oils and ingredients are tossed to the side because they didn’t give magical instant results. One of the most beneficial things you can do for your skin is to give your products a fair chance before kicking them to the curb!
EPO has a very unique smell. Evening primroses smell are quite different from their rose namesake. It has a pungent smoky/peppery scent that can take some getting used to. But the countless benefits of this oil more than make up for the unusual scent!
This post contains affiliate links; if you snag a product through my link it will send some spare change my way to keep this slice of the internet up and running. Some of the products mentioned here were sent to me for testing purposes.
Can Evening Primrose Oil help with wrinkles?
In a 2005 study, it was discovered that after 12 weeks of consistently taking EPO capsules the participants found that skin hydration, elasticity, firmness, and roughness had significantly improved! (source)
The Oleic Acids found in EPO stimulate new cell growth and the Linoleic Acids boost moisture retention and reinforce your natural skin barrier. You can learn more about how to protect your skin barrier in my guide here. All of these factors make for the perfect tool to fight and prevent new wrinkles!
Does EPO oil clog pores?
EPO has a very low comedogenic rating of 2. The comedogenic scale is ranked by how likely it is that any specific ingredients will clog pores. A rating of 2 means that Evening Primrose Oil has an extremely slim chance of causing a break out or clogging pores.
Is it beneficial for oily skin types?
EPO is amazing for oily skin! The root of a lot of people’s oily skin is something called Linoleic Acid deficiency. Oily skin types tend to have low levels of linoleic acid in their skin. People with such skin types actually have more oleic acid and less linoleic acid in their sebum (a.k.a the natural oil produced by skin). (source)
Scientists found that “acne patients have also been shown to have low levels of linoleic acid in their skin surface lipids”. This leads to thicker sebum which blocks pores and causes breakouts. The perfect blend of acids found in Primrose Oil help to control excess sebum and balance out oily skin.
Does Evening Primrose Oil make your skin oily?
EPO contains high levels of both oleic and linoleic acid and helps to balance your acid levels out which in turn can greatly decrease acne breakouts!
Linoleic acid, or omega-6 fatty acid, is one of the two essential fatty acids, that our bodies cannot synthesize and the only way to get it from the diet or supplements. Evening primrose oil is one of the best natural sources of Linoleic acid. The content of linoleic acid in evening primrose oil is 70 -75%!
Can EPO benefit acne prone skin types?
Evening Primrose Oil can help balance hormonal changes that cause breakouts. Because of its ability to control sebum production, EPO is great at calming acne flare-ups, while simultaneously time hydrating skin!
Is evening primrose oil good for under eyes?
EPO contains high levels of antioxidants, which fight free radicals and oxidation of the skin. This makes it the perfect addition for any eye cream! It helps reduce fine lines + lightens dark under eye circles.
DIY Evening Primrose Oil Eye Cream Recipe
- Measure your ingredients -Combine 3 tbsp Shea Butter, 5 drops of Tamanu Oil, 15 drops Evening Primrose Oil
- Let’s get melty! – Melt the oils in a double boiler and gently stir until completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat –Once your oils have melted down carefully transfer them from your double boiler and into an airtight container to cool.
Assemble your ingredients 
Melt your oils in a double boiler 
Carefully remove once melted 
Spoon into an airtight container 
Enjoy your eye cream!
This is an extremely rich and nourishing cream. Tamanu Oil is *almost* as amazing as EPO so I had to include it in my recipe. Check out my full post on the amazingness of Tamanu Oil here! I use the smaller side of my favorite jade roller (you can find it here) to massage the cream under my eyes. This doesn’t absorb lightning fast so I tend to use it during my nightly skincare routine, or on a morning when I’m not wearing makeup. This won’t play well under foundation/concealers so plan accordingly before using it!
If you want to try out more fun and effective DIY skincare recipes you can also check out these three DIY face mask recipes!
