Borage Oil
AKA “Borago officinalis oil, Borage seed oil, Starflower oil”
Oil
Ingredient Facts
Borage oil
AKA: Borago officinalis oil, Borage seed oil, Starflower oil
Oil · Emollient · EWG: 4
Plant-Derived
Emollient
Skin Conditioner
Not Clean
Borage Oil is a cosmetic ingredient.
Family
Boraginaceae (Borage family)
Plant Part
Seed
CAS #
226994-45-2
Form
Oil
See origin →
Functions
Emollient
Fills in the tiny cracks between skin cells to make everything feel smooth and soft. The "silky finish" ingredient.
Skin Conditioning
A catch-all term for ingredients that improve how skin looks and feels — softer, smoother, more supple. The workhorse behind most moisturizers.
Antioxidant Protection
Reduces Inflammation
Brightens Skin
Traditional Use
The seeds have been used in medieval European herbalism and traditional medicine for their gamma-linolenic acid content; historically valued for skin health and inflammation reduction.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
Dryness
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
Gamma-linolenic acid in borage oil reverses epidermal hyperproliferation in guinea pigs.
Chung S, Kong S, Seong K, Cho Y
The Journal of nutrition, 2002
Borage Seed Oil PEG-8 Esters
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Borage Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-4 Esters
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Borage Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Borage oil in the treatment of atopic dermatitis.
Foster RH, Hardy G, Alany RG
Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2010
Borage oil in the treatment of atopic dermatitis.
Foster RH, Hardy G, Alany RG
Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2010
Borage oil restores acidic skin pH by up-regulating the activity or expression of filaggrin and enzymes involved in epidermal lactate, free fatty acid
Kim KP, Jeon S, Kim MJ, Cho Y
Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.), 2018
Borage oil restores acidic skin pH by up-regulating the activity or expression of filaggrin and enzymes involved in epidermal lactate, free fatty acid
Kim KP, Jeon S, Kim MJ, Cho Y
Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.), 2018
Verified Jun 2026
Data: CosIng · EWG · CIR