Borago officinalis (Borage) oil
AKA “Borage Oil”
Essential Oil
Ingredient Facts
Borago officinalis (Borage) oil
AKA: Borage Oil
Essential Oil · Emollient · EWG: 1
Plant-Derived
Emollient
Skin Conditioner
Essential Oil
Clean
Borage seed oil softens and conditions skin and hair with natural nourishment from the Mediterranean.
Family
Boraginaceae (Borage family)
Plant Part
Seed
Lifeform
Annual
Climate
Temperate
CAS #
84012-16-8
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.
Conditioning
A catch-all term for ingredients that improve how skin looks and feels — softer, smoother, more supple. The workhorse behind most moisturizers.
Softens & Smooths
Antioxidant Protection
Reduces Inflammation
Locks In Moisture
Smooths and softens skin
Traditional Use
Used since the Middle Ages in European herbalism for its skin-healing properties; traditionally valued for treating inflamed skin and eczema due to its high gamma-linolenic acid content.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types, gentle
Best For
Dryness
Melanin-Rich Skin
Suitable
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)
Borago officinalis (borage) seed oil
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Dimethiconol Borageate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Potassium Borageate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Borago Officinalis (Borage) Oil
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Borago officinalis (borage) seed oil
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
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 Feb 2026
Data: Kew POWO · CosIng · EWG · CIR