Ingredient glossary / Emollient
Oleic acid
On the label: Oleic Acid · Emollient
What it is
The omega-9 fatty acid of olive and avocado oils; richer, and in some studies more barrier-disrupting than linoleic acid when used alone.
Emollients: Emollients fill the gaps between skin cells and leave the surface smooth and soft; oils, butters and esters.
Wikidata: Monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, abbreviated with a lipid number of 18:1 cis-9. Q207688 →
In the research
1,063 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Dromedary hump oil: From its physicochemical characterization to, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and antinociceptive potentials · In vitro models, 2026
- Sustainable Valorization of Farmed Atlantic Salmon Processing By-Products: Supercritical CO(2) Extraction of Lipid Fraction and pH-Shift Recovery of Proteins from the Residual Mate · Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 2026
- Antibacterial, Anti-Inflammatory, and Wound-Healing Effects of Micromeria fruticosa Essential Oil-Loaded Nanoemulsion in MRSA-Infected Diabetic Wounds: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluat · Pharmaceutics, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Other emollients
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