February 9, 2021 

“Although not an official medical condition, a winter rash can manifest as red, rough, parched, and patchy skin. It’s essentially what happens when your skin barrier gets broken down during the cold, harsh climate of winter,” explains Shape. “When the barrier is compromised, be it due to chilling temperatures or a whole host of other reasons, moisture can more easily escape, making your skin more prone to irritation.”

For consumers suffering from winter rash on the face, there is a simple solution. Facial oils formulated with naturally nourishing olive oil can provide hydration and help promote the health of the skin barrier.

Winter rash is a common skincare issue where the skin becomes red, rough, or flaky due to harsh winter conditions.

Intense winds, cold temperatures, indoor heating systems, hot showers, and a lack of humidity can all compromise the skin barrier, and lead to the signature irritated, dry patches of winter rash.

Unfortunately, winter rash is often physically uncomfortable. Symptoms can include skin itchiness, swelling, bumps, irritation, flaking, roughness, dryness, and redness.

However, there is a helpful solution for consumers seeking winter rash and dry skin relief. Facial oils formulated with the helpfully hydrating ingredient olive oil are the perfect nourishment to help soothe outbreaks.

Facial oils are the perfect ingredient to hydrate and soothe the skin on the face during cold, parched winter months because of the superior moisture and protection they offer.

“If you think of the skin as a brick wall, the skin cells are the bricks and the oils and lipids are the mortar, which holds the bricks together in place and prevents anything from seeping through,”  Dr. Noelani González, director of cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai West, told Today. “Face oils are considered a type of emollient, which means they help strengthen the outer layer of your skin — the stratum corneum — by softening and sealing it, preventing water loss.”

The most popular facial oils feature natural and plant-based ingredients. In particular, facial oils formulated with olive oil are a top notch choice to help soothe winter rash.

Olive oil is a superior ingredient for facial oils that target dry skin, because it is a high-performing emollient. Once applied to the skin, olive oil helps to reduce water loss, which improves the hydration levels of the skin. By sealing in moisture, an olive oil based facial oil can help soothe the worst symptoms of winter rash: redness, dryness, and flaking skin.

Additionally, because olive oil is naturally high in squalene, an olive oil based facial oil can also help to tame inflammation. Squalene is a natural anti-inflammatory and is linked to the fostering the healing of wounds.

Additionally, olive oil is an excellent addition for facial oils targeted to soothe and improve winter rash because it is naturally packed with antioxidants.

“Olive oil’s antioxidant properties protect skin cells against environmental damage and inflammation,” Ee Ting Ng, cosmetic chemist and founder of Australian-based skincare brand Hop & Cotton, told Bustle. “This means protection against premature aging as well as signs of irritation or redness.”

Olive oil naturally contains high quantities of vitamin E, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds, all which help to protect the skin from the harm of environmental stressors, like intense winter temperatures. 

For sufferers of dry, chapped winter skin, an antioxidant-packed olive oil facial oil could help to soothe itchy, irritated skin.

Olive oil based facial oils are the perfect antidote to chapped, dry, red winter skin. A powerful emollient, packed with protective antioxidants, olive oil is a naturally appealing ingredient to consumers seeking solutions to winter rash or itchy, dry skin.

Take advantage of our new anti-aging guide, featuring the most innovative, highest-quality ingredients in the personal care industry.