Hydrogenated oil is a vegetable oil extracted at very high temperature by a hydrogenation reaction thus modifying its biochemical structure for a more or less solid product and insensitive to any oxidation. It is less expensive because the hydrogenation operation gives a high yield but the "oil" obtained has no benefit for the skin. It should be noted that this type of oil is also used in industrial food preparations (pastries, ready meals, margarine, etc.) but the processing operation generates the wrong type of fatty acids - trans fatty acids - which has led to ANSES to set a limit on their intake in our diet. In cosmetic treatments, you can easily spot them in the list INCI because their name includes the term “Hydrogenated”. For example, a hydrogenated olive oil is called Hydrogenated Olive Oil. These oils are accepted by the standard COSMOS therefore for the organic label.

Esterified oil is a vegetable oil, often palm or coconut oil, whose molecules have been broken down by chemical reaction to be combined with another ingredient, generally natural or synthetic fatty alcohols. This transformation operation gives rise to a denatured "oil" which offers greater stability to the formulas. Its cost is, in fact, lower than the cost of vegetable oil. It has an emollient action and gives the treatment a pleasant texture that is sometimes more penetrating, but there is a loss of active ingredients compared to the original vegetable oil.

It can be obtained according to the principles of green chemistry and is accepted by the COSMOS standard. It is completely biodegradable. Here are some examples of esterified oil denominations that you can find in the INCI list of your skincare ingredients: Caprylic Capric Triglycerides, Isopropyl Palmitate, Coco Caprylate Caprate, Oleyl Linoleate... 

• Triglycerides are lipids composed of various fatty acids that provide energy to our body.
• The unsaponifiables, designated as such to signify the component of the oil that does not turn into soap, are extremely valuable components for the skin. It contains vitamins, sterols, carotenoids, polyphenols, squalene, etc.

Thus a refined oil is depleted of its essential fatty acids and its unsaponifiable components which are powerful active ingredients at the origin of firm, hydrated, plumped, dense and vigorous skin. Even if formulators avoid virgin oils because they are difficult to stabilize over time, we remain among the rare formulators and brands to have succeeded in formulating care products based on virgin oils as the active substance in order to offer the best to your skin. . This bet is reflected in particular in the unavoidable choice of dark packaging away from light or even vacuum packaging under inert gas for some in order to preserve intact the benefits and quality of the virgin oils that make up our treatments. 

The vegetable oils present in a cosmetic treatment are referred to in its INCI list by their Latin name. For example, you will find thejojoba oil by this denomination "SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL" but unfortunately the denomination does not make it possible to distinguish the virgin or refined quality of the oil.

In addition, it is good to know that there are comedogenic vegetable oils, that is to say likely to cause comedones, thus promoting the appearance of blackheads and pimples. There is an index that classifies their comedogenic power from 0 to 5. Frequent use of an oil with an index level above 3 for oily skin and above 4 for oily skin should generally be avoided. dry. The vegetable oils we use have a low comedogenicity index with a level equal to 0 forprickly pear seed oil, jojoba and sunflower and a level equal to 2 for thesweet almond oil, nuclei ofapricot, of desert date palm, of macadamia, of moringa and D'olive.

Coconut or wheat germ oil are oils with an index of 5 so avoid or consume sparingly even if they have other virtues. You will not find them at L'ODAÏTÈS. However, it is difficult to give a general rule for a treatment containing such oils because it must be assessed as a whole and take into account the specificity of the skin as well as the quality of the ingredients and the formula. It is also up to the cosmetic formulator to balance his formula.

As there are a multitude of vegetable oils, we will share with you more specific advice in a future article on the type of oil to adopt for each skin type. That said, the more a vegetable oil is rich in unsaponifiables, the more your skin will benefit from it. Finally, know that jojoba oil, which is not really an oil but a wax, is perfect for all skin types. You find it in our intense cream, in our redensifying serum, in our body cream and in our nourishing balm.