Immortelle Essential Oil: What are its benefits for the skin?

Minor paper cuts, acne marks, stretch marks... There are numerous everyday situations that necessitate the initiation of the skin healing process. According to some studies, this process could be supported by the essential oil of immortelle, also known as Italian helichrysum essential oil. Indeed, it appears that it may stimulate the migration of fibroblasts and stem cells during healing, thus promoting the formation of granulation tissue. As a reminder, this is a temporary tissue created when the skin regenerates after an injury.

Furthermore, scientific literature reports the cases of four patients with wounds who were treated with 10% immortelle essential oil in a base of virgin coconut oil. This formulation was applied three times a day for 7 to 28 days, until the wounds were completely healed. All patients observed good skin regeneration, without any side effects, suggesting that the immortelle essential oil could be a valuable ally in wound healing.

Sometimes used to combat certain inflammatory skin conditions such as rosacea or eczema, the essential oil of immortelle has soothing properties that can alleviate the accompanying irritations and redness. According to some in vitro studies, this essential oil could suppress the activity of the nuclear factor NF-κB. This would result in the inhibition of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, and inducible inflammatory enzymes such as COX-2 and mPG2S. These various anti-inflammatory effects of Italian helichrysum essential oil are attributed to its richness in neryl acetate, italidiones, and linalool.

Note : Although the anti-inflammatory virtues of immortelle essential oil have been attested in various studies, the scientific evidence of its effectiveness in cases of rosacea or eczema is limited.

The essential oil of immortelle appears to also possess antibacterial properties and the ability to inhibit the growth of various pathogens. Its eucalyptol content would notably allow it to act against Staphylococcus aureus, a so-called Gram-positive bacteria responsible for localised infections.

Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the essential oil of Italian helichrysum has an effect against Cutibacterium acnes, a bacterium involved in the onset of acne. This essential oil could potentially prevent it from forming biofilms and developing, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 7.81 µg/mL. For clarification, the MIC refers to the lowest concentration of a substance that inhibits bacterial growth. Thus, it could be cautiously assumed that the essential oil of immortelle may have an effect against acne, although more studies are still needed to confirm this.

Oxidative stress, particularly induced by exposure to UV rays and pollution, has detrimental effects on the skin. Indeed, by interfering with the melanogenesis process and weakening collagen and elastin fibres, free radicals can cause pigmentation disorders and a sagging of skin structures. Rich in antioxidants and particularly in neryl acetate, Italian helichrysum essential oil is an interesting ingredient to protect the skin from these various phenomena.

The antioxidant activity of immortelle essential oil has been highlighted in various studies, one of which utilised a DPPH test. Widely used in the biological sphere, this test measures the ability of an antioxidant to reduce the DPPH° chemical radical through hydrogen transfer. The immortelle essential oil demonstrated its ability to halve the radical at a concentration of 17.61 ± 0.16 mg/mL. Another study also showed that this botanical extract could protect the constituents of sebum from oxidation, a phenomenon that promotes the appearance of blemishes.

These various studies appear to suggest that the essential oil of immortelle possesses an interesting antioxidant activity useful in combating a variety of skin concerns.

Beyond its antioxidant virtues, which are useful for preventing the sagging of skin structures, Italian Helichrysum essential oil also appears to have the ability to inhibit the activities of collagenase and elastase, the enzymes respectively responsible for the breakdown of peptide bonds in collagen and elastin. According to an in vitro study, 36.99 ± 1.52 μg/mL and 135.43 ± 6.32 μg/mL of essential oil would inhibit half of the activities of collagenase and elastase respectively.

The tightening effect of immortelle essential oil has also been studied in a recent clinical trial. On this occasion, 31 women aged between 40 and 60 years old, presenting with grade II-V wrinkles according to the Bazin wrinkle scale, were recruited. For 84 consecutive nights, the volunteers applied a cream composed of essential oil, melatonin and carnosine. At the end of the study, average reductions of 18.9% in the number of wrinkles, 14.8% in wrinkle volume and 7.7% in wrinkle depth were measured. The cream studied did not contain only immortelle essential oil, making it difficult to conclude about the action of this ingredient on wrinkles. Nevertheless, this initial study is encouraging.

The Italian helichrysum essential oil could also act against bruises on the body to reduce their visibility and speed up their disappearance. These effects would come from its richness in italidiones, compounds that facilitate the rapid resorption of haematomas through a mechanism of fibrin chelation. By binding to fibrin, the essential oil of immortelle would help to trap blood cells, thus stabilising the haematoma and accelerating its healing.

Concurrently with the elucidation of this mechanism, a clinical study was conducted with 25 volunteers who had bruising following a cosmetic surgery procedure. The participants applied daily 10% diluted immortelle oil in rosehip vegetable oil and took two drops orally twice a day for ten days. The scientists report that the essential oil of Italian helichrysum contributed to the rapid improvement of the bruises, without however providing further details.

Despite initial promising results, it is currently challenging to draw conclusions regarding the potential anti-bruising effects of immortelle essential oil.

Another intriguing property of Italian Helichrysum essential oil is its potential draining effect, which can stimulate blood circulation. Useful for alleviating heavy leg sensations, it could also enable the Immortelle essential oil to reduce under-eye puffiness. From a mechanistic perspective, it appears that this ingredient works by inhibiting the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), produced under the influence of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS). By doing so, the Italian Helichrysum essential oil would reduce vasodilation and improve blood flow, thus decreasing the risk of fluid stagnation. However, caution should be exercised regarding the potential draining action of the essential oil, as it has been the subject of only a few studies.

• CENIZO V. & al. Helichrysum Italicum Essential Oil inhibits skin lipid peroxidation induced by pollution and UV. Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2017).

• LALL M. & al. Investigating the Anti-Acne Potential of Impepho [Helichrysum odoratissimum (L.) Sweet] to Counteract Cutibacterium acnes Virulence. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2020).

• NARDA M. & al. Night Cream Comprising Melatonin, Carnosine and Helichrysum italicum Extract Assists in Reducing Skin Reactivity and Indications of Photodamage: Ex Vivo and Clinical Studies. Dermatology and Therapy (2020).

• OBERMAYER B. & al. Skin and Vascular Fitness. SOFW Journal - Home and Personal Care Ingredients & Formulations (2023).

• KONCIC M. & al. Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin-Based Helichrysum italicum Extracts: Antioxidant and Cosmeceutical Activity and Biocompatibility. Antioxidants (2023).