Taking care of lips with moringa oil?

Just like the skin and hair, the lips require special attention. This extremely delicate area is often prone to dehydration and can even crack during winter. If the lips are so vulnerable to cold and external aggressions, it's because they hardly house any sebaceous and sweat glands, the organs that respectively synthesise sebum and sweat. Therefore, the lips are practically not protected by a hydrolipidic film, which acts on the rest of the body as a barrier preventing water loss. Moreover, the skin of the lips is very thin. Taking care of one's lips thus requires the use of gentle products, such as moringa vegetable oil.

Moringa oil can hydrate the lips.

Being highly rich in oleic acid, the moringa oil provides hydration and comfort to the lips. By forming a thin film on the surface of the lips, it can compensate for the absence of a hydrolipidic film and act as a protective barrier to limit water loss. After applying moringa oil, the lips are soft and supple. This hydrating property is not only beneficial for chapped lips, but also for preventing their future dehydration. Even though they were not conducted directly on the lips, several studies have highlighted the hydrating virtues of moringa oil.

One study of note focused on the effectiveness of a moisturising cream containing 3% moringa oil. Over a three-month period, 11 volunteers applied the treatment morning and evening. The participants' skin hydration levels were measured, and researchers noted a 28% improvement after four weeks and a 47% improvement after twelve weeks. Although the moringa oil-based treatment was not applied to the lips during this study, it demonstrates that this vegetable oil has hydrating benefits that could be beneficial for the lips.

Moringa oil has a restorative action.

Moringa oil also possesses soothing and restorative properties that are beneficial in the case of chapped lips. Indeed, several studies have reported that this vegetable oil can increase collagen accumulation in wounds by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinases such as MMP-1. Collagen is a fibrous protein that plays a key role in the re-epithelialisation process. It is essential for ensuring proper wound healing.

Furthermore, the modulation of the inflammatory response induced by the fatty acids present in moringa oil also aids the healing process. Moringa oil can indeed inhibit the release of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β and 6 (IL-1β and IL-6) and TNF-α. This vegetable oil can also reduce the activity of NF-kB, an intermediary in the expression of inflammation mediators. Thanks to these various anti-inflammatory mechanisms, moringa oil facilitates skin repair.

Moringa oil has antioxidant properties.

Sun exposure, pollution, smoking... There are numerous oxidative stress factors that do not spare the lips. Once generated in the skin tissues, free radicals can react with cellular constituents and cause damage. They can particularly destabilise the network of collagen and elastin fibres, the organisation of which is crucial for maintaining the suppleness and elasticity of the skin. Along with the eye contour, the lips are the first to show signs of skin sagging. Their thinness and the absence of a hydrolipidic film on their surface indeed facilitate the penetration of UV rays and other external factors generating free radicals.

Thanks to its antioxidant properties, moringa oil can protect the lips from oxidative stress. Rich in vitamin E, beta-carotene, and phytosterols, it can neutralise free radicals. Furthermore, tests in vitro have shown that moringa oil stimulates the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase, endogenous antioxidant enzymes. By protecting skin cells and tissues, it helps to somewhat delay skin sagging.