I love a good facial oil, especially when my skin’s feeling dry and tight after a retinol or AHA binge so I’ve got a few of them but the one I’m reaching for the most lately is Filorga Oil-Absolute Ultimate anti-ageing serum (R1 970, selected Edgars, Red Square and Clicks stores).

A ‘facial oil with the power of a serum’, it promises to improve the look of wrinkles, even out your skin’s tone and boost its radiance thanks to what feels like a zillion million actives so let’s whizz through them real quick or we’ll be here all day.

First up, you’re looking at a blend of several natural oils, the most exciting being buruti and camellia (tea seed) as they’re super potent antioxidants with anti-inflammatory benefits. Interestingly, buruti is one of nature’s best sources of beta-carotene that can help fade existing pigmentation. Filorga’s added another botanical pigmentation-improver into the mix and that’s hop powder extract.

As far as the wrinkle correction aspect goes, Filorga have included an amber extract that, they reckon, stimulates a polypeptide within your skin to help ‘control skin ageing’ but I can’t find enough information about it to satisfy me. They have, however, made use of argireline – a hexapeptide often referred to as ‘Botox in a jar’ due to its ability to temporarily ‘relax’ your skin which improves the look of expression lines. Just bear in mind that this won’t be a slam dunk for everyone as it tends to work better on some people and not others. (The most reader friendly, info-rich piece I’ve found explaining that is over here.)

Filorga’s oil also contains a vitamin E and sesamin complex that has a temporary plumping effect that I assume would work a bit like a hyaluronic acid, another plumper I spotted in the ingredients list. Last but not least, you’ll find the brand’s patented NCTF complex, a mix of very small doses of a wide array of actives that range from antioxidant vitamins, minerals, amino acids and co-enzymes.

I’ve used Oil-Absolute Ultimate for a while now and really like that it hydrates like a boss but doesn’t leave my combination skin feeling greasy. It’s also easy to use as a ‘booster’ in that I can easily add a few drops to whatever cream I decide to slather on my face at night. Currently, I don’t have pigmentation to attest to it’s fading effects but it definitely does see me waking to softer, more supple-looking skin.

While I’m not going to rely on Filorga’s oil to replace my anti-ageing serums I do think you’re getting a lot more in terms of benefits than you would from many other pricy oils from other premium brands. Estee Lauder, for example, hawks a Re-Nutriv oil for over R3000 but it’s formula’s so basic I’d sooner slather it on my legs or use it in a salad dressing.

So, in short, Filorga’s oil is a decent bang for your buck luxe option if you’re in a position to splurge. If you’re not, but still want an antioxidant-rich facial oil in your life and don’t mind forgoing certain benefits, things like temporary plumping and possible wrinkle-relaxing, consider African Extracts Advantage Daily Repair.

Love, love

Leigh