Beauty Products Putting Soybean Oil to Use

Huda Beauty, a cosmetics line launched in 2013, released a new lip gloss in June with one ingredient grown by U.S. farmers––soybean oil.

The brand touts the new product as being ultra-comfortable and hydrating, with soybean oil being one ingredient giving the wearer a plumping effect without a tingling sensation. Other lip products can contain ingredients like menthol that can cause tingling.

According to the products page, an independent consumer testing panel of 20 people over seven days found:

• 95% or more of the volunteers agreed that their lips felt silky smooth.
• 95% or more of the volunteers agreed that their lips looked smoother.
• 95% or more of the volunteers agreed that the product felt balmy on their lips.
• 100% or more of the volunteers agreed that the product was easy to apply.
• 95% or more of the volunteers agreed that their lips felt restored.
• 100% or more of the volunteers agreed that their lips felt more nourished.

Plant oils have been used on the skin for centuries, due to positive physiological effects. According to a study in the Journal of Molecular Sciences, plant oil application can act as an occlusive, allowing the skin to retain moisture.

The study found topical application of soybean oil extracts decreased the transepidermal water loss on forearm skin. The finding may be linked to the presence of soy phytosterols, which have shown a positive effect on skin barrier recovery.

The study also shows that topical soybean oil protects against inflammation from harmful UVB rays.

While Huda Beauty utilizes soybean oil in their lip gloss, soybean oil can be found in a variety of other products, such as skin cleansers, eye makeup and suntan products. Soybean oil’s fatty acid profile also contributes to conditioning and an emollient effect in shampoos and cosmetics.

In addition to Huda Beauty, soy lip and body balm bases are also available from EcoSoya. They are formulated for making easy melt and pour lip balms as well as solid lotion bars, solid perfume sticks, massage bars, cosmetic glitter sticks and more.