Scent: Fresh and uplifting. Notes of Tiare flower and jasmine with soft magnolia petals, violet leaves, green bamboo, and palm fronds evoke the smell of the dewy tea fields of Indonesia at sunrise.
Texture: Buttery, whipped yet fast-absorbing
Color: Cream
Benefits & Features
Features essential fatty acids with omega-rich candlenut, avocado, and carrot seed oils with antioxidant vitamin E and indulgent Illipe butter. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients help protect skin from environmental stress, sun damage, and dry climate.
Has a signature hydrating yet non-greasy feel, leaving skin feeling smooth and velvety.
Directions
This product can be used daily for maximum benefits.Warm the desired amount of product in the palm of your hand, letting it warm just slightly, and then massage creme gently into the skin until it is fully absorbed.
Apply generously on freshly cleansed skin or re-apply any time of day for a boost of moisture.
Ingredients
Candlenut Oil: Moisturizes and softens skin with a non-greasy, velvety feel. Rich in linoleic and linolenic acid, candlenut oil moisturizes and helps mend rough, chapped skin.Rice Bran Oil: Maintains elasticity. Rich in natural Vitamin E and essential fatty acids, rice bran oil intensely hydrate and help maintain youthful elasticity.Avocado Oil: Nourishes and calms. Traditionally used in Indonesia, Avocado Oil is richly hydrating and highly soothing.Illipe Butter: Moisturizes and protects. Provides a cushiony barrier to protect skin from dehydration, hard water and harsh elements.All Ingredients: Water/Eau, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Emulsifying Wax NF, Cyclomethicone, Illipe (Shorea stenoptera) Seed Butter, Candlenut (Aleurites moluccana) Oil, Avocado (Persea gratissima) Oil, Stearyl Alcohol, Rice Bran (Oryza sativa) Oil, Dimethicone, Carrot (Daucus Carota sativa) Seed Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Fragrance/Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenypropanol.
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You've heard natural oils can provide deep hydration for skin. But which oils are best?
We explore 10 of the very best oils for skin hydration to help you tailor your skincare routine and keep your skin balanced, healthy, and hydrated.
Key Takeaways
Natural oils are a great way to support skin hydration.
Experts generally recommend applying oil on damp skin to help lock in moisture.
High-quality natural oils also contain skin-supporting compounds, like fatty acids and antioxidants, that can provide additional benefits for skin health and barrier function.
Some great examples include candlenut oil, passion fruit oil, avocado oil, and macadamia oil.
Metta Murdaya, co-founder of JUARA Skincare, says:
"Natural oils are excellent for hydrating the skin and supporting skin barrier health. Some, like candlenut oil and passion fruit oil, also contain skin-supporting compounds like essential fatty acids."
Natural oils have been used to support skin health and promote overall wellness for thousands of years.
In Indonesia, for example, communities have used candlenut oil for centuries. It's one of the ingredients central to Jamu, an holistic wellness tradition based on botanical ingredients.
Today, natural oils are a popular ingredient in many skincare products and a must-have in many people's skincare routines. But why are they so useful? And which oils are the best for hydration?
Why Hydration Helps Skin Health
Skin is the largest organ in the body. The outermost layer of your skin is the skin barrier. Think of it like a brick wall, keeping potentially harmful substances out of your body and locking in moisture.
Your skin barrier is made of various components, including fatty acids and proteins. Its composition relies on hydration. Without enough moisture, your skin barrier can easily become undermined.¹
When your skin barrier is undermined, it often becomes less efficient at retaining hydration. In turn, that can further dehydrate skin.
If you've ever had dry skin, you know how uncomfortable it can be. Dry skin can be rough, flaky, thick, and is often more vulnerable to infection.²
How Plant Oils Support Skin Hydration
Fortunately, botanical oils are a great way to prevent dry skin. They can help lock in moisture, reducing water loss.
Even healthy skin loses water through evaporation. This process is called transepidermal water loss, or TEWL. It happens all the time, and often increases overnight.
"People underestimate how much water evaporates from your skin all day long," explains JUARA co-founder Yoshiko Roth-Hidalgo, "and how dry your skin actually gets after a while."
Research suggests that natural oils can help reduce TEWL and support skin barrier function. Experts generally suggest applying them to slightly damp skin to help lock in moisture.
For example, an expansive review from 2024 considered dozens of studies. It concluded that natural oils can decrease TEWL and support skin barrier recovery.³
Interestingly, one of the studies included in that review found that participants who used a blend of natural oils had reduced TEWL for up to a week after they stopped using the product.⁴
10 Best Natural Oils for Skin Hydration
Not all natural oils are made equal. Different oils have varying compositions of ingredients, which may make them more or less effective at supporting hydrated skin. Some of these ingredients may have additional skin-supporting properties.
#1. Candlenut Oil
Candlenut oil is an amazing natural oil for skin hydration and overall healthy skin. It can help lock in moisture, support the skin barrier, and more — and it happens to smell fantastic, too.
This natural oil "has omegas in it, which are good for the skin," explains JUARA co-founder Metta Murdaya, in conversation with dermatologist Dr. Arini Widodo. "It also has a signature velvety feel.… And the fragrance is like a walk on the beach in the morning."
Candlenut oil is particularly rich in essential fatty acids. In fact, research has found it can be composed of up to 90% omega fatty acids. That includes omega-3, omega-6, and even omega-9 fatty acids.⁵
Studies show these fatty acids help support skin barrier function and recovery. They also help regulate your skin's natural sebum production, which also helps keep skin hydrated.⁶
#2. Jojoba Oil
Jojoba oil is extracted from the seeds of Simmondsia chinensis, an evergreen bush found in North America. Native Americans have used jojoba oil in traditional medicine for hundreds of years.
The vast majority of jojoba oil is liquid wax, which can act as a protective moisture barrier for the skin. It acts as an emollient, sealing tiny cracks in the skin's surface and helping to protect it and prevent moisture loss.
Research suggests that jojoba oil can help support wound healing and fight acne.⁷It's also packed with skin-supporting nutrients, like antioxidants, vitamin E, and vitamin B.
Studies have also found that jojoba oil can help reinforce the skin barrier. In one study, jojoba oil increased skin hydration by 30% within half an hour after applying it.⁸
#3. Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is another nutrient-rich natural oil. It's a great source of essential fatty acids like oleic acid and linoleic acid. It also contains vitamin E, which has antioxidant properties.
For example, one study found that avocado oil reduced water evaporation from the skin within minutes of application.⁹ And a scientific review from 2024 concluded that avocado oil can help keep skin hydrated.¹⁰
#4. Passion Fruit Oil
Passion fruit oil is also called maracuja oil. It's a cold-pressed oil, which means it's extracted without heat from seeds.
This seed oil is very rich in fatty acids. In fact, roughly 70% of it is linoleic acid, which helps maintain your skin's moisture barrier and barrier structure.
Passion fruit oil is also rich in antioxidants, including vitamin C and carotenoids. These help protect the skin against a type of damage called oxidative stress, which can cause premature aging.
In one study, a serum containing passion fruit extracts improved skin hydration and reduced the depth of wrinkles.¹¹
#5. Moringa Oil
Moringa oil is extracted from the seeds of a tree with the scientific name Moringa oleifera and the nickname "Miracle Tree." That nickname came from thousands of years of use in communities around the world, from ancient Rome to Greece to Egypt and beyond.
In one 2023 study, moringa seed oil reduced the production of pro-inflammatory substances.¹²Another study tested a cream produced with moringa oil. It found the moringa oil cream had antioxidant properties, improved skin hydration, and lessened skin redness.¹³
Coconut oil is one of the most widely used (and well-studied) plant oils. That's for good reason.
It contains a high concentration of fatty acids, including lauric acid, which helps it form a protective barrier on the surface of your skin. That barrier can help lock in moisture, protect your skin from irritants, and support skin barrier repair and recovery.
One 2024 review included several studies that found coconut oil reduced TEWL and enhanced skin hydration.¹⁴ A study from 2025 found that coconut oil contains anti-microbial properties and reduced biological markers of inflammation.¹⁵ Another study from a few years earlier similarly found that coconut oil demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties and enhanced skin barrier function.¹⁶
#7. Hemp Seed Oil
Hemp seed oil is extracted from hemp seeds. It's packed with essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Importantly, hemp seed oil contains a beneficial ratio of these two fatty acids.
Hemp seed oil is also non-comedogenic. That means it is less likely to clog pores, making it a great option for acne-prone skin or oily skin.
One clinical study found that a face mask with hemp seed extract improved skin hydration by almost two-thirds within weeks of use. It also reduced sebum levels, which might be helpful for people with too much skin oil.¹⁷
#8. Macadamia Oil
Macadamia oil is made from macadamia nuts. It contains a lot of palmitoleic acid, also known as omega-7 fatty acid.
Palmitoleic acid is a component of sebum. Because sebum production often declines with age, macadamia oil is particularly good for supporting mature skin.¹⁸
Interestingly, one 2024 study found that macadamia oil acted as a potent hyaluronidase inhibitor. Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that deconstructs hyaluronic acid, which itself is crucial for supporting skin hydration. By preventing the breakdown of hyaluronic acid, macadamia oil may help support skin hydration.¹⁹
That same study also found that macadamia oil improved skin hydration and reduced the appearance of wrinkles.
#9. Sweet Almond Oil
Sweet almond oil has been a staple of traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine traditions for millennia. Today, it's still one of the most widely used oils in skincare.
This oil is rich in omega fatty acids, plus crucial nutrients like vitamin E and zinc. It's a lighter oil, meaning skin absorbs it well without clogging pores.
One 2025 study on newborns found that sweet almond oil increased hydration in the stratum corneum, or skin barrier.²⁰Another study, this time on adults, tested a cream containing sweet almond oil. 98% of participants rated the cream's effect on skin hydration as "excellent."²¹
#10. Olive Oil
Olive oil might be a staple ingredient in cooking, but it's also a time-tested skincare product. It contains powerful antioxidants, including polyphenols, which help protect the skin from UV damage.
That 2025 study on newborns also found that olive oil improved skin hydration.²²Other studies have found that olive oil reduced TEWL and improved skin barrier hydration, with improvements noted as soon as 30 minutes after applying.²³
How to Use Natural Oils in Skincare
Natural oils are a great way to support skin health and promote radiant skin. They can be helpful for all skin types, from dry or sensitive skin to combination skin to skin with excess oil production.
When adding a natural oil to your skincare routine, look for something high-quality and all-natural. You don't want to accidentally grab a blend that includes synthetic ingredients, which might irritate your skin. JUARA's products are based on botanical ingredients and modern research.
One great option is JUARA's Candlenut Glow Body Oil. It contains candlenut oil, moringa seed oil, and passion fruit oil to support soft, smooth, hydrated skin. These are blended with additional botanical actives like plumeria and turmeric for glowing skin.
Another nutrient-rich formula is JUARA's Radiance Vitality Oil. It's a blend of candlenut, macadamia, avocado, and passion fruit oils. Together, these potent natural oils soften, strengthen, protect, and help rebuild skin.
Conclusion
Natural oils are a great way to support skin hydration. Certain oils also contain compounds that can help support skin barrier function and overall skin health. Some great examples include candlenut oil, passion fruit oil, avocado oil, and moringa seed oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Oil Is the Most Hydrating for Skin?
Several natural oils are extremely hydrating. Which you use depends on your skin type and skin needs.
Candlenut oil is a great overall choice for ultra-nourishing body cremes, because it's packed with essential fatty acids that support skin barrier function. Jojoba oil contains compounds found in sebum, making it a great natural support for skin hydration. Coconut oil is an excellent choice for very dry skin.
What Natural Oils Are Good for Hydrating Your Face?
Candlenut oil, passion fruit oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil, and moringa oil are all excellent for hydrating your face. They help support the skin barrier, preventing water loss, and contain potent skin-supporting compounds like fatty acids and antioxidants.
What Hydrates Skin the Most Naturally?
Body and face oils are a great way to naturally support skin hydration. Your skin naturally produces oil, called sebum, in part to retain hydration. Opt for a natural oil to help support your skin's natural glow.
Juara Skincare incorporates ancient rituals with Western skincare science, creating the ultimate beauty experience. We aim to transport you from the mundane to the extraordinary with our exotic ingredients, intoxicating scents, and powerful, skin-improving formulas. All of our products are nutrient-rich and botanically based. We are proud to be certified cruelty-free. Get the latest skin care tips and info on Juara products by learning more about our founders and following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
Metta Murdaya
Co-founder and CEO
Metta Murdaya is co-founder and CEO of JUARA Skincare, a skincare and beauty company inspired by the Indonesian wellness traditions of Jamu. Her award-winning book, Jamu Lifestyle, captures the essence of the Jamu philosophy, emphasizing the power of healthy, intentional, and joyful living. Guided by a deep commitment to societal betterment, Metta inspires individuals to thrive in mind, body, and spirit. As a wellness speaker and retreat guide, she contributes to the Global Wellness Institute’s Aesthetic Health Initiative and serves on the board of Mentari, supporting trafficking prevention and education initiatives in Indonesia and wellness programs in the U.S.
