Evening Primrose Oil

Oenothera biennis

Evening Primrose Oil is a prized oil in skin care for its noteworthy essential fatty acid content, consisting primarily of the omega-6 essential fatty acids linolenic acid and gamma linolenic acid.

Evening Primrose Oil has been used in aromatherapy and natural skin care to aid many skin conditions including eczema.

Evening Primrose Oil is expensive and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. By their nature, essential fatty acids deteriorate quickly. Evening Primrose Oil, therefore, goes rancid rather quickly.

Carrier Oils for Aromatherapy & Massage by Len Price mentions that Evening Primrose Oil contains approximately 8% saturated fat, 72% linoleic acid (an omega-6 essential fatty acid), 9% gamma linolenic acid (GLA, an omega-6 essential fatty acid) and less than 1% alpha linolenic acid (an omega-3 essential fatty acid). [Len Price with Ian Smith and Shirley Price, Carrier Oils for Aromatherapy & Massage (United Kingdom: Riverhead, 1999), 73.]

Botanical Name

Oenothera biennis

Aroma

Light and Sweet

Viscosity

Thin

Absorption/Feel

Leaves a Trace of Oil on the Skin

Color

Medium Yellow

Shelf Life

6 Months

Important Information

The information provided on AromaWeb is for educational purposes only. This data is not considered complete and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

General Safety Information

Use caution when trying any new ingredient, including carrier oils on the skin or in the hair. Those with nut allergies should consult their medical practitioner before coming into contact with nut oils, butters or other nut products. Do not take any oils internally without consultation from a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Safety information can be found by visiting the Safety Information page. For very in-depth information on oil safety issues, read Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand.

Carrier Oil Book Suggestions

Click on a book's title to view details and read a full review for the book. Visit AromaWeb's Books area to find details about many other essential oil and aromatherapy books.