Carrier oil chart: how to choose a base oil
Pick your skin type and, if you like, the feel you want, and the chart highlights the carrier oils that fit. All 12 oils are listed with their texture, rough shelf life and what to watch for.
| Jojoba | Face oils, roller bottles, blends you keep for a while. Technically a liquid wax; turns cloudy in the cold and clears again at room temperature. |
|---|---|
| Sweet almond | Massage and body oils with good slip. Comes from a tree nut: skip it with a nut allergy. |
| Apricot kernel | Face and body when almond is not an option. Rarely, people with nut allergies react to it too; patch test. |
| Sunflower (high-oleic) | Everyday body oil on a budget. Buy the high-oleic kind for a longer shelf life. |
| Camellia (tsubaki) | Hair ends and dry skin, the classic Japanese beauty oil. Patch test; a few people react to it. |
| Argan | Face and hair. Expensive; mix it into a cheaper base rather than using it alone. |
| Avocado | Very dry hands and feet, mixed at 10 to 20 percent into a lighter oil. People with latex allergy can react to avocado. |
| Rosehip seed | Face oils, a small part of a blend. Goes rancid fast; buy small bottles and keep them in the fridge. |
| Olive | Heavy body oil, salves. Strong smell and heavy feel; better mixed than used alone. |
| Oil | Feel | Keeps | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jojoba | light | several years | Face oils, roller bottles, blends you keep for a while | Technically a liquid wax; turns cloudy in the cold and clears again at room temperature. |
| Fractionated coconut | light | several years | Rollers and body sprays that should not feel greasy | Stays liquid, unlike kitchen coconut oil. Avoid if you react to coconut products. |
| Sweet almond | medium | about 12 months | Massage and body oils with good slip | Comes from a tree nut: skip it with a nut allergy. |
| Apricot kernel | medium | about 12 months | Face and body when almond is not an option | Rarely, people with nut allergies react to it too; patch test. |
| Grapeseed | light | about 6 to 12 months | Light massage oils, warm-weather blends | High in polyunsaturated fats, so it goes rancid sooner. |
| Sunflower (high-oleic) | medium | about 12 months | Everyday body oil on a budget | Buy the high-oleic kind for a longer shelf life. |
| Rice bran | light | about 12 months | Light body oils, a staple in Japanese skincare | Pick a cosmetic or cold-pressed grade rather than frying oil. |
| Camellia (tsubaki) | medium | about 12 to 24 months | Hair ends and dry skin, the classic Japanese beauty oil | Patch test; a few people react to it. |
| Argan | medium | about 12 to 18 months | Face and hair | Expensive; mix it into a cheaper base rather than using it alone. |
| Avocado | rich | about 12 months | Very dry hands and feet, mixed at 10 to 20 percent into a lighter oil | People with latex allergy can react to avocado. |
| Rosehip seed | light | about 6 months, refrigerated | Face oils, a small part of a blend | Goes rancid fast; buy small bottles and keep them in the fridge. |
| Olive | rich | about 12 to 18 months | Heavy body oil, salves | Strong smell and heavy feel; better mixed than used alone. |
How to use it
Choose your skin type: dry, normal, oily or blemish-prone, or sensitive. If you have a preference, add a feel as well: light (sinks in quickly), medium, or rich (stays on the skin longer). The oils that match are highlighted in the full chart of 12, and the rest stay listed so you can compare. The print button prints your picks with the chart.
A carrier oil is the plant oil you mix essential oils into before they touch skin. Once you have chosen one, the essential oil dilution calculator tells you how many drops to add.
How the numbers work
Each oil in the chart carries three pieces of information: how it feels on the skin, roughly how long an opened bottle keeps, and which skin types it usually suits. The picker simply matches your choices against those fields. The descriptions are drawn from general cosmetic-science references on plant oils.
By feel, the 12 oils sort like this:
- Light: jojoba, fractionated coconut, grapeseed, rice bran, rosehip seed.
- Medium: sweet almond, apricot kernel, high-oleic sunflower, camellia, argan.
- Rich: avocado, olive.
Shelf life is the number most people never think about. The figures below are rough guides for an opened bottle kept cool and dark:
| Oil | Keeps for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Jojoba | several years | A liquid wax, not a true oil. Suits all four skin types |
| Fractionated coconut | several years | Stays liquid, unlike kitchen coconut oil |
| Sweet almond | about 12 months | Good slip for massage. A tree nut |
| Apricot kernel | about 12 months | An option when almond is ruled out |
| Grapeseed | 6 to 12 months | Goes rancid sooner than most |
| Sunflower, high-oleic | about 12 months | The high-oleic kind keeps longer |
| Rice bran | about 12 months | A staple in Japanese skincare |
| Camellia (tsubaki) | 12 to 24 months | The classic Japanese beauty oil, for hair and dry skin |
| Argan | 12 to 18 months | Usually mixed into another base rather than used alone |
| Avocado | about 12 months | Rich. Mix at 10 to 20% into a lighter oil |
| Rosehip seed | about 6 months, in the fridge | Buy small bottles |
| Olive | 12 to 18 months | Heavy, with a strong smell |
Oils high in polyunsaturated fats, such as grapeseed and rosehip seed, go rancid fastest. Jojoba lasts longest because it is a wax. Whatever the label says, smell the bottle before each use, and throw it out if the smell has turned sharp or stale.
A worked example
Say your skin is dry and you want something in the middle: not watery, not heavy. Choose dry skin and a medium feel, and five oils light up: sweet almond, apricot kernel, sunflower, camellia and argan.
Now add a nut allergy. Sweet almond comes from a tree nut, a few people with nut allergies also react to apricot kernel, and argan is pressed from a kernel too. That leaves camellia or sunflower as the cautious choices.
If your hands and feet are very dry, you could also blend in a little avocado oil, at 10 to 20% of the carrier. Our page on avocado oil explains how it behaves. For a 30 ml bottle of camellia body oil at 2%, the dilution calculator gives 12 drops of essential oil.
What it can't tell you
The chart describes typical oils, not your skin. Patch test any new carrier oil on a small area of the inner forearm before using it widely, even with no essential oil added. A few people react to camellia, apricot kernel or coconut-derived oils, and people with a latex allergy can react to avocado.
A carrier oil does not make an unsuitable essential oil safe. It only dilutes it. Check the oils you plan to add in the essential oil safety chart, especially for children, pregnancy and pets.
Ask a doctor or pharmacist before putting new oils on skin that has eczema, an active rash or acne under treatment, or if you have a known nut or latex allergy. Stop using an oil that causes redness or itching. Swelling of the lips, face or throat, or trouble breathing after using a product, needs emergency care.
Questions
What is a carrier oil?
A plant oil, or in the case of jojoba a liquid wax, used to dilute essential oils so they can go on skin. It also adds slip for massage.
Which carrier oil is best for essential oils?
There is no single answer. Jojoba suits all four skin types in the chart and keeps for years, which makes it an easy first bottle. Sweet almond is the classic massage oil if nobody in the house has a nut allergy.
Which carrier oils suit oily or blemish-prone skin?
The chart gives jojoba, fractionated coconut, grapeseed and rice bran, all light oils.
Can I use cooking oil as a carrier?
Some kitchen oils overlap, with care. Choose high-oleic sunflower for a longer shelf life, and a cosmetic or cold-pressed rice bran oil rather than frying oil. Olive works but is heavy and strong-smelling, so mix it with something lighter.
How long do carrier oils last?
From about 6 months (rosehip seed, kept in the fridge) to several years (jojoba and fractionated coconut). Many sit around 12 months once opened.
Sources
- General cosmetic-science references on plant oils: fatty-acid make-up, texture on the skin and how quickly each oil oxidizes.
- General allergy guidance on tree nuts, and on latex and avocado.