For Christmas I bought my mum a bareMinerals Mineralixirs set and she absolutely loved the oil, and started including it in here everyday beauty routine. I was curious as oil wasn’t something I’d thought of using before as my skin does get quite greasy, however I then found The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil. It seemed like good value for money as something I’d want to test out, plus I really wanted to review how Vit E oil would react to my skin.
Update: Please note that the above photo is of the product in older packaging, The Body Shop has since rebranded but the ingredients list and product is the same.
| Amazon | The Body Shop |
Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil
Alternatives:
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Parfum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Benzyl Benzoate, Geraniol, Linalool, Limonene, Citronellol, Tocopherol, Benzyl Salicylate, Eugenol, Citral, Anisyl Alcohol, Citric Acid.
Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride is an emollient and skin-replenishing ingredient that is derived from coconut oil and glycerin.
Citral, also known as limarome, is a fragrance ingredient which is used for its citrusy scent.
Citric Acid contains high levels of Vitamin, Folic Acid and Vitamin B, as well as minerals like magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. It is an alpha hydroxy acid used in personal care products to adjust the acidity or promote skin peeling and re-growth in the case of anti-aging products.
Citronellol is a fragrance ingredient which has a citrus, grassy scent.
Sunflower seed oil is a skin-conditioning and emollient agent that is high in antioxidants. The linoleic acid in this oil helps the skin to retain its moistures by strengthening the protective barrier.
Limonene is a naturally occuring compound found in citrus fruits which can be used to make fragrances in cosmetics.
Linalool has a floral smell similar to bergamot oil and French lavender. It is a natural ingredient used for fragrancing cosmetics and skincare products.
Tocopheryl Acetate is a form of vitamin E, a natural skin-conditioning agent and antioxidant but is more stable and less acidic than pure vitamin E. It is the most readily absorbed member of the vitamin E family.
Capric Triglyceride is a gentle texture enhancer which helps to give off a silky smooth finish – even for those with sensitive skin. It also reinforces the protective barrier to keep moisture locked in.
Dicaprylyl Carbonate is a diester which is often used in sunscreens as it makes the formula easier to spread. When applied, it moisturises the skin and creates a smooth, soft texture.
Eugenol is a fragrance ingredient which is used for its clove-like scent.
Soybean oil provides lipids to the skin to make it softer and smoother and to prevent moisture loss. It also fights off free radicals and promotes the production of healthy skin.
Sweet almond oil penetrates the skin to get rid of dirt and impurities, it also protects the skin from sun damage. It contains Linolenic Acid which has skin-restoring properties to improves skin concerns.
Sesame Seed oil reinforces the skins barrier and prevents the loss of water by creating a barrier on the skin’s surface.
Jojoba oil is a moisturising agent which has a long-lasting moisturising effect on the skin. It has no scent and is perfect for those with sensitive skin as it is a gentle ingredient.
Tocopherol, also known as Vitamin E, it protects the skin from damage caused by free radicals. It soothes irritated skin and has the ability to reinforce the skins protective barrier.
Apply 2 or 3 drops of Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil all over your face as the last step in your skincare routine. Slowly and gently massage it into any problem dry areas as needed.
- Cleanser
- Masks and Exfoliators
- Toner
- Treatment Products (acne, antioxidant serums, acids, retinols/retinoids)
- Mists
- Serum
- Moisturiser
- Eye Cream
- Oil – Use as your last product before going to bed.
See Skincare Routine Guide for more info.
First Thoughts
My first thoughts was that there’s a lot of oils in the ingredients list which are perfect for soothing the skin, and helping moisturise the skin deeply. I’m truly excited to see if it helps improve dry patches and eczema as it’s so focused on hydrating and protecting the skin after use.
My big worry with The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil is that there are a few fragrance ingredients, and some are citrus-based. These could potentially react badly with my sensitive skin, and so I won’t be adding this immediately into an everyday routine but I will try using it every few days in case I react badly to it.
During Use
After I apply my moisturiser, I’ve been enjoying using this Serum-in-oil as it often acts similar to an emoillient cream. As you apply it, the thickness of the oil helps make your skin feel protected as it takes time to absorb. My only issue with this is you can’t do your routine literally right before bed as I didn’t want the oil to get on my pillow and hair.
I was using it after FAB Ultra Repair Cream, and this worked wonders on my eczema and dry patches. With it being both moisturising and protective the dry patches were being hydrated and then weren’t getting irritated by anything afterwards so had time to heal up more.
Whilst I was worried that The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil had fragrances, the product didn’t seem to irritate my skin at all. With the other ingredients soothing the skin it could have been reducing irritation that could have occured as I was applying it which is great.
After Use
After using the Vit E Overnight Serum, it’s supposed to give you 8 hours of moisture as it fully sits on your skin (whilst sleeping!). However I found that it absorbed onto the skin quicker than that so you’re not rubbing oil on your bedding (which is good).
Whilst using oil may have worried me that my skin would look more oily, I actually found that I was avoiding turning greasy-looking in the mid-afternoon after using the overnight oil. If anything, it helped my skin stay looking matte whilst wearing makeup all day. This is probably down to dehyrdrated skin previously, and the oil genuinely helped hydrate it instead of creating a mask over the issue.
The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil helps you wake up with a more glow-like look with skin feeling refreshed and often so soft to the touch. The Vitamin E and other oils in this serum helps to soothe and get rid of any pimples very quickly as well, which is always a bonus to any skincare product in my mind.
Would I Re-Purchase The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil?
The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil is a great product, and has really helped improve how my skin looks day-to-day. I’m loving how hydrated my skin looks and that it’s helped reduce my oil production which caused me to look greasy by mid-afternoon. I would definitely pick this up again to use in my everyday routine.
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View Comments (20)
I don't even understand how I ended up here, but this is a great review! I love serumms in my routine
This is a great in depth review, thank you for looking into the ingredients and eveyrthing!
I always worry with overnight products. What is it like when not risning this off? How long do you have it on for befor bed?
You can be in bed within the hour without worrying about the oil rubbing off!
You mentioned having greasy skin, does that mean you have oily skin? I don't know whether I should add more oil or not :/
I have combination (Sometimes oily and sometimes dry!). I would say try adding an oil into your routine to see if the issue you have is overproduction of oil due to your skin not being hydrated enough. IF it gets worse then you can try something else, but that's normally an issue with oily skin and oils and moisturisers can help😊
Wonderful blog!
I love this serum! I used to have super red skin and now it's cleared up and glowing;)
Great post.
Is Vitamin E noncomedogenic? With it being so oily I don't want it to clog my pores! But otherwise it is good that it helps hydrate and soothes the skin. xx
So most of the oil ingredients within Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil are noncomedogenic which should be good! I don't think it's clogged my pores when using an I thiknk it actually helped any pimples I had heal faster! xx
Great review. Thanks! x
Big thank you for this review, I've recently picked the body shop vitamin e serum up but I'm sure whether to use it as well as a serum?
Nope! It's got serum ingredients in this so you can skip your serum step and apply this at the end of your skincare routine in place of an oil 😄