What Are Phototoxic Essential Oils?

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Essential Oils

So, you may be asking what are "Phototoxic" Essential Oils?  Basically, phototoxicity also known as photosensitization, occurs when certain essential oils are used either in products, carrier oils, or neat that have specific compounds within them that cause excess sun burn or damage to skin when used in conjunction with ultra violet light exposure.

Citrus

The compound that ties each of the phototoxic  essential oils together is a terpene called furanocoumarin.  It is this constituent that when on the skin acts almost like a prism, bringing more ultra violet light to the skin surface.  In turn, this makes the skin much more susceptible to burning, and ultimately skin cell damage.   Furanoides are found in the leaves and seeds of many plants but as with those in the citrus family it is most commonly found in the rinds of the fruit.  Furanocoumarins help citrus fruit to ripen and maximize the sugar content in each piece of fruit.

List of Phototoxic Essential Oils:

angelica root

anise

bergamot

cassia

cumin

fennel

ginger

grapefruit (cold pressed)

lemon

lime (cold expressed not steam distilled)

lovage

mandarin

orange (unless "folded")

opopanax

verbena

To learn more about "folded" essential oils visit us here, next week at BEAUTIFUL YOU