Why facial massage, cupping, and the right oil became the center of my skincare routine.
Most of what we’re told about anti-aging skips fascia entirely.
After years of experimenting, I became convinced that consistently massaging my scalp, face, neck, and décolleté was doing more for my face than most of the elaborate routines I had tried. I look less puffy when I do it. My features look more awake, and I hold less tension in my forehead and jaw. The effects are noticeable enough that massage has become the center of my routine rather than something I occasionally remember to do.
That meant I needed an oil that could actually support it.
Our Facial Cupping Set made the need even more obvious. Facial cups have to move continuously across well-oiled skin. Too little slip and they tug. Too much, or the wrong kind, and you are left coated in grease. I wanted enough glide to cup and massage my face, neck, and chest for a full ten minutes, but I also wanted the oil to absorb when I finished.
This is surprisingly difficult to find.
As a large-pored, somewhat acne-prone yet dehydrated kween, I am extremely particular about face oil. I do not believe acne-prone skin needs to avoid oil categorically. Sebum is an oil. But there is an enormous difference between an oil that leaves my skin calm and comfortable and one that announces itself through congestion the next morning.
It also needed to work with the rest of my life. I wanted to be able to layer it with other actives, put makeup over it without pilling, and use it year-round. I did not want a beautiful bottle of scented gloss that felt luxurious for thirty seconds and did very little after that.
The skin issues I was working with were pigmentation, uneven tone, fine lines, hormonal breakouts, redness, dullness, and a barrier that could become reactive when I overdid it. Not all at once, thankfully, but often enough that I was not interested in making five different products.
That is why I created The Herbalist’s Elixir Brightening Facial Oil. I wanted one oil that made facial massage and cupping easier, absorbed well enough to wear during the day, and addressed the pigmentation, redness, breakouts, and early signs of aging I was actually dealing with.
The base is hemp seed oil, olive-derived squalane, camellia seed oil, passionfruit seed oil, and a coconut-derived MCT.
Hemp seed oil is naturally high in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid involved in normal barrier function. Lower levels of linoleic acid have also been observed in the surface lipids of acne-prone skin. This does not make hemp seed oil an acne treatment, but it helps explain why it can work so well for skin that is both congested and dehydrated.
Squalane is the stable form of squalene, one of the lipids found naturally in sebum. It softens the skin and helps reduce moisture loss without leaving much residue. Camellia gives the formula its cushion. Passionfruit and MCT keep it from feeling heavy.
For redness and hormonal flares, I chose black cumin seed oil, copaiba, and holy basil. All three have long histories of use, and there is emerging research into their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity. I am careful here because traditional use is not the same as clinical proof, and the evidence is not equally strong for every botanical.
These were ingredients I had good reason to include, not miracle cures.
For uneven tone and the dullness that can follow inflammation, I added rosehip seed oil, amla, manjistha, and turmeric root oil.
Rosehip brings fatty acids and naturally occurring antioxidants. Amla and manjistha have been used in Ayurvedic skin preparations for centuries, and both are now being studied for activity related to oxidative stress and pigmentation. Turmeric root oil contains aromatic compounds called turmerones. It does not contain a meaningful amount of curcumin, despite how often research on curcumin gets casually applied to every ingredient with turmeric in the name.
The retinol question took the longest.
Retinoids have decades of research behind them. They can also cause peeling, stinging, purging, and a miserable adjustment period. Pregnancy and breastfeeding have occupied a substantial part of my adult life, and I did not want a retinoid to be the foundation of a routine I would repeatedly have to stop and reconsider.
Bakuchiol is often called a natural retinol alternative. Technically, it is not retinol and is not structurally related to it. The comparison comes from evidence that it affects some of the same pathways in skin.
In a randomized, double-blind trial, 44 people used either 0.5% bakuchiol twice a day or 0.5% retinol once a day for 12 weeks. Both groups saw improvements in wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. The bakuchiol group reported significantly less scaling and stinging.
It is one small study. Retinoids have far more evidence behind them. But it answered the question I cared about: could bakuchiol support visible improvements in tone and texture without demanding the same tolerance for irritation?
One important caveat: bakuchiol is commonly marketed as pregnancy-safe simply because it is not a retinoid, but adequate pregnancy and breastfeeding safety studies do not exist. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive, review the full ingredient list with your doctor or midwife.
The formula also contains vitamin E to protect the oils from oxidation. There is no separate synthetic fragrance blend. Its earthy, warm scent comes from the botanicals themselves, including jasmine, lavender, and sweet basil. Because aromatic botanicals can irritate very sensitive or compromised skin, please patch test it first.
On my skin, it absorbs completely. I can use enough for cupping or a proper massage, wait a minute, and apply makeup without rolling or separation. I usually apply it after a water-based serum, but on busy days it is my entire routine.
If your skin is very dry, you can use it as a sealing layer over your moisturizer. If you are using tretinoin, I highly recommend pairing it with a moisturizer over it and sealing everything in with the Herbalist's Elixir.
I have used this oil through pregnancy, postpartum hormonal chaos, and periods of stress that showed up on my face first. That is personal experience, not proof of pregnancy safety. It is also the most honest product review I can give: through years when almost everything about my skin and hormones changed, this is the product I keep using.
You do not need to practice facial cupping or gua sha to use Herbalist’s Elixir. A few drops pressed into damp skin is enough. But if you want to use it the way I do, pair it with the Facial Cupping Set. The oil was formulated to give the glass cups the slip they need across the face, neck, and décolleté, then absorb when you are finished.
Notes
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Dhaliwal S, Rybak I, Ellis SR, et al. “Prospective, randomised, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing.” British Journal of Dermatology. 2019;180(2):289–296. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29947134/
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Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. “Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018;19(1):70. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5796020/
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Ottaviani M, Camera E, Picardo M. “Lipid Mediators in Acne.” Mediators of Inflammation. 2010;2010:858176. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2943135/
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Orellana-Paucar AM, Machado-Orellana M, et al. “Pharmacological Profile, Bioactivities, and Safety of Turmeric Oil.” Molecules. 2022;27(16):5055. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9414992/