If consumed in moderation, olive oil can be a delicious and healthy monosaturated fat, but when it comes to our face, it’s a totally different situation! So, what about Jennifer Lopez’s olive oil skincare routine? Does it work? Well, first off, we need to address that she did not get her glowing skin from olive oil. As you may know, Jennifer Lopez has a line that is based on selling overpriced olive oil products. But, aside from the hype, let’s figure out what’s really going on. As an acne-prone person who has struggled with acne her entire and a medical esthetician who’s worked alongside derms, the most important thing to her is what’s in the products, who they’re going to work for, and if they're worth the money. Of course, we don’t want to spend more money than we have to for efficacious skincare. So, let’s analyze, scrutinize, and learn what Jennifer Lopez puts on her skin, including her olive oil skincare line.
Is olive oil really good for the skin?
J Lo says that her love for olive oil came from her childhood. She conveys, “When I was young, my mom, my grandma, and aunts all had these crazy, beauty secrets. One was olive oil, and that’s how we came to make the olive oil complex.”
This kind of sounds like a marketing story. We love JLo, and she is extraordinarily beautiful, talented, and intelligent, but we shouldn’t be chasing the ingredients that celebrities promote unless they actually have science to back it up. It’s very easy for celebrities to slap their face on something, sell it, and make a lot of money.
If you actually look at the composition of olive oil, it’s made up of oleic and linoleic which isn’t always the best for skin. Some studies have shown oleic acid to cause skin barrier disruption when applied topically. Our skin has a natural barrier and acid mantle. You could think of an acid mantle as a moat around a castle. Your acid mantle is a watery oily substance that keeps things away from your skin. The acid mantle is also a moisture barrier that can disrupt the skin’s barrier, meaning it can keep things out. Oleic acid has also been linked to dermatitis which is skin irritation.
Many things can cause skin irritation, and this does not mean olive oil is the worst of the worst. But, if you have other options such as squalane and jojoba oil. It’s probably better to go with something like jojoba or squalane oil. Squalane is created by the skin and jojoba oil mimics what our skin creates. Rather than squalane or jojoba, JLOs cleanser specifically has the JLo olive complex. This is something that a team of marketers created, gave a new name, and tried to sell us on when it probably costs pennies to produce. The cleanser has extra virgin olive oil and olive leaf extract for moisturization
The Cleanser
For a cleanser, J Lo uses her “Hit Single Cream Cleanser.” She says, “I have to wear so much makeup all the time, and I often reapply it. So, I need something that really washes and cleanses my face.”
JLo continues, ”I’ve always had a simple skincare routine, and JLo beauty is very much about that. I’ve always simply used a cleanser, a little bit of cream, and sunscreen.”
By the way, is there a filter on this video? There is so much pressure on people, especially women so it’s definitely understandable why a celebrity would want to show up perfectly. But whenever we’re talking about skincare, especially when we’re trying to see how a product works, don’t filter the video. It could be the editors, but when reviewing a skincare routine. it’s important to actually see what the skin looks like.
JLo Beauty That Hit Single Gel Cream Cleanser -$38
Let’s take a look at what the cleanser has. They claim that the cleanser is sulfate-free, antioxidant-rich, and a one-wash cleanser that delivers a brighter, more clear, radiant, and refined, soft face. The “hit single” cleanser is also described as non-comedogenic, however there is no definition for comedogenicity. Just because something works for one person doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for others. There is no surefire to say that something is “non-comedogenic.”
This cleanser also has some coconut fruit extract and fragrance. When it comes to the rest of the ingredients, there’s a small number of glycolipids as well as salicylic acid. And when you look at the bulk of the formula, a lot of it is glycerin which is a nice humectant. The cleanser also has cocamidopropyl betaine, coco glucoside, and propanediol. These can have an oily texture and can be very hydrating to the skin. So, overall this cleanser is not bad, but Cassandra wouldn’t really spend money on this. Plus. there are cleansers you can get without olive oil.
If you’re a fan of Jennifer Lopez, and you want to support the brand, go for it. But as for Cassandra, she would pass.
Step 2: The Serum
JLo Beauty That JLo Glow Serum with Olive Complex -$79
For $80, the is 1 oz of product, not even 1.7 ounces. This is a tiny amount of product. This serum has the JLo Beauty Olive Complex which could cause some barrier disruption. We have a Japanese rice sake ferment and a sugar-derived matrix or peptide which tightens the skin. The full ingredient list reads water, butylene glycol, and galactomyces ferment filtrate which is a prebiotic. A prebiotic is basically a dead bacteria that supports the skin. The serum also has squalane. As mentioned before, squalane is a great oil to put on your skin.
It’s related to squalene which is naturally made by our skin. So, based on this, we can conclude that this is a serum heavy in oil content. But, so far, it seems a little better than the cleanser. This also has olive leaf oil and mica, a glitter. We love a glitter moment, but why are we putting glitter in our skincare? If we want to see if our skin brightens after using this product it’s important to see that it works.
If you wash off the glitter, the effects go away like makeup. Cassandra does like a few of the other ingredients like niacinamide, oligosaccharides, and camellia sinensis leaf extract. There is also honey in the serum. And while Cassandra couldn’t sample the product because of that, honey can have antimicrobial properties. The serum doesn’t seem terrible but comes off as an oily, glitter serum. Additionally, there is carmine, a dye ingredient that comes from crushed-up, red beetles.
So, all in all, this serum comes across as oily and glittery. It’s not truly a must-have when brands like Biossance and Dermalogica exist. Squalane is the foundation of Biossance formulas. Biossance’s products are amazing and skin barrier supportive. Dermalogica is another great brand if you’re looking for skin barrier support.
It’s great to put serum underneath your eyes to get all of those skincare benefits.
Biossance Squalane + Peptide Brightening & Depuffing Eye Gel -$56
Dermalogica BioLumin C Eye Serum - $69
If you want something brightening, you could buy this get more product for the money.
The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane -$8.30
You could also get this from The Ordinary. Based on medical science, Cassandra would say that a retinoid in squalane is probably better than olive oil for lifting, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, and glow.
Step 3: Moisturizer and SPF
Her next step is a cream with sunscreen. JLo says, “I feel like wearing sunscreen over the years has been the most helpful.” We love JLO is educating others about sunscreen and took to the time to formulate a moisturizing sunscreen. Not only does sunscreen prevent melanoma, but it prevents excessive fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and pigmentation. Cassandra loves that she formulated SPF into this moisturizer, and she likes it.
That JLo Glow That Big Screen Moisturizer with SPF 30 - $54
This is the big screen 50 moisturizer. Cassandra loves the name, but the packaging kind of looks like one of those gaudy plastic pieces of costume jewelry that we used to wear and dress up with as a kid. Plus, it’s $50. And guess what’s in it? Olive oil. The purpose of a moisturizer is to protect the skin and impart hydration like water into the skin. Moisturizers are meant to protect your skin from the outside world. They’re meant to support your skin’s barrier and deliver active ingredients. That is why Cassandra doesn’t like to see the olive oil. However, this moisturizer does have hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Humectants hold on and grab onto water. Hyaluronic is a glycosaminoglycan and when formulated into a product with water, it binds to the water very well. There’s also licorice root and marine bamboo (how is this different from regular bamboo?) This ingredient kind of sounds like marketing, but at least this has sunscreen.
Moreover, there is glycerin, caprylic triglyceride, cetearyl alcohol, and stearate PG which are very basic moisturizing ingredients, but they do work. Next, there is hydrolyzed vegetable protein and licorice. Licorice is fantastic because it can help with dark marks and uneven pigmentation of the skin. Furthermore, there’s calming camellia sinensis extract, palmitoyl tripeptide 10, a tetrapeptide number 14. Peptides are little strings of amino acids.
You can think of amino acids as pearls on a necklace. And when introduced into the skin, they can have cellular signaling properties that stimulate your skin cells to do different things such as wound healing, decrease inflammation, or create more collagen. The science behind peptides is not as robust as what we know about retinoids or sunscreen, but this product is good. This is Cassandra’s favorite product from the line, and at least there’s no glitter or fragrance.
This sunscreen is a blend of mineral and chemical sunscreen, and it’s an SPF 30. You’ll have to reapply often if used alone, but this is very wonderful.
Lip Balm
Jlo uses the La Mer lip balm. What is up with celebrities and La Mer? JLO says that she loves its lightness and spearmint scent. But when it comes to lip balms, as long as you like it, if it doesn’t make your lips peel, and it doesn’t make your lips feel irritated, keep using it.
Step 5: Eye cream
JLo Beauty That Fresh Take Eye Cream -$48
During her skincare routine, we noticed that JLo put her eye cream as the last and after her sunscreen and moisturizer. Putting on eye cream as the last step may prevent it from penetrating the skin properly since moisturizers and sunscreens are a barrier. Likewise, eye creams should be used around the serum step. However, JLO does put the sunscreen all over her face though which is good because an eye cream is just a moisturizer.
This eye cream contains cyclopentasaloxone which is a good ingredient for moisturizers, and it has diemethicone which is also related. Cetyl alcohol is another listed ingredient that’s moisturizing. This eye cream also offers niacinamide, glycerin, biosaccharide, olive leaf extract, and caffeine. There is a biosaccharide, and there’s caffeine. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it makes blood vessels constrict. However, this is not worth $50
All of the products that JLO uses in this skincare routine are from her own brand. But, whenever someone, especially a celebrity says, “This is the only brand they use, and that’s how they got glowing skin,” it’s probably not the case. It’s normal to mix and match things from different brands to create a skincare brand that works for you. Even if you love a brand, there will probably be one product that is not a slam dunk for you.
Just keep in mind that there is currently an onslaught of celebrities selling things based on who they are in the media. So, if you’re ever struggling with your skin, and you buy a celebrity skincare line, but upon using it, your skin still doesn’t look like theirs or gets irritated, don’t feel bad because it’s not you.