Seven Botanical Oils in Our Zinc Serum
The Zinc Serum combines seven botanical oils that help nourish, hydrate, and protect the skin alongside zinc. This article explores the research-backed benefits of each oil and how they support healthy, glowing skin.
- Written by Siani Manor (Slush Bubbles)
I love being outside and exploring, but so does the summer sun and those intense UV rays. Living in Las Vegas means the UV Index is often in the "Very High" to "Extreme" range, so protecting my skin has become just as important as planning my next adventure.
Last summer, I am not gonna lie to you guys, since y’all are my friends, I did absolutely nothing last summer. So of course, when this summer came around, I over booked myself, got all the cute sleeveless tops you could find and started doing my research for a good sunscreen and I stumbled onto the Zinc Serum. I started using zinc because my skin was having a bad reaction to a new deodorant I tried, and I’ve been using it as a sunscreen ever since.
I love makeup, sunscreens, and of course, skin care to be skin-care first-focused: good shine, excellent feeling, interacts with my body well, and feeds the skin. This is the type of product that can seamlessly ease into your skincare routine the way that it did to mine.
What I love most is that the Zinc Serum doesn't just help to protect my skin from UV exposure—it also feels like skincare. While non-nano zinc oxide works as the mineral UV filter, the botanical oils help to keep my skin feeling soft, nourished, and hydrated. Don’t take my word for it, let’s look at the ingredients: Sunflower oil, Avocado oil , Jojoba oil , Red Raspberry seed oil, Rosehip Oil, Carrot seed oil, and Vitamin E. All of the oils listed already sound so nourishing in and of themselves, but let’s dive a little deeper into why these oils were intentionally chosen to be a part of this nourishing sunscreen. We already know about Zinc: safe for sensitivity and has compounds that can soothe inflammation but the oils work wonders as well.
The seven oil hand picked for our zinc serum was intentional and rich with phytonutrients and all has the opportunity to be a blessing to the skin.
Sunflower Oil
When it comes to sunflower oil, this is one of those oils that feels simple but has so much to offer the skin. Sunflower oil is naturally rich in linoleic acid and vitamin E (Whitworth), which makes it a great emollient for helping the skin feel soft, nourished, and hydrated. I also love that it can support the skin barrier by helping to keep moisture in, which is especially important when you are spending time outside and your skin is dealing with environmental stressors. On top of this, it is a non-comedogenic oil, like most of the oils we have in our zinc serum(Whitworth).
Avocado Oil
The avocado itself is around 60% oil and the avocado oil has properties that may have the ability to severely increase collagen synthesis while also decreasing the number of inflammatory cells during the process of wound healing (Flores). Avocado oil is also an excellent emollient and anti-inflammatory for the skin (Shunatona).
Jojoba Oil
Jojoba, which during my time of research was one of my favorite oils to study, just because the way that the structure of the oil is different from other plant oil. Jojoba oil is not a triglyceride oil, which is a usual main component in any kind of vegetable oil, instead it is a liquid wax. And this wax has a unique similarity to human sebum (the natural oils that excrete from the body). Because of this, this is a likely reason that jojoba oil has been popular in topical skin preparations (Gruber, JV, et al.).
Red Raspberry Oil & Vitamin E
When I was working in the lab, and the red raspberry seed oil was introduced I just thought of it as a whimsical smell of good oil. Oh, how I underestimated this berry. Berries, even for digestion, are recognized as important sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.Red raspberry seed oil is packed with antioxidants, including vitamins A and E, along with naturally occurring plant compounds that may help support the skin against environmental stressors, including exposure to UV rays.(Ana Gledovic, Aleksandra Janosevic Lezaic, et al.).
Of course, due to my lack of knowledge, I underestimated how beneficial Vitamin A and E can be because it also is a broad spectrum protectant that has the possibility of protecting the skin against both UV-A and UV-B. This is where UV gets interesting. UV-A is associated with anti-aging because it affects the elastane in the skin and sun-induced skin aging. UV-B on the other hand is a form of sunburn and has strong links to certain types of skin cancers (Viškelis, Jonas; et al.). Even though it is an emollient (moisturizing treatment used to soothe and hydrate), the oil does not clog the pores and can encourage natural water retention within the cells.
Rosehip Oil
One of the most interesting things I learned while researching rosehip oil was that a recent study found it may help boost the SPF of a sunscreen formulation, with researchers reporting an SPF value of 11.4 in their experimental product (Azizoğlu, 2025). While rosehip oil isn't a substitute for sunscreen on its own, it contains bioactive compounds that have been associated with supporting collagen synthesis, helping reduce the appearance of UV-induced dark spots by influencing melanin production, and providing antibacterial properties that can support overall skin health (Oargă et al., 2025; Ilyasoglu, 2014).
Carrot Seed Oil
And then carrot seed oil. It is used in cosmetic preparations for fighting wrinkles and reducing age spots due to its formative action on epidermal cells.
What I love most about the Zinc line, but especially the Zinc Serum, is that you can include it into your (face) skincare and bodycare routine. I like to mix the Zinc Serum with my foundation when I wear makeup or even with my moisturizer. And for my bodycare, mixing the Zinc Serum with a body moisturizer is my number 1 hack for having that all day glow.
References
Ana Gledovic, Aleksandra Janosevic Lezaic, Veljko Krstonosic, Jelena Djokovic,
Ines Nikolicand Danica Bajuk-Bogdanovic. (2020). Low-energy nanoemulsions as carriers for red raspberry seed oil: Formulation approach based on Raman spectroscopy and textural analysis, physicochemical properties, stability and in vitro antioxidant/ biological activity. Gale, https://go-gale-com.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA621058171&v=2.1&it=r&u=unlv_main&p=AONE&aty=ip
Azizoglu, Sevil Seker. (2025). Evaluation of the sun protection factor of sunscreen
containing rosehip oil as a natural UV- Protective Agent. Journal of the Turkish Chemical Society, https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/5459214.
Diana Patricia Oargă (Porumb), Mihaiela Cornea-Cipcigan, Silvia Amalia
Nemeșand Mirela Irina Cordea. (2025). The Effectiveness of a Topical Rosehip Oil Treatment on Facial Characteristics : A Pilot Study on Wrinkles, UV Spots Reduction, Erythema Mitigation, and Age-Related Signs. Gale, https://go-gale-com.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA845743312&v=2.1&it=r&u=unlv_main&p=AONE&aty=ip.
Flores, Marcos; Saravia, Carolina; Vergara, Claudia E; Avila, Felipe; Valdés, Hugo;
Ortiz-Viedma, Jaime. (2019). Avocado Oil: Characteristics, Properties, and Applications. Proquest, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2549037698?accountid=3611&parentSessionId=dpRZlfNIhEXgLClAw6wbRCvUCZSmqFNYrhS3gl25ZhU%3D&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals#.
Gruber, JV, Terpakn N, Massard, S, Schwawrtz, A, Bojanowski, K. (2023). Passive
Enhancement of Retinol Skin Penetration by Jojoba Oil Measured Using the Skin Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeation Assay (Skin-PAMPA): A Pilot Study
Ilyasoglu, Huri. (2014). Characterization of Rosehip (Rosa canina L.) Seed and Seed
Oil. Taylor & Francis Online, https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/doi/full/10.1080/10942912.2013.777075#d1e134
Shalini Singh, Alka Lohani , Arun Kumar Mishra & Anurag Verma. (2018).
Formulation and evaluation of carrot seed oil-based cosmetic emulsions. Taylor & Francis, https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/doi/full/10.1080/14764172.2018.1469769#abstract
Shawahna, Ramzi. (2022). Effects of a grapeseed oil (Vitis vinifera L.) loaded
dermocosmetic nanoemulgel on biophysical parameters of facial skin: A split-face, blinded, placebo-controlled study. Wiley Online Library, https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/doi/full/10.1111/jocd.15161.
Shunatona, Brooke. (2024). Dermatologists Love Avocado Oil for Skin – Here’s
Why. Byrdie, https://www.byrdie.com/avocado-oil-for-skin-4846442.
Viškelis, Jonas; Viškelis, Pranas. (2021). Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) Seed Oil:
A Review. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2532402369?accountid=3611&parentSessionId=tef5RB30KHJVcGSyEgbGbr3vf2uCgIEbY%2BQQxEevhao%3D&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals.
Whitworth, Gerhard,RN. (2019). What’s Good ABout Sunflower Oil for Skin?
Healthline, https://www.healthline.com/health/sunflower-oil-for-skin#non-comedogenic