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Marula Oil
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed OilBarrier
African fruit-seed oil. High in oleic acid; rich, slow-absorbing, good for very dry skin.
What it does
Marula oil is heavily oleic-acid-dominant (~70%) with vitamin E and a pleasant skin feel. Best for dry to very dry skin types looking for a finishing oil layer. Not the best pick if you have fungal-acne-prone skin — high oleic content can feed malassezia. Generally non-comedogenic on its own, but the comedogenic-rating system has known reliability issues.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusFungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) is fed by fatty acids and esters with C11-C24 chain lengths. Many oils marketed as 'safe for acne-prone skin' make fungal acne worse. Squalane, MCT, and mineral oil are typically tolerated.Rubenstein 2014 · Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Pairs worth knowing
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