Ever left a skin treatment, like laser hair removal or microneedling, only for your skin to feel slightly… irritated?

From calendula to collodial oatmeal, there are many skincare ingredients often praised for their ability to soothe a red, irritated complexion but one you may not hear much about is azulene oil. Hailed by skincare experts for its skin-calming benefits, azulene oil also takes on a soothing appearance, thanks to its blue hue.

So what exactly does it do and which skin types are best placed to use it?

Here, Dr Toni Phillips, group medical director at DestinationSkin, explains all you need to know.

What is azulene oil?

“Azulene oil is a botanical essential oil derived from a type of chamomile plant.”

What are the benefits of azulene oil?

“As a pure form of essential oil, it is rich in antioxidants and has potent anti-inflammatory properties. This means that when applied to the skin, it has a calming, soothing effect and can quickly reduce redness, itchiness and burning sensations. It can be a useful remedy for blemishes in dry skin types.

“Azulene oil also offers antimicrobial benefits, much like tea tree oil and for this reason, it is mostly used as a post-procedure product after skin treatments such as laser hair reduction, microneedling, photodynamic therapy (such as IPL), other laser skin treatments and beauty treatments such as waxing and depilation.”

Which skin types are best suited to azulene oil?

“Azulene oil as part of a daily skin care routine is best for very dry skin types only, and really only to address the occasional blemish or irritation, such as rash. Everyone else should only use it as a post-procedure calming agent and only on areas of skin that are not prone to enlarged pores.”

Are there any skin types that should avoid it?

“Like most oil products, azulene oil is comodogenic which means it can block pores and cause congestion. For this reason, it is not recommended for oily skin types with enlarged or problematic pores, but can be used for everyone on parts of the body where pores are not an issue.”

Are there any side effects to azulene oil?

“Anyone who has sensitivity to plants and in particular chamomile flowers or plants in the daisy family may have an allergy to Azulene oil. If any irritation occurs, the product should be stopped immediately and not used again.”

Main image: courtesy of brands