No. 344

All Ingredients: Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil

• Incidecoder Rating: Goodie
• EWG Rating: 1 (Best)
• PETA Rating: Cruelty Free & Vegan
• Origin: Cold pressed from black cumin seeds, sustainably grown in India.

Honest Research

The (fixed or non-volatile) oil coming from the black seeds of Nigella Sativa, a smallish (20-30 cm) flowering plant native to Southwest Asia. The seed has a very complex chemical composition (it contains both fixed and volatile oil) and is used traditionally for a bunch of "anti-something" abilities including antitumor, antidiabetic, antihistaminic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. In middle-eastern medicinal literature, black cumin seed has been referred as "a healing seed for all diseases except death”.  

As for modern research and chemical composition, the fixed oil from the seeds is rich in skin-nourishing unsaturated fatty acids (mainly linoleic acid at 50 – 60% and oleic acid at 20%, but also contains some rare ones like C20:2 arachidic and eicosadienoic acids), amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. A component called thymoquinone (it's the main component of the volatile oil part, but the fixed oil also contains some) is considered to give the seed its main therapeutic properties including strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities.

 As for black seed oil and cosmetics, the oil is great to nourish and moisturize the skin and is highly recommended to treat inflammatory skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema.

Some proof

• Ali, B. H., and Gerald Blunden. "Pharmacological and toxicological properties of Nigella sativa." Phytotherapy Research 17.4 (2003): 299-305.
• Amin, Bahareh, and Hossein Hosseinzadeh. "Black cumin (Nigella sativa) and its active constituent, thymoquinone: an overview on the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects." Planta Medica 82.01/02 (2016): 8-16.

When to use

At night, before sleeping.

How to apply

Apply 2-3 drops and wait for 3-4 minutes for your skin to absorb. Repeat this until you find excess on your skin. Use a damp cloth to remove the excess.

Frequency of use

If your concern is severe, use every night. Otherwise, use every alternate night.

Safe to use during

• Menstrual pain
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Menopause

Use with other products

Mix 1 drop of every product on your palm, rub your palms, and apply the mixture. Wait for 3-4 minutes for your skin to absorb. Repeat this until you find excess on your skin. Use a damp cloth to remove the excess.

Best practices

• Keep away from children
• Patch test before use
• For external use only

Consult your doctor

For frequency of use, if you are being treated for

• Dermatitis or eczema
• Third-degree burns
• Skin cancer

Afterlife

Re-use the bottle, or empty the glass bottle and place in the recycling bin.