Experts have warned against the latest social media skincare fad that’s said to have more potent anti-wrinkle effects than Botox — claiming it can lead to unsightly fungal infections.
Tiktok is flooded with clips of young women who swear by slathering their faces in castor oil – a thick, odorless oil made from the seeds of the castor plant.
Some say the viscous substance has wiped their forehead wrinkles in a matter of weeks, while others claim they’ve completely cleared their acne by massaging palmfuls into their cheeks at night.
One Instagram video featuring a young woman smearing the product on her face and lauding its benefits has raked in more than 2 million views.
‘I used to have deep-set frown lines and now I don’t. That is the beauty of castor oil,’ she said.
But experts and other social media users are now hitting back against the trend, claiming it can lead to a range of nasty side effects.
A forum posted on the social media site Reddit titled ‘castor oil has ruined my skin’ has attracted hundreds of commentors.
‘After seeing castor oil trending as an anti-ageing product I tried it out and liked it at first,’ wrote one user.
‘After about two weeks it ended up triggering the worst case of fungal acne I’ve ever had to deal with.
‘My skin is currently covered in fungal acne, super dry and itchy from treating it, and breaking out in regular acne from the dryness.
‘If you’re thinking of using castor oil on your face or currently using it, I would seriously reconsider.’
Fungal acne is when the hair follicles on the face become infected with a yeast called Malassezia. It often presents as a rash with clusters of bumps and is usually itchy, unlike regular acne.
Another Reddit user said that they had to take a course of Accutane – a powerful prescription drug used to treat acne – after applying castor oil to their face.
‘Tried it for two weeks. Got loads of whiteheads that need squeezing out. Not had pimples like this since I was 14. ugh,’ wrote another commenter.
In a particularly graphic case, one user using the liquid for its supposed hair growth properties said they developed the skin condition dermatitis.
‘I tried using it for hair growth on some thinner spots of hair and my eyebrows and instead broke out in a rash that felt like a severe burn on my scalp,’ they wrote.
‘Similar rash on my eyebrows/forehead. It’s in damn near everything too, so many lip oils and masks and glosses I can’t use because it my lips just dry up and flake and peel, and my lip line gets full of clogged pores and whiteheads from castor oil.
‘I borrowed a friend’s sunscreen stick not knowing one of the main ingredients was castor oil and paid dearly for it.’
Dermatologists say that while the thick oil may work well as a moisturiser for some, it could clog pores and cause nasty, angry breakouts.
According to dermatologist Dr Shereene Idriss, applying the oil to the face also comes with a risk of folliculitis — blocked, infected hair follicles.
‘Plus, if you have hormonal acne, it’s never going to clear that up because that’s an internal issue,’ she added in a TikTok video.
Experts also warn that the thickness of the substance can cause dead skin cells to become trapped under the surface of the skin through miniscule cuts. This leads to what’s known as milia — tiny white cysts that appear under the eyes.
‘Using castor oil on the skin around your eyebrows can exacerbate milia,’ US-based dermatologist Dr Lily Talakoub told Cosmopolitan.
Becoming allergic to castor oil is ‘relatively common’ according to Dr Andrea Suarez, a US-based dermatologist. ‘Some people get hives and itching,’ she added in a recent clip posted to her TikTok channel.
Castor oil is a monounsaturated fatty acid rich in ricinoleic acid, which contributes to its moisturising properties.
In ancient Egypt, it became popular for its supposed medicinal qualities in treating eye irritation — Cleopatra is said to have used it in her hair and to brighten the whites of her eyes.
But will it really help to beat wrinkles?
No, says Dr Suarez. ‘It’s not going to remove wrinkles,’ she says. ‘But it will improve the appearance of wrinkles [in the same way that] anything that is moisturising will.’
Meanwhile, Dr Alice Rudd, a dermatologist based at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, described the trend as ‘ridiculous’.
‘I’m here to tell you castor oil has zero evidence in anti-ageing. It hasn’t ever had any good evidence to suggest that it helps wrinkles.’
A trend known as naval pulling – which saw influencers pouring castor oil into their belly buttons to draw out toxins and decrease bloating – was debunked by doctors after it gained traction earlier this year.
The oil has been proven to have a powerful laxative effect, however, having been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as an over-the-counter remedy for that purpose.
Side effects from consuming the oil include abdominal cramps, vomiting, bloating and dizziness.
