PRODUCT REVIEW
Coconut Oil
The eczema evidence is real and better than you would expect. It is also comedogenic, feeds fungal acne, and is emphatically not a sunscreen.
Key facts
Coconut Oil at a glance.
Lauric and myristic fatty acids
Key active
Solid oil that melts on skin
Texture
Eczema on the body — not the face
Best for
$8–$13
Approximate price
14 oz
Size
$7.49
Price
Moisturizer
Type
What is it?
Top things to know about Coconut Oil
- Virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil is a single-ingredient food oil, solid at room temperature, sold in a 14 oz jar for about $8 to $13. On skin it is a body moisturizer. It is not a sunscreen, not a treatment, and not a face product for anyone who breaks out.
- There is one thing on the ingredient list: Cocos nucifera oil. Lauric acid makes up about half of it, myristic acid next, and those two fats are why it is solid in the jar and melts the moment it touches skin — and why it smells strongly of coconut, stays shiny, and marks sheets.
A decent body moisturizer for eczema, and a poor face product. Its fats slow water loss, and in children with eczema it beat mineral oil — but those same fats feed Malassezia, the yeast behind fungal acne and dandruff. Keep it below the neck. It is not a sunscreen, and using it as one will get you burned.
— Dr. Schwarz
Skin fit
Is it right for your skin?
Eczema
Eczema-prone skin loses water through the surface fast, and the fats that should slow that loss are in short supply. Coconut oil seals the surface, and in a trial in children it cut eczema severity scores more than mineral oil did. In an adult trial it also cut Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium that colonizes eczematous skin and drives flares. Body only.
Dry Skin
One ingredient, a few cents an application, and a good coat over rough shins, elbows and forearms after a shower. If the dryness is severe, plain Vaseline seals better.
Fungal Acne
Malassezia is a yeast that cannot make its own fats, so it feeds on the ones on your skin. Most plant oil fatty acids are the kind it can use, and coconut oil is mostly lauric and myristic acid. It makes fungal acne, seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff worse. Petrolatum and squalane are safer — the yeast cannot eat them.
Acne
A poor match on the face. It is rated highly comedogenic, meaning it blocks the pore opening. That rating comes from an old, weak rabbit-ear test, so do not oversell it — but the clinical consensus is consistent. It breaks out acne-prone faces.
Texture
What it feels like on skin.
Oil
Solid and waxy in the jar, melting into a thin oil the moment it touches skin. Greasy, and it stays shiny for a long time. It marks clothing, sheets and towels, so use it at night or after a shower. It smells strongly of coconut. Virgin and cold-pressed means more smell, not less. Refined coconut oil smells of almost nothing if that is the problem.
Alternatives
If this isn’t the right product for you
Vaseline
The benchmark occlusive, for a few dollars. It does not clog pores on its own, and Malassezia cannot feed on it.
CeraVe Healing Ointment
46.5% petrolatum with ceramides, and CeraVe states it is lanolin-free. Made for cracked and irritated skin.
Aquaphor
41% petrolatum, the more useful product in most cabinets. It contains lanolin alcohol, so check it if ointments have irritated you before.
Ingredients
Full ingredient list.
How to use it
How to use it.
How to apply it
- How muchA small scoop, warmed between the palms until it melts, then smoothed over the area.
- WhereBody only. Keep it off an acne-prone face, and off the chest, back and scalp if you get fungal acne, seborrheic dermatitis or dandruff.
- CarefulIt is not a sunscreen. The natural SPF 8 figure comes from lab dishes, not people, and using it for sun protection will get you burned.
What to expect
- What to expectSkin feels less tight the same day. In the eczema trials, severity scores improved over about four weeks. It does not cure eczema.
Questions
Common questions.
Is coconut oil good for eczema?
On the body, yes. Trials show it can reduce severity and water loss.
Can I use Coconut Oil on my face?
Not if you are acne-prone. It is comedogenic and tends to cause breakouts.
Does Coconut Oil work as sunscreen?
No. The "SPF 8" claim comes from lab dishes, not people. Using it for sun protection will get you burned.
Is Coconut Oil safe for dandruff or fungal acne?
No. Its fatty acids feed the yeast that drives these conditions.
Does Coconut Oil cure eczema?
No. Trials show symptoms improving, not the condition going away.
References
Sources.
- 1. The effect of topical virgin coconut oil on SCORAD index, transepidermal water loss, and skin capacitance in mild to moderate pediatric atopic dermatitis: a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24320105/) — This randomized double-blind trial of 117 children found virgin coconut oil cut SCORAD eczema severity by 68.23% vs 38.13% for mineral oil and reduced transepidermal water loss more, backing the page's eczema-efficacy and skin-barrier claims (DOI: 10.1111/ijd.12339). Link
- 2. Novel antibacterial and emollient effects of coconut and virgin olive oils in adult atopic dermatitis (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19134433/) — This double-blind randomized adult trial found that of 26 virgin coconut oil subjects, 20 were Staphylococcus aureus positive at baseline and only 1 remained positive after 4 weeks, significantly better than virgin olive oil, backing the page's claim about coconut oil reducing S. aureus that colonizes eczematous skin. Link
- 3. Novel antibacterial activity of monolaurin compared with conventional antibiotics against organisms from skin infections: an in vitro study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17966176/) — This in vitro study shows monolaurin, a coconut lauric-acid derivative, has broad-spectrum activity against Staphylococcus aureus and other skin-infection organisms with no observed resistance, supporting the mechanistic claim that coconut oil's lauric fatty acids act against the bacterium that drives eczema flares. Link