Trendy skincare ingredients come and go (and sometimes come and go again). But one ingredient that has had a skincare boom lately just might have some staying power. “Plum oil is highly moisturizing (but also non-greasy), says Courtney Hixon, a cosmetic chemist and consumer behavior scientist in Houston, TX.
It’s that perfect balance of hydration without the over-shine that may explain how in 2019 alone, sales of plum kernel oil reached over $167 million. And they’re estimated to grow to over $231 million by 2024, according to a report from market research company Fior Markets.
But what exactly is it, and how does it work? We asked dermatologists for the scoop on plum oil, how to use it on chronic skin, and some of the best products you should invest in.