SOYBEAN OIL

Description: SOYBEAN OIL — EMOLLIENT, SKIN CONDITIONING.

All Functions: EMOLLIENT, SKIN CONDITIONING

Quick Facts:

• Category: emollient
• Also Known As: GLYCINE SOJA OIL
• Comedogenic Rating: 3/5

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Black soybean oil showed anti-inflammatory effects in a mouse study of atopic dermatitis, with best results when combined with another ingredient
• Soybean oil is used in skincare formulations for protection and moisturization
• Soybean oil itself does not trigger allergic reactions in people with soybean allergies, according to a clinical study
• Soybean oil can be formulated into nanoemulsions and microcapsules for cosmetic delivery

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🧪 SOYBEAN OIL

SOYBEAN OIL

CAS Number: 8001-22-7

Also Known As: GLYCINE SOJA OIL

Category: emollient

Soybean oil

SOYBEAN OIL is an emollient ingredient used in skincare formulations.

🌍 Regulatory Status

📊 Comedogenicity

3/5

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Here’s what the research actually shows about soybean oil in skincare:

#1: Anti-inflammatory potential in eczema-like conditions. Black soybean oil (BSO) was tested in mice with DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis, a condition that mimics eczema symptoms. When applied topically for 20 days, BSO reduced skin thickness, mast cell infiltration (immune cells involved in inflammation), and overall dermatitis severity (Front Pharmacol, 2025). The mechanism appears to involve suppressing proinflammatory cytokines and dampening the HDAC3/NF-κB signaling pathway—essentially, the oil seemed to calm down inflammatory signaling in the skin. However, note this was tested in mice, not humans, so results may not directly translate.

#2: Moisturizing and protective function. Soybean oil is recognized as a common ingredient in topical formulations specifically chosen for skin protection and moisturization (Int J Cosmet Sci, 2018). The research examined how well soybean oil penetrates skin layers in laboratory models and found it does permeate into skin tissue, though the study focused on penetration kinetics rather than measuring moisturizing benefit directly. #3: Safety for people with soybean sensitivity. A clinical study enrolled seven people with documented soybean allergies (who had experienced systemic reactions like hives and swelling after eating soy) and gave them oral challenges with commercially available soybean oils (J Allergy Clin Immunol, 1985).

Despite having elevated IgE antibodies to soybean proteins in their blood, none experienced allergic reactions to any of the three soybean oils tested. This suggests the allergenic proteins are removed or not present in refined soybean oil products used cosmetically. Limitations: The anti-inflammatory evidence comes only from animal studies, not human trials. The cosmetic formulation research (Sources 4 and 5) describes manufacturing techniques for soybean oil nanoemulsions and microcapsules but does not evaluate their skincare efficacy—these are technical papers about delivery methods, not benefits.

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

Derived from this ingredient’s irritancy potential and comedogenicity rating against the needs of each skin type — e.g. oily and acne-prone skin are marked down for pore-clogging ingredients, sensitive skin for irritants. A starting heuristic, not a dermatological verdict.

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

🧴 Products Containing SOYBEAN OIL

• Roots of strength body shop
• Idraet Pro Reti-C Retinol & Vitamin C
• Slick Gorilla Clay Pomade
• La-roche-posay Nutritic Lèvres – soin transformation lèvres desséchées
• Dove gel de ducha
• Unilever, Dove Dove Gel Douche Surgras Huile et Crème 750ml Lot de 2
• Lavandin Concoction apaisante Shampooing
• Unilever, Dove Dove Gel Douche Surgras Argan 2x750ml
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Elvital Maske Full Resist Power 680ml
• Unilever, Dove Dove Gel Douche Surgras à l’Huile d’Argan 750ml
• Unilever, Dove Protection surgras douche soin nourrissante
• Unilever, Dove Dove Gel Douche Surgras Huile et Crème 400ml
• Unilever, Dove Dove Gel Douche Nutrition Intense 400ml Lot de 2
• Unilever, Dove Dove Gel Douche Soin Infusée à l’Huile d’Argan Lot 2x400ML
• Unilever Norge AS Shower Gel Deeply Nourishing 450 ml
• Garnier Ultra Doux Shampooing doux apaisant délicatesse d’avoine
• Dove Pampering Shea Butter & Vanilla
• Dove dove
• Dove Deep Moisture Nourishing Body Wash
• Maui Moisture Shea butter hair mask

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Chen R et al. (2025). Oxytropis falcata bunge extract combined with black soybean oil ameliorates DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin inflammation. Front Pharmacol.
• Intarakumhaeng R et al. (2018). In vitro skin penetration of petrolatum and soybean oil and effects of glyceryl monooleate. Int J Cosmet Sci.
• Bush RK et al. (1985). Soybean oil is not allergenic to soybean-sensitive individuals. J Allergy Clin Immunol.
• Xu J et al. (2023). Nanoemulsification of soybean oil using ultrasonic microreactor: Process optimization, scale-up and numbering-up in series. Ultrason Sonochem.
• Cimino R et al. (2021). Ultrasound-Assisted Microencapsulation of Soybean Oil and Vitamin D Using Bare Glycogen Nanoparticles. Molecules.