What Does a Face Oil Do? The Nourishing Lipids Behind Nutri-Elixir | Mavala UK

Mavala's Nutri-Elixir range is built to nourish skin with lipids, and it is the natural partner to a hydrating range like Aqua Plus. Here is what is in it and what each ingredient does.

The heart of the range is Swiss Linseed oil (flax oil), which is rich in omega 3, 6 and 9 essential fatty acids. These are the nutri-protective lipids skin uses to rebuild and reinforce its barrier. Replenishing them helps skin hold onto moisture, recover comfort, and feel less tight and rough. Omega fatty acids are some of the most valuable nourishing ingredients you can give dry or mature skin, because they top up exactly what the skin barrier is made of.

Linseed oil is supported by a complex of bioactivated vegetal oils, including almond, borage and olive-derived lipids, plus coconut oil. Each plant oil brings a slightly different profile of fatty acids, so together they nourish more completely than any single oil could, smoothing the skin and helping soften the look of the signs of ageing that come with dryness, such as a crepey or rough texture. This is what lets the range feel deeply nourishing and cushioning without sitting greasily on the skin.

As across Mavala's skincare, Nutri-Elixir includes soothing Swiss Mallow flower extract to keep skin calm and comfortable while the lipids do their work. The formula is also free from mineral oil, phthalates, sodium laureth sulfate, parabens, alcohol and fragrance, which makes it well suited to dry, mature or easily irritated skin that does not want anything harsh.

This is the question Nutri-Elixir and Aqua Plus answer between them, and getting it right is the secret to a routine that works:

• If skin feels tight, dull and looks a bit deflated, it usually lacks water. Reach for hydration: hyaluronic acid, as in Aqua Plus.
• If skin feels rough, dry, flaky and uncomfortable, it usually lacks oil. Reach for nutrition: nourishing lipids, as in Nutri-Elixir.
• Many people, especially in winter or with mature skin, need both. Hydrate first to add water, then nourish to seal it in with lipids.

The range works as a nourishing routine for dry or mature skin:

• Essential Serum: the lightweight, lipid-replenishing first step, applied to clean skin to restore glow, bounce and elasticity.
• Ultimate Cream: a richer day and night cream that reinforces the skin's moisture barrier and helps recover comfort and elasticity.
• Absolute Night Balm: the most intensive step, applied at night to deeply replenish very dry skin while you sleep.

Apply serum first, then cream, and use the night balm when skin needs extra nourishing.

There are two layers to this. Within the formula, several vegetal oils, omega-rich linseed plus almond, borage, olive-derived lipids and coconut, bring complementary fatty acids, so together they rebuild the skin's lipid barrier more completely than any single oil could. The bigger synergy is across products: a water-binding humectant like the hyaluronic acid in Aqua Plus draws moisture into skin, and a lipid-rich treatment like Nutri-Elixir seals it in. Humectants can even draw water back out of skin in dry conditions unless they are sealed, which is exactly why pairing hydration with nourishing lipids is the dermatology-backed approach. Hydrate first, then nourish.

A face oil replenishes the lipids that make up the skin's barrier. Those lipids lock moisture in and keep irritants out, so topping them up leaves skin softer, more supple, more comfortable and better protected. Nourishing oils are especially helpful for dry or mature skin. Mavala Nutri-Elixir uses Swiss Linseed oil rich in omega 3, 6 and 9, plus a complex of plant oils, to do this.

Lipids are the oils and fats that build the skin's protective barrier, including fatty acids like the omegas. They keep water in and the elements out. When skin is short of lipids it feels dry, tight and rough, so lipid-rich skincare such as Mavala Nutri-Elixir, made with omega-rich linseed oil and other vegetal oils, helps restore comfort and softness.

Yes. Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids are part of what the skin barrier is made from, so applying omega-rich oils helps reinforce that barrier, retain moisture and calm dryness. Mavala Nutri-Elixir is built around Swiss Linseed (flax) oil, a rich natural source of all three omegas.

They do different jobs, so often yes. Hyaluronic acid adds water; a face oil or lipid-rich cream adds the oil that seals that water in. If your skin is only dehydrated, hydration may be enough, but if it also feels dry, rough or tight, adding nourishment helps. A common approach is to hydrate first with Aqua Plus, then nourish with Nutri-Elixir.

Very. Skin tends to produce fewer lipids as it ages, so it more easily feels dry, rough and less supple. A nourishing, omega-rich treatment like Mavala Nutri-Elixir replenishes those lipids, helping mature skin feel more comfortable and look smoother and bouncier. It is free from fragrance and other harsh ingredients, which suits more reactive mature skin.

Mavala is a Swiss family-owned skincare and beauty house, known for treatment-led formulas developed and made in Switzerland. Nutri-Elixir is part of Mavala's Swiss Skin Solution line and is dermatologically tested. We choose ingredients for what they do and concentrate them at levels meant to make a visible difference.

Written and fact-checked using published dermatological research. Key reference on combining humectants with nourishing lipids (occlusives and emollients) to hold moisture in skin: Moisturizers, StatPearls, National Library of Medicine (NCBI Bookshelf).

• Nutri-Elixir Essential Serum lightweight lipid-replenishing serum for glow and bounce, 30ml, £45.00
• Nutri-Elixir Ultimate Cream nourishing day and night cream that reinforces the moisture barrier, 45ml, £33.25
• Nutri-Elixir Absolute Night Balm intensive overnight nourishment for very dry skin, 65ml, £36.75