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Vitis vinifera (seed oil)

Grapeseed oil

Grapeseed oil is a light, linoleic-acid-rich oil that is popular on skin and hair, but almost none of that popularity has been tested in people. The one controlled human trial we found used a specially made grapeseed oil gel on the cheeks of 15 volunteers, and there is no human trial of the plain oil on hair. Eaten, it is a polyunsaturated oil, which dietary guidance favours over saturated fat, but that advice applies to many oils and no trial tests grapeseed oil itself. It is a different product from grape seed extract, the supplement.

Updated
30 September 2026
A bottle of pale green grapeseed oil beside red grapes
At a glance
Last reviewed 30 September 2026
Evidence
Limited
Best for
Light facial moisturiser
Typical form & use
Oil or gel, applied to skin
Onset
2 weeks
Safety
Little human evidence; not the same as the extract. No interactions in our data.
Check with your medications →

What it's used for

Evidence is rated per use. The same ingredient can be strong for one thing and traditional for another.

UseEvidenceWhat the research shows
Facial skin (oil-based gel)LimitedIn 15 healthy volunteers, a grapeseed oil nanoemulgel on one cheek beat a placebo gel on the other over 12 weeks: skin moisture and elasticity rose, and sebum, redness, melanin and pore size fell. It is a small study by a single author, of a specially formulated gel rather than the oil from a bottle, in people without skin disease.1
Acne-prone skinTraditionalGrapeseed oil is 66% to 75% linoleic acid in the cold-pressed oils analysed, and a small crossover trial found topical linoleic acid shrank acne microcomedones by about 25% over a month. That trial used linoleic acid itself, not grapeseed oil, so the oil's effect on acne is an inference, not a finding.5,4
Hair damage and hair lossTraditionalThe only hair data are laboratory work on a fermented grapeseed oil (not plain oil), from a company research centre, which suggested it penetrated bleached hair and protected colour. Grapeseed oil also appears in an alopecia areata trial, but only as part of the carrier-oil mix that served as the control (15% improved against 44% with added essential oils), so it says nothing in favour of grapeseed oil.2,3
Heart health (as a cooking oil)TraditionalThe American Heart Association concluded that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, especially polyunsaturated fat, lowers cardiovascular disease, and a 2026 review found the clearest gain for non-fatal heart attack when the swap was to polyunsaturated fat. A 2026 meta-analysis also found high-polyunsaturated diets lowered LDL cholesterol by about 3 mg/dL more than high-monounsaturated diets. All of this is about polyunsaturated fat in general, and we found no trial of grapeseed oil itself, so any oil rich in it, such as sunflower, would fit the same advice.6,7,8,9

How much

Ranges below are what studies used and what supplements commonly contain. They are not a recommendation for you. Start at the low end.

Facial gel trial
Weekly measurements for 12 weeks1
The trial applied the nanoemulgel to one cheek for 12 weeks. The abstract does not state the percentage of oil or how often it was applied.
Linoleic acid content
66% to 75% of fatty acids5
This is the share of linoleic acid in four cold-pressed grape seed oils. It is an omega-6 fat, and the oils were low in saturated fat.
Dietary fat guidance
Replace saturated with unsaturated fat6
The AHA advises replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, especially polyunsaturated, within a Mediterranean or DASH-style pattern. It gives no amount for grapeseed oil.
Timing · The sources do not say when to apply it. The facial trial measured skin weekly for 12 weeks.With food? · No source we read gives food advice specific to grapeseed oil. Use it in place of saturated fat such as butter, not on top of it.How long to trial · The facial gel trial ran 12 weeks, so allow several weeks for any change in skin. We found no time frame for hair.

How people take it

Oil (skin or hair)Not establishedNot tested plain in any controlled human trial we found.
Oil-based gel or nanoemulgelNot stated in the abstractThe form used in the one facial trial; a specially made cosmetic product rather than the bottled oil.
Cooking oilNo recommended amountA polyunsaturated oil. The evidence behind the health advice is for polyunsaturated fat in general.

Safety

Who should avoid
  • Expecting the extract's effects — the oil has far fewer polyphenols than the seed
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding and infants — we found no safety data on the oil
  • Anyone with skin disease — the facial trial studied healthy volunteers only
Known interactions
No interactions in our data. Absence of a flag is not clearance.

Questions people ask

Is grapeseed oil good for hair?

We found no human trial of plain grapeseed oil for hair growth, shine or breakage. The only hair data are laboratory tests on a fermented grapeseed oil from a company research centre, and in an alopecia trial grapeseed oil was only part of the control oil. The evidence is rated traditional.

Is grapeseed oil good for your skin?

Possibly as a light moisturiser, but the evidence is thin. One small split-face trial of 15 volunteers found a grapeseed oil gel improved moisture, elasticity and sebum compared with placebo, and it was a specially formulated product. There is no trial of the oil straight from the bottle.

Is grapeseed oil healthy to cook with?

It is mostly polyunsaturated (66% to 75% linoleic acid), and the American Heart Association advises replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, especially polyunsaturated. That supports using it instead of butter, but the trials are of polyunsaturated fat in general, and WHO lists soybean, canola, corn, safflower and sunflower oils as examples, not grapeseed.

Is grapeseed oil the same as grape seed extract?

No. The oil is pressed fat and contains far fewer phenolic compounds than the seed itself, in one analysis up to 100 times fewer. Grape seed extract is the supplement studied for blood pressure and circulation, and has its own entry on this site; see the grape seed extract page if that is what you want.

Sources

  1. Randomised trial (split-face) Shawahna R. Effects of a grapeseed oil (Vitis vinifera L.) loaded dermocosmetic nanoemulgel on biophysical parameters of facial skin: A split-face, blinded, placebo-controlled study. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022.
  2. Laboratory study Wu N, Zhi L, Wang G, et al. Fermented grapeseed oil repairs chemically damaged hair via enhanced permeability mechanisms. Sci Rep. 2025.
  3. Randomised trial Hay IC, et al. Randomized trial of aromatherapy. Successful treatment for alopecia areata. Arch Dermatol. 1998.
  4. Randomised trial Letawe C, Boone M, Pierard GE. Digital image analysis of the effect of topically applied linoleic acid on acne microcomedones. Clin Exp Dermatol. 1998.
  5. Laboratory analysis Lutterodt H, Slavin M, Whent M, Turner E, Yu LL. Fatty acid composition, oxidative stability, antioxidant and antiproliferative properties of selected cold-pressed grape seed oils and flours. Food Chem. 2011.
  6. Clinical guidance Sacks FM, Lichtenstein AH, Wu JHY, et al. Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2017.
  7. Systematic review Steen JP, et al. Effect of Interventions Aimed at Reducing or Modifying Saturated Fat Intake on Cholesterol, Mortality, and Major Cardiovascular Events: A Risk Stratified Systematic Review of Randomized Trials. Ann Intern Med. 2026.
  8. Meta-analysis Prater MC, et al. Comparison of blood lipid responses to high polyunsaturated fatty acid compared with high monounsaturated fatty acid dietary interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2026.
  9. Regulator/health agency World Health Organization. Healthy diet (fact sheet).

Reader notes

Experiences and questions from readers, read by an editor before they appear. They are personal accounts, not evidence, and are not medical advice.

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Last reviewed 30 September 2026 · Next review March 2027 · How we rate evidence