Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil is a reasonable, low-risk oil for dry skin: in a small forearm trial it kept the skin barrier intact and improved hydration where olive oil damaged it, though that shows it does no harm more than it shows a cure. For preterm babies in hospital, a Cochrane review found low-certainty evidence that plant oils may cut infections, and the trials of sunflower oil itself are mixed, so it is not a home remedy for tiny babies.
Eaten, it is a polyunsaturated oil that dietary guidance favours over saturated fat, but no trial has tested sunflower oil itself, and we found no human trial for hair.
At a glance
Last reviewed 10 October 2026What it's used for
Evidence is rated per use. The same ingredient can be strong for one thing and traditional for another.
| Use | Evidence | What the research shows |
|---|---|---|
| Adult dry skin and skin barrierCompare remedies for skin → | Limited | In 19 adult volunteers with and without a history of atopic dermatitis, six drops of sunflower seed oil twice daily for 4 weeks preserved skin barrier integrity, caused no redness and improved hydration, whereas olive oil on the other forearm reduced barrier integrity and caused mild redness. It is a small mechanistic study of skin measurements, not a trial of patients with dry skin or eczema, so it shows sunflower oil is a better choice than olive oil, not that it treats a skin condition.4 |
| Skin care for hospitalised preterm babies | Limited | The Cochrane review of topical emollients in preterm infants (22 trials, 5,578 infants) found that plant and vegetable oils may reduce invasive infection (risk ratio 0.71, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.96) but have little or no effect on death (RR 0.94), both with low-certainty evidence. In a Bangladesh hospital trial of 497 preterm infants, sunflower seed oil cut mortality by 26% compared with no emollient. But in a large community trial in India (about 26,600 newborns), recommending sunflower oil made no overall difference to newborn deaths (adjusted odds ratio 0.96), partly because only 30% of families used it exclusively; a benefit appeared only in the 589 babies weighing 1,500 g or less. A separate randomised trial of 22 low-birth-weight preterm babies found sunflower oil raised water loss through the skin, and the authors concluded it may slow skin barrier maturation. Most of this work was done in low-income settings and is not a basis for oiling a preterm baby at home.1,2,3,5 |
| Heart health (as a cooking oil, in place of saturated fat)Compare remedies for heart health → | Limited | An American Heart Association advisory concluded that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, especially polyunsaturated fat, lowers cardiovascular disease, and trials that swapped saturated fat for polyunsaturated vegetable oil cut cardiovascular events by about 30%. In a pooled analysis of 30 prospective cohorts (68,659 people), higher blood levels of linoleic acid, the main omega-6 fat in sunflower oil, were linked to lower risk of cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio 0.93) and cardiovascular death (0.78). Those are observational and not specific to sunflower oil, and two of its authors report research support from Unilever for the work. We found no trial of sunflower oil itself, so this rating is for the polyunsaturated-fat swap, not for the oil.8,9 |
| Healthy full-term newborn skin | Traditional | In a pilot randomised study of 50 healthy full-term newborns, sunflower seed oil and a baby lotion both left skin barrier function developing normally over five weeks. This shows it did no obvious harm in a small sample, not that it helps, and we found no larger trial. Olive oil, by contrast, is discouraged for infant massage.6,4 |
| Hair care and hair growthCompare remedies for hair & nails → | Traditional | The one hair study we found is a laboratory test by an oil manufacturer: sunflower oil did nothing to reduce protein loss from hair, unlike coconut oil, because the researchers concluded it does not penetrate the hair fibre. We found no human trial of sunflower oil for hair growth, dandruff or shine, so any use on hair rests on how it feels.7 |
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.
How people take it
Safety
Who should avoid
- Preterm babies at home — sunflower oil may slow skin barrier maturation; ask the neonatal team
- Newborn massage as a way to prevent infection — the large community trial found no overall benefit
- Expecting it to treat eczema — the adult trial measured skin barrier, not eczema symptoms
Known interactions
Questions people ask
What are the benefits of sunflower oil?
The best-supported are modest. On skin, it preserved the barrier and improved hydration in a small adult forearm trial, where olive oil harmed it. In food, it is a polyunsaturated oil that health bodies recommend in place of saturated fat, though no trial tests sunflower oil itself.
Is sunflower oil good for your hair?
We found no human trial of sunflower oil for hair growth, dandruff or shine. In a manufacturer's laboratory study it did not reduce protein loss from hair, which coconut oil did, because it seems not to penetrate the fibre. Use on hair is a matter of feel, not proven benefit.
Is sunflower oil good for your skin?
It looks like a safer choice than olive oil. In 19 adults, four weeks of sunflower oil on the forearm kept the skin barrier intact and improved hydration, while olive oil weakened the barrier. That is a small measurement study, not proof it treats dry skin or eczema.
Is sunflower oil safe for babies?
In 50 healthy full-term newborns, sunflower oil did not harm skin barrier development over five weeks.
In 22 low-birth-weight preterm babies it raised water loss through the skin, so premature babies should only be oiled on the advice of their neonatal team. The large Indian community trial found no overall drop in newborn deaths from sunflower oil massage.
Sources (10)
- Cochrane review Cleminson J, McGuire W. Topical emollient for preventing infection in preterm infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021.
- Randomised trial Darmstadt GL, Saha SK, Ahmed AS, et al. Effect of skin barrier therapy on neonatal mortality rates in preterm infants in Bangladesh: a randomized, controlled, clinical trial. Pediatrics. 2008.
- Randomised trial (cluster) Kumar A, Mishra S, Singh S, et al. Effect of sunflower seed oil emollient therapy on newborn infant survival in Uttar Pradesh, India: A community-based, cluster randomized, open-label controlled trial. PLoS Med. 2021.
- Mechanistic trial Danby SG, AlEnezi T, Sultan A, et al. Effect of olive and sunflower seed oil on the adult skin barrier: implications for neonatal skin care. Pediatr Dermatol. 2013.
- Randomised trial Kanti V, Grande C, Stroux A, et al. Influence of sunflower seed oil on the skin barrier function of preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial. Dermatology. 2014.
- Randomised trial (pilot) Kanti V, Günther M, Stroux A, et al. Influence of sunflower seed oil or baby lotion on the skin barrier function of newborns: A pilot study. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2017.
- Laboratory study Rele AS, Mohile RB. Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage. J Cosmet Sci. 2003.
- 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.
- Pooled cohort analysis Marklund M, Wu JHY, Imamura F, et al. Biomarkers of Dietary Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality. Circulation. 2019.
- Regulator/health agency World Health Organization. Healthy diet (fact sheet).
Last reviewed 10 October 2026 · Next review April 2027 · How we rate evidence
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.