Review: Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil

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FTC: I am not compensated for this review. I received a sample of this from Essie.

I received a sample of this product quite a long time ago from Essie. At the time, I was pretty skeptical about nail oils and their purported effects on the cuticle. Boy was I surprised.

Ingredients:

Cottonseed Oil, PPG 15 Stearyl Ether, Polysorbate 81, Soy Bean Oil, Vitamin A Palmitate (A269), Vitamin E Acetate, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance, Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Collagen, D&C Violet 2, D&C Red 17

A cursory glace shows that this product is basically just oils, preservatives and dyes. Seriously. There is hydrolyzed collagen but I doubt that it actually penetrates the skin since it violates the 500 Dalton rule (basically any molecule that is more than 500 Daltons in molecular weight cannot penetrate the skin's barriers, source). Thus I don't really count it as an efficacious ingredient.

Results?

Pros:

• Very nourishing, especially when put on at night, post-shower
• Very soothing on nails
• Moisturizing to skin around the nails
• Emollient effects

Cons:

• Felt icky and sticky if applied during the daytime
• Price - $8 at Ulta for 0.5 fl oz. I've used Palmer's Cocoa Butter Oil and received similar results, and that costs $10.99 for 5.1 fl oz at CVS.

Ultimately, I think this oil is a nice thing, but it's a bit overhyped.