Filler Oils vs Functional Oils: Why Your Skin Knows the Difference

When people talk about oils in skincare, the conversation is usually oversimplified. Oil is treated as a single category, as if any oil will do as long as it makes skin feel soft. But oils behave very differently once they’re on your skin, and those differences matter more than most people realize.

In body care especially, many formulas rely on what are commonly called filler oils. These oils are not inherently dangerous, and their presence doesn’t mean a product is unsafe. They are used because they are inexpensive, easy to source, and easy to formulate with at scale. In many cases, these oils cost fifty to eighty percent less than premium functional oils, which is why they appear so frequently in mass-market skincare.

The distinction isn’t about fear or purity. It’s about intention.

Oils like sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, rapeseed oil, avocado oil, hempseed oil, palm oil, cottonseed oil, and flaxseed oil are often chosen primarily because they reduce formulation costs and increase margins. Many of them are agricultural byproducts that require heavy refining before cosmetic use. Others are unstable, quick to oxidize, or included simply because they sound appealing to consumers while remaining inexpensive behind the scenes.

Sunflower, grapeseed, rapeseed, and flaxseed oils are commonly used to bulk up formulas and create initial slip, but they rarely contribute to lasting moisture or barrier support. Avocado and hempseed oils are often marketed as premium, but in cosmetic formulations they are frequently used in highly refined, low-grade forms that behave more like fillers than functional skin-supporting ingredients. Palm and cottonseed oils are widely used to improve texture and lower production costs, not because they offer meaningful long-term benefits for dry or sensitive skin.

When these oils make up the backbone of a product, the experience is usually the same. Skin feels soft immediately after application, sometimes even smooth or silky, but that feeling fades quickly. Moisture doesn’t last, dryness returns, and the product needs to be reapplied again and again. Many people assume this is just how their skin works, when in reality it’s how the product was designed to perform.

At Jendre, we don’t formulate this way.

we choose oils based on how they behave on the skin over time not how inexpensive they are to source

Our oils are selected because they more closely mimic the skin’s natural lipids, absorb in a balanced way, support the moisture barrier, and help skin stay comfortable for hours rather than minutes. These oils are more expensive, sometimes significantly so, but they also perform better. When skin receives what it actually needs, it doesn’t require constant reapplication or layering to feel good.

This difference in ingredient choice is subtle at first, but unmistakable over time. Products made with functional oils tend to absorb without disappearing, nourish without feeling heavy, and leave skin feeling comfortable rather than coated. They don’t rely on surface shine or short-term softness to create the illusion of hydration. They’re designed to support the skin itself.

We don’t believe in demonizing ingredients, and we don’t believe in long ingredient lists for the sake of appearances. Our philosophy is simple: every ingredient should earn its place. If an oil doesn’t meaningfully contribute to long-lasting moisture, barrier support, and skin comfort, it doesn’t belong in our formulas.

When body care is formulated with intention, it becomes simpler rather than more complicated. You don’t need more products, more layers, or more steps. You need ingredients that were chosen to do their job well.

That’s the difference between filler oils and functional oils, and it’s one of the quiet decisions that turns body care into something you can actually rely on.