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The newest addition to your skin care routine needs to be cuticle oil. It might not sound as luxurious as a cooling sheet mask or a silky body cream, but the handy product can do wonders for your manicure (and you can snag a great one for the price of a latte). “Cuticle oils provide intense hydration to the cuticles and surrounding skin,” Lauren Penzi, MD, a dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York, tells SELF. “They help to promote healthier, stronger nails that grow faster and are less prone to brittleness and breakage.”
The best cuticle oils help your nails stay strong no matter how often you paint or pick at them. There are a surprising amount of options for such a simple product, so we tapped dermatologists and SELF staff to bring you the very best.
- Best Overall: CND SolarOil
- Best Budget: Sally Hansen Vitamin E Nail and Cuticle Oil
- Best Splurge: Dior Huile Abricot
- Best Scent: Bare Hands Cuticle Oil Duo
- Editor Fave: Olive & June Cuticle Serum
- Shop the best cuticle oils
- What to look for in a cuticle oil
- Does cuticle oil actually work?
- How often should you apply cuticle oil?
- How to apply cuticle oil
Pros: Travel-friendly packaging, mess-free application, doesn't feel greasy
Cons: Comes with less oil compared to others
Dr. Penzi recommends this budget-friendly cuticle oil, noting that it uses moisturizing jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, and vitamin E. And I’m personally a fan too. My nails are always dry and breaking, so I keep this oil pen at my work desk and apply it throughout the day—especially when my nails are bare and looking raggedy. I love that the formula comes through the brush tip so applying it is easy and spill-proof.
Size: 0.08 fl oz | Applicator: Brush
Pros: Easy to apply, under $10
Cons: Not travel-friendly
Amy Huang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Medical Offices of Manhattan in New York, recommends this simple and inexpensive oil that you can grab at the drugstore. The packaging is similar to a nail polish, with a bristle brush applicator that dips into a nourishing blend of vitamin E, apricot kernel oil, and aloe. Hack: I refilled this bottle with vitamin E oil, a common ingredient in cuticle oils, instead of throwing it out and buying a new one.
Size: 0.45 fl oz | Applicator: Brush
Pros: Easy application, reviewers like the fruity scent, a little goes a long way
Cons: On the pricier side
You can officially say you’ve worn Dior after applying this oil. It comes in a squeeze tube bottle with a brush tip, which makes it easier to use every last drop. One Nordstrom reviewer says this oil has “done wonders” for their mani and relies on it during gardening season. It packs plenty of moisture with apricot kernel, sweet almond, olive, and castor oils.
Size: 0.25 fl oz | Applicator: Brush
Pros: Reviewers rave about the scent, mess-free application
Cons: Only available in a duo
This is basically a perfume oil cosplaying as a cuticle treatment. One reviewer called the Citrine scent intoxicating: “The first couple weeks after starting to use this product, my husband asked me, ‘Are you...sniffing your fingernails?’ Yes, babe, yes I am. The smell is delicate and earthy all at once.” I don’t know about you, but nothing makes me keep coming back to a product quite like a delicious fragrance. And, of course, this cuticle-saver has all the usual moisturizing superstars, including jojoba seed, castor seed, grape seed, sweet almond, sesame seed, and seabuckthorn oils.
Size: 0.07 fl oz | Applicator: Brush
Pros: Non-greasy, easy application, dries quickly, fragrance-free
Cons: On the pricier side
This serum gets the seal of approval from two SELF editors, including one chronic nail picker. “The applicator is super soft and cushiony, and it applies the oil to my cuticles evenly without making a mess,” she says. “It dries pretty quickly and my nails instantly feel and look so much healthier.” Along with oils like avocado and apricot kernel, it contains glycerin and panthenol (two common moisturizing ingredients) to lock in hydration.
Size: 0.14 fl oz | Applicator: Foam tip
Pros: Absorbs quickly, non-greasy
Cons: Dropper applicator can be messy
Dr. Penzi says she “loves” this quick-absorbing, non-greasy oil. “It deeply hydrates and strengthens the nails within just a few weeks,” she tells SELF, which isa relief if back-to-back gel manicures are wreaking havoc. It uses cupuaçu butter and grape seed, sesame, kukui, sunflower, and avocado oils to add moisture (and a new lease on life) back into your nails.
Size: 0.25 fl oz | Applicator: Dropper
Pros: Reviewers see results quickly, easy to apply, not too greasy
Cons: Doesn’t come with as much oil as others
One way to know your cuticle oil is working? Even your nail tech notices a difference—which is exactly what happened to one Sephora shopper after she started using this solution from L’occitane. “The applicator makes the chore of applying cuticle oil much easier and it’s not a super thin formula so it doesn’t get everywhere,” they added. While its star ingredient, shea oil, is super moisturizing,the formula doesn't feel too greasy, Carmen Castilla, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, tells SELF.
Size: 0.25 fl oz | Applicator: Brush
Pros: Sleek packaging, not sticky, comes in several scents
Cons: Larger glass bottle make it not travel-friendly
One SELF editor swears by this option, which packs moisture from safflower oil, sunflower seed oil, cottonseed oil, and vitamin E. “The dropper holds just enough oil for all ten fingers, and I love how thin it feels—it’s not sticky at all! I’ve noticed a huge difference in my chronic hangnails since I started using this product,” she says. “Bonus: The bottle looks so cute on my nightstand!”
Size: 2.5 fl oz | Applicator: Dropper
Pros: Reviewers love the scent, absorbs quickly
Cons: Some reviewers say the orange color can stain nails
“Essie apricot perfume when??” one happy Amazon shopper asks. Dr. Penzi says she loves this yummy-smelling formula for its nourishing mixture of apricot and jojoba oils, while reviewers say it soaks in quickly so you won’t be stuck with greasy fingers that leave prints on your phone while you doom scroll. (Too dark?)
Size: 0.46 fl oz | Applicator: Brush
Pros: Very softening, reviewers say it works quickly
Cons: Not travel-friendly
Another rec from Dr. Castilla, this product’s secret weapon is argan oil, which is known for its hydrating benefits and for being a source of vitamin E. So, be warned: Only add this bad boy to your routine if you want seriously soft skin. One Ulta reviewer says this helps keep their mani looking better for longer, and another says, “no more cracks or snagged cuticles!”
Size: 0.6 fl oz | Applicator: Dropper
Pros: Reviewers like the rose scent, easy to apply, travel-friendly,
Cons: On the pricier side
Unlike all of the other cuticle oils, this one has a rollerball applicator that’ll give your nail area a nice massage since it’s heftier than a brush. Its key ingredients are jojoba, sweet almond, argan and pomegranate oils, which nourish the skin around the nail. And if you were a fan of Peppermint Rose dolls growing up—talking to you, ‘90s kids— you’ll love the whiff of nostalgia you’ll get each time the floral fragrance hits your nostrils.
Size: 0.27 fl oz | Applicator: Rollerball
Just like any beauty product, there’s a million of these babies lining the store shelves. Before you lock in on one cuticle oil, here are a couple of things to consider.
All cuticle oils contain moisturizing and skin-softening ingredients, Dr. Huang says. Some our experts recommend looking for on the label are beeswax, shea butter, glycerin, vitamins A and E, and oils like almond, avocado, jojoba, coconut, rosemary, grape seed, or tea tree. A combo of these will give your skin the moisture it needs to soften up the area around your nails.
Like a lot of skin care products, your cuticle oil can degrade with light exposure, which causes it to become less effective. That’s why all of our experts recommend finding one in a bottle with dark or opaque packaging. (If your fave doesn’t fit this description, the pros say you should store it in a drawer or medicine cabinet where light won’t get to it.) It’s also a good idea to look for an oil with a dropper bottle or a brush tip to make it easier to apply in small amounts to each nail. Let’s be real: If the application process is a mess, you’re probably not going to want to do it very often.
Yes! It can make a big difference in the moisture level of the skin surrounding your nails, which can then help them grow stronger.
In order to truly reap the benefits of cuticle oil, Dr. Penzi says you need to apply frequently and consistently. “Within a few days to a week, you should notice an improvement in the hydration of your nails and cuticles, with an overall smoother and shinier appearance,” she says. “Over one to two months, you‘ll notice your nails growing longer, stronger, with less breakage.”
According to Dr. Penzi, “oils also provide a protective barrier to the cuticles to ward off any environmental toxins, bacteria, or fungi that can cause irritation or infection.” Bonus: Using an oil can prevent cracking and hangnails, so you’re less likely to pick at your nails, Dr. Castilla says.
“You essentially can apply as often as you feel necessary,” Dr. Castilla says. “A good rule of thumb for maintenance is once to twice daily.” While you’re getting in the habit of applying it, keep the oil on your nightstand as a reminder to use it at bedtime.
You want to apply cuticle oil to clean skin, so make sure you wash and dry your hands first. Then, Dr. Penzi says you should use the brush or dropper to apply a small amount of oil to the cuticles and base of the nail and gently massage it into the area. “Give it a few minutes to absorb before using your hands or touching anything,” she adds.
