12 Best Cuticle Oils to Give Your Nails a Back-from-the-Salon Look and Feel
Whether you're the type that gets a new nail art look biweekly with your favorite artist you connected with on Instagram or you're a nail minimalist, we all want the same thing: healthy, shiny-looking nails. And the truth is, no matter what route you choose to take, you can't fake a healthy nail when you ignore your cuticles. Luckily for you, all of the above is achievable with a single product: cuticle oil. Celebrity manicurist and brand founder Deborah Lippmann says, "Our cuticle is the end of our skin on our fingers and our toes, which is there as a barrier to keep free radicals and bacteria from entering the body." While she admits, "it's ideal to give ourselves a proper manicure once a week," she also says using cuticle oil daily in the meantime can help "soften brittle nails and prevent cuticle splitting and peeling."
To get you one step closer to softer, healthier cuticles, we've rounded up 12 oils that will get your digits back in shape in a snap. Whether you prefer a certain formulation, ingredient, or price point, there's sure to be something in here for you.
About the Expert:
Deborah Lippmann is a celebrity and editorial manicurist who has designed nail polishes for A-listers like Lady Gaga, Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardashian, Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow, Taylor Swift, and Lena Dunham. She's also the founder behind her namesake nail care brand.
IPSY Picks at a Glance
- Best Serum: OLIVE & JUNE Cuticle Serum
- Best Splurge: DIOR Huile Abricot Daily Nutritive Serum
- Best Formula: JINSOON Cuticle Oil
- Best Brush Applicator: DEBORAH LIPPMANN It's a Miracle Pen
- Best Targeted Formula: TEN OVER TEN The Rose And Celery Oil Set
- Best Rollerball: MINILUXE Nourishing Cuticle Oil Rollerball
- Best Customizable Application: LIGHTS LACQUER Hydrating Cuticle Oil
- Best Cream: BURT'S BEES Moisturizing Cuticle Cream
- Best Scent: ESSIE Apricot Cuticle Oil
- Best Pro Pick: CND Solar Oil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner
- Best Drugstore Pick: SALLY HANSEN Treatment Cuticle Rehab
- Best Cuticle Tool: THE BODY SHOP Almond Nail and Cuticle Oil
1. Best Serum:
OLIVE & JUNE Cuticle Serum
Price: $
Key Ingredients: cactus flower, rosehip, chamomile, lemon verbena
Benefits: hydrating, vegan, non-greasy
One of the coolest nail salons in Los Angeles, Olive & June conceived one of our favorite nail brands to shop at our weekly Target runs. A fan favorite is the cuticle serum, loved for its hydrating yet lightweight and non-greasy texture. We especially love the foam tip applicator and pen design that uses a twisting clicking motion to dispense the right amount of product every time. And if that's not enough to love, this cactus flower, chamomile, and rosehip-infused oil is vegan and cruelty-free.
2. Best Splurge:
DIOR Huile Abricot Daily Nutritive Serum
Price: $$$
Key Ingredients: argan, camellia, apricot
Benefits: absorbs quickly, nourishing
It really just doesn't get more luxe than slathering a DIOR oil across your cuticles every day over your morning latte. Inspired by the cult-favorite Crème Abricot nail cream, this blend of oils—argan, camellia, apricot—promises to hydrate, protect, and strengthen nails. Swipe it on daily for the pick-me-up both your cuticles and your fancy side won't get enough of.
3. Best Formula:
JINSOON Cuticle Oil
Price: $$$
Key Ingredients: honeysuckle, primrose
Benefits: facial-grade, vegan, great for preventing hangnails
If you wouldn't put it on your face, should you really put it on your cuticles? JINSOON’s cuticle oil is a facial-grade oil that contains 20 top-rated natural ingredients to quench and restore dry, brittle nails and cuticles. The 10-free, vegan, and cruelty-free blend of honeysuckle and primrose is even known to stop hangnails before they surface.
4. Best Brush Applicator:
DEBORAH LIPPMANN It's a Miracle Pen
Price: $$$
Key Ingredients: jojoba, coconut oil, vitamin E
Benefits: easy to apply, vegan, super nourishing
If you can write your own name, you can pen your way to healthier nails and cuticles with little to no effort. This pen applicator with a paint-brush tip makes it easy to target problem areas without the mess. Prevent splitting and peeling cuticles while caring for brittle nails, all with this vegan formula.
5. Best Targeted Formula:
TEN OVER TEN The Rose And Celery Oil Set
Price: $$$
Key Ingredients: rose oil, celery oil
Benefits: easy to apply, targets specific issues
This power duo packs a one-two punch with two oils specifically blended for the different parts of your digits. The rose oil targets damaged cuticles while the other strengthens the nails and stimulates cell regrowth. When used in tandem, these easy-to-use rollerballs are sure to aid your nails back to health from base to tips in no time.
6. Best Rollerball:
MINILUXE Nourishing Cuticle Oil Rollerball
Price: $$$
Key Ingredients: olive oil, avocado oil, lavender, lemon
Benefits: easy to apply, EWG-verified
Don't just take it from us: Emily in Paris' Lily Collins was quoted saying she "can't live without" this nourishing rollerball cuticle oil. Emollient and non-greasy, this easy-to-tote vial makes moisturizing on the go a breeze, and it smells delightfully of lavender and lemon.
7. Best Customizable Application:
LIGHTS LACQUER Hydrating Cuticle Oil
Price: $$
Key Ingredients: sweet almond oil, jojoba
Benefits: customizable applicator, promotes nail growth
Restore and nourish the cuticles while promoting nail growth for an all-around healthier nail. Packed with sweet almond oil and jojoba, this blend is about as moisturizing as it gets. And the best part is that this gorgeous bottle comes with an interchangeable dropper cap for alternate application oil application—proof that you really can have it all.
8. Best Cream:
BURT'S BEES Moisturizing Cuticle Cream
Price: $
Key Ingredients: cocoa seed butter, sunflower oil
Benefits: 100% natural, intensive cuticle treatment
If you can't stand having oil-soaked fingertips, this creamy texture gives you the benefits of an oil (maybe even more) without the greasy feeling. Cocoa seed butter and sunflower oil pack a nourishing punch, and the light lemon scent? That's just an added bonus.
9. Best Scent:
ESSIE Apricot Cuticle Oil
Price: $
Key Ingredients: cottonseed oil, soybean oil
Benefits: fruity scent, prevents hangnails
Who said you can’t get healthy nails and nourished cuticles for less than the price of your morning coffee? This blend of cottonseed and soybean oils was made with your cuticles and the skin around your nails in mind, making it perfect for those who just can't seem to kick annoying hangnails.
10. Best Pro Pick:
CND Solar Oil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner
Price: $
Key Ingredients: jojoba oil, vitamin e
Benefits: fast absorption, neutralizes free radicals, professional results
You can't go wrong when using a product known and loved among the pros. This professional, salon-worthy cuticle oil is packed with jojoba oil and vitamin E, two antioxidants that moisturize while also neutralizing free radicals, leaving you with healthy, glossy nails and soft, hydrated cuticles.
11. Best Drugstore Pick:
SALLY HANSEN Treatment Cuticle Rehab
Price: $
Key Ingredients: safflower oil, sunflower oil
Benefits: easy to apply, tackles cuticles in rough shape, works quickly
We're just going to come out and say it: We're all about that instant gratification. Who isn't, right? When your cuticles are in rough shape and you need relief fast, this drugstore pickup is just what you need in a pinch. Specially made for ultra-dry cuticles, this brush-on formula goes to work almost instantly.
12. Best Cuticle Tool:
THE BODY SHOP Almond Nail and Cuticle Oil
Price: $
Key Ingredients:
Benefits: easy to apply, includes cuticle pusher
This all-in-one pen makes at-home manicures a breeze. The brush tip with an easy-to-use twist-up mechanism makes for easy dispensing and application. And the best part is that the cap even has a cuticle pusher built right in, making it easier (and quicker!) than ever to give yourself a mini manicure at home.
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