Olive Oil for Baby Massage: What the Research Says About Newborn Skin
Olive oil for baby massage is one of the most handed-down pieces of new-parent advice there is — from grandmothers, from well-meaning friends, and from a good many websites. The newborn research points the other way. In a 2016 randomised pilot trial of 115 healthy full-term babies in Manchester, Cooke and colleagues found that twice-daily olive oil improved skin hydration but held back development of the skin's lipid barrier compared with using no oil at all, and the authors advised caution about recommending oils for newborn skin. The NHS now tells parents not to use olive oil for cradle cap because it "may not be suitable for use on skin". This article sets out what was measured, what current NHS and HSE guidance says, and who to ask about your own baby.
We sell olive oil, and we should say plainly what it is for: our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil is a food, made for the table. It is not a baby product, and nothing here recommends it for a baby's skin.
The Short Answer
- The key randomised trial of olive oil on healthy newborn skin — Cooke et al., Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 2016, 115 babies — found better hydration but significantly less development of the skin's lipid barrier than no oil.
- It was a small pilot, not powered to detect outcomes such as eczema — a reason for caution rather than proof of harm.
- The NHS advises against olive oil for cradle cap, and HSE guidance in Ireland is plain water only for roughly the first four weeks, with an unperfumed emollient on dry patches after that.
- Baby massage itself does not need oil. Warm hands on clean skin work, and many parents find it a calm part of the day.
- Your midwife, health visitor (public health nurse in Ireland) or GP is the right person to ask about your baby's skin — especially if your baby was premature or has eczema in the family.
What the Newborn Trial Actually Measured
The key study is Cooke A, Cork MJ, Victor S, Campbell M, Danby S, Chittock J and Lavender T, Olive Oil, Sunflower Oil or no Oil for Baby Dry Skin or Massage — the OBSeRvE study — published in Acta Dermato-Venereologica in 2016 (96(3):323–330, PMID 26551528). It was a pilot, assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial run from Saint Mary's Hospital in Manchester.
One hundred and fifteen healthy, full-term newborns were randomly assigned to olive oil, sunflower oil or no oil, applied twice daily for four weeks, with groups stratified by family history of eczema. The researchers measured the structure of the skin's lipid lamellae, water loss through the skin, hydration and pH at birth and again at four weeks.
Both oil groups had significantly better hydration. Both also showed significantly less improvement in lipid lamellae structure than the no-oil group. There were no significant differences in water loss, pH or redness scores.
| Study | Who and how many | What was applied | What was found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooke et al., Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 2016 (PMID 26551528) | 115 healthy full-term newborns; pilot, assessor-blinded RCT | Olive oil, sunflower oil or no oil, twice daily for 4 weeks | Hydration better with either oil; lipid barrier development significantly less than no oil; no differences in water loss, pH or redness |
| Danby et al., Pediatric Dermatology, 2013 (PMID 22995032) | 19 adults, with and without an eczema history; forearm-controlled | Six drops of olive oil twice daily; sunflower oil on the other forearm in one cohort | Olive oil reduced barrier integrity and caused mild redness; sunflower oil did not |
The Honest Limits of That Evidence
The trial's own authors were careful, and so should we be. Only 11.1% of families approached agreed to take part, 80% stayed to the end, and the study was not powered for clinical significance — it was designed to test whether a larger definitive trial was feasible. Nobody followed these babies to see whether any went on to develop eczema.
Lipid lamellae structure is a laboratory measure of how well the skin's "mortar" is organised, not a symptom a parent would see. And sunflower oil, often suggested as the alternative, performed no better than olive oil on that measure in this trial.
So the honest summary is narrow in both directions. There is no evidence that a little olive oil on a baby causes eczema, and no evidence that it helps newborn skin — the one barrier measurement that points anywhere points away from oil.
Why the First Weeks Matter for the Skin Barrier
A newborn's skin is thinner than an adult's and is still maturing after birth. The HSE describes vernix — the white coating many babies are born with — as protecting the skin in the womb and being absorbed into the skin in the first week. The skin's outer layer continues to organise its own barrier over the following weeks.
That is the context for the "less is more" approach in UK and Irish guidance. Peeling in the first weeks is normal and usually needs nothing at all. For olive oil on adult skin, see our guide to olive oil for skin.
What Current NHS and HSE Guidance Says
Official guidance is short and consistent: plain water first, nothing perfumed, and olive oil is not on the list.
| Source | What it says | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| NHS, Cradle cap (reviewed 3 October 2025) | Suggests an emollient or coconut oil to loosen scales; says "do not use olive oil, it may not be suitable for use on skin" | 30 September 2026 |
| NHS, Washing and bathing your baby (reviewed 23 July 2024) | After a bath is "a good time to massage your baby"; if using oils or lotions, check they are suitable for babies | 30 September 2026 |
| HSE, Caring for your baby's skin (reviewed 14 May 2026) | Plain water for about the first 4 weeks; from 4 weeks an emollient on dry patches, free of colours, perfumes and alcohol; premature babies wait at least 6 weeks | 30 September 2026 |
| Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust leaflet (issued September 2022) | Avoid cleansing and moisturising products for the first few weeks; no creams or lotions on dry or cracked newborn skin; premature babies avoid products for 6 to 8 weeks | 30 September 2026 |
None of these sources recommends olive oil for a baby's skin, and the NHS cradle cap page specifically says not to use it. If your baby's skin worries you, the HSE's own advice is to talk to your GP, public health nurse or pharmacist.
Baby Massage Itself: What the Evidence Shows
The question most parents are really asking is how to massage their baby, not which kitchen oil to use — and massage does not require oil. Warm hands, a warm room and slow, gentle strokes on clean skin are enough.
The evidence on massage as an intervention is weaker than its popularity suggests. A Cochrane review by Bennett, Underdown and Barlow (2013, CD005038, PMID 23633323) included 34 studies of healthy babies under six months, 20 of them at high risk of bias. The authors concluded that the findings "do not currently support the use of infant massage with low-risk groups of parents and infants", describing the evidence as poor quality.
That is not a reason to stop. The NHS describes after-bath time as a good moment to massage a baby, and many parents value it as quiet, close time — something you do because you both enjoy it, not a treatment.
What About Sunflower, Coconut and Traditional Oils?
Oiling a new baby is a long tradition in many cultures, with mustard, sesame, coconut or olive oil. Those traditions deserve respect, and they are exactly why researchers started measuring what oils do.
Summers and colleagues (BMC Pediatrics, 2019) massaged 995 newborns in Nepal with sunflower or mustard oil and found only a small difference in how fast skin pH fell, with no differences in redness, rash, dryness or water loss. That trial did not include olive oil. Sunflower oil fared better than olive oil in Danby's adult study, but in the Manchester newborn trial it slowed lipid-barrier development just as olive oil did. No oil has been shown to be a clear improvement on no oil for healthy full-term babies.
More on the skin is not automatically better, either. In the BEEP trial (Chalmers et al., The Lancet, 2020, PMID 32087126), daily emollient for the first year in 1,394 babies at higher risk of eczema did not prevent it by age two (23% versus 25% in controls), and the emollient group had more skin infections in year one.
Three Fair Objections
"My mother used olive oil on all of us and we were fine." Very likely true. One family's experience cannot show what happens across thousands of babies — which is what a trial is for.
"But the babies' skin was better hydrated." It was. The researchers judged that this did not outweigh a less-developed lipid barrier whose long-term significance is unknown.
"It was only a pilot study." Fair — we have said so. But nobody has shown that olive oil improves newborn skin, the one newborn trial points the other way, and official guidance does not recommend it. For the wider picture on oils and eczema, see our article on olive oil for eczema.
Why Sidr & Stone
Our olive oil is a food, and everything below describes what goes into the bottle for the kitchen — not onto a baby. Olive oil on adult skin is a separate question, covered in our guide to olive oil for massage.
- Single-estate — Sidr & Stone's olive oil comes from our own family-owned farm near Marrakech, Morocco, and we control every step from tree to bottle.
- Rain-fed — no irrigation; the trees take what the season gives.
- Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides are used on the estate.
- Single harvest — a small, limited batch; once it is gone, it is gone until the next harvest.
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — to protect flavour, aroma and polyphenols.
- Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed, and it may show natural sediment.
- 100% natural — one ingredient, olive oil, nothing added.
- Dark glass with a gold label — packaging that keeps light off the oil.
- 10% of profits to charity, across every Sidr & Stone product.
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil — that would be the kind of unearned claim this article argues against. What we will say is that it is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, and that it belongs on the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is olive oil good for baby massage?
The evidence does not support it. In a 2016 pilot trial of 115 healthy newborns, olive oil improved hydration but slowed development of the skin's lipid barrier compared with no oil. Ask your midwife or health visitor what suits your baby.
Why might olive oil affect a baby's skin barrier?
Olive oil is mostly oleic acid, which researchers have suggested can loosen the ordered lipid layers of the skin's outer barrier. That is a proposed mechanism, not a proven cause of any condition in babies.
What does the NHS say about olive oil on babies?
The NHS cradle cap page says "do not use olive oil, it may not be suitable for use on skin", and suggests an emollient or coconut oil to loosen scales instead.
Is sunflower oil better for baby massage than olive oil?
In an adult forearm study sunflower oil did not damage the barrier the way olive oil did, but in the Manchester newborn trial it slowed lipid-barrier development just as olive oil did. Neither has been shown to beat no oil for healthy full-term babies.
Can I massage my baby without oil?
Yes. Gentle strokes with warm hands on clean, dry skin in a warm room are all baby massage needs.
When can I start using anything on my baby's skin?
HSE guidance is plain water for about the first four weeks, then an emollient free of colours, perfumes and alcohol on dry patches; premature babies wait at least six weeks. Your health visitor, public health nurse or GP can advise on products.
Is Sidr & Stone olive oil suitable for babies' skin?
No — we do not recommend it, or any olive oil, for a baby's skin. It is an extra virgin olive oil made for eating, sold in 500ml dark glass.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
Olive oil for baby massage is advice given with love, and it is easy to see why it lasted: it is in every kitchen and dry newborn skin looks as if it needs something. The research, small as it is, suggests that what newborn skin mostly needs is time.
The honest position is not alarm. The one newborn trial found a less-developed barrier with oil, UK and Irish guidance recommends plain water in the early weeks, and massage works well without oil. If you are unsure, ask your midwife, health visitor or GP — they can look at your baby, which no article can.
If you care about what goes into an olive oil, our guide to choosing a quality olive oil is the place to start. Our own cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil — single-estate, rain-fed and unfiltered — is for the kitchen, and is available to pre-order as a limited single-harvest batch, with estimated shipping from November 2026 and fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Our extra virgin olive oil is grown organically on our own single-estate farm on the plains outside Marrakech: we control every step from tree to bottle, and no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. It is not yet certified organic — certification is in progress, and we will publish it as soon as it comes through.
Pre-Order Sidr & Stone Organic Marrakech Olive Oil — Limited Single-Harvest Batch →
Disclaimer: This article describes published research and public health guidance at the time of writing; research findings and guidance may change, and readers should check current sources. It is general information, not medical advice, and nothing here recommends applying any product to a baby's skin. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any concern about your baby's skin or health, speak to your midwife, health visitor or public health nurse, pharmacist or GP. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.