Somewhere between the actives, the acids, and the serums denoted by an alphabet of trendy new-gen ingredients, I realized I’d lost track of what my skin actually needed.
I had built a skincare routine that was doing the most—on paper. But in practice? It felt like maintenance for maintenance’s sake. My skin was reactive. Overprocessed. Tired.
So I started listening more. To my skin, to my intuition, and to the brands that didn’t need to shout to be heard. That led me to Gentler Essentials Jasmine + Green Tea Beauty Oil—a face oil that doesn’t pretend to be everything, but somehow manages to be exactly what my skin was asking for.
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Gentler Essentials
Jasmine + Green Tea Beauty Oil by Gentler Essentials is what happens when you combine rare ingredients, immaculate design, and uncompromising quality.
A Quiet Brand With a Cult Following
Gentler Essentials might be a new name, but it comes with a strong pedigree. It’s the younger sister brand of Gentlerist, the science-meets-botany brand beloved by skincare insiders for its elevated formulas and uncompromising standards. And before Gentlerist, there was YÜLI—a pioneering label that helped shape the early clean beauty movement with sophisticated, plant-based skincare that didn’t just smell good, but worked.
This lineage matters—because Jasmine + Green Tea Beauty Oil isn’t just another minimalist formula. It’s a tightly edited, high-integrity blend created by people who understand how to formulate for performance, purity, and long-term skin health.
What’s Inside (It’s Not Just “Two Ingredients”)
At first glance, the formula looks simple. But there’s complexity in the restraint.
Ingredients: C. japonica (Tsubaki) Seed Oil*, J. grandiflorum (Jasmine) Flower Extract*, J. sambac (Jasmine) Flower Extract*, Tocopherol* (Vitamin E), J. officinale (Jasmine) Cell Extract*, Benzyl Alcohol**, Linalool**, Geraniol**, Limonene**
* Organic
^ Derived from Organic Plant Sources
** Naturally-occurring component of whole-plant extract.
Camellia japonica (Tsubaki) Seed Oil* – Often mistaken for standard camellia (green tea) oil, this particular oil from the same family is rare. It’s freshly harvested and self-sourced from seasonal camellia blooms from Japanese Green Tea Plant—cold-pressed to preserve its omega-rich profile and natural antioxidants. Exceptionally silky and light, yet abundant in nutrition, this is the oil once used by geisha to keep their skin and hair healthy and radiant even through harsh winters. Lightweight, highly absorbent, and chock full of restoratives.
THREE Forms of Jasmine* – The Jasmine isn’t actually one ingedient, it’s three! Unlike essential oils (which can be sensitizing), this blend uses TWO supercritical CO2 jasmine extracts (Jasminum sambac and Jasminum grandiflorum), along with a unique jasmine (Jasminum officinale) cell extract that supports and rejuvenates skin at the cellular level. These provide a complete plant therapeutic profile that essential oils don’t provide, while being really gentle on the skin. Supercritical Extracts are known to be many times more intensive than oil counterparts in antioxidant and vitamin density.
Together, the three forms of Jasmine deliver heightened real skin benefits (renewal, anti oxidation, anti-inflammation, soothing, regenerative boost)—without irritation.
Tocopherol (Vitamin E)* – A vital antioxidant that stabilizes the formula and supports repair. There are scar products that are primarily comprised of Vitamin E because of it’s healing benefits. It’s also extremely nourishing, and generally a skin oil.
So despite the Jasmine+Green Tea name, this oil isn’t a “just two ingredients” oil. It’s a thoughtfully crafted, streamlined formula made from rare, high-quality raw materials with nothing added that doesn’t serve a purpose.
Plus, keeping it to two botanicals (even with different forms) also limits the chance that there could be an irritation which makes it ideal for those with sensitive and reactive skin.
Jasmine cell culture is a biotech innovation that captures jasmine’s regenerative power at a cellular level—boosting skin resilience and calm. Even in its most minimal form, Gentler Essentials reflects the Gentlerist ethos: high-performance formulas with depth, integrity, and technological precision.
What It’s Done for My Skin
I started using it twice a day—just a few drops pressed into damp skin after cleansing and misting. In the morning, it wore beautifully under sunscreen and foundation, leaving my skin soft and slightly dewy, never greasy. At night, it felt like a comfort blanket—sealing in moisture and leaving my skin calm and nourished by morning.
Within days, my skin began to shift.
The redness I usually get around my nose faded. That patchy tightness I always felt mid-day? Gone. And in its place: a subtle, yet unmistakably healthy glow. No, not the glass-skin hype kind, but a healthy, rested, balanced look I hadn’t seen in a while.
Over the next few weeks, the results were undeniable:
My skin tone looked more even
Texture softened—especially across my cheeks
My T-zone looked less oily by midday, yet my skin was always supple, never dry
I stopped layering three products at night because I didn’t need them anymore
A friend asked if I had “just gotten a facial” (I hadn’t)
It’s one of the few products that made my skin feel calmer and stronger at the same time. Not just nourished—but genuinely healthier. And the fact that it absorbed so cleanly meant it layered seamlessly into every routine, season, and skin mood.
The Unexpected Bonus: It’s Multipurpose
A true beauty oil, it works on the skin and hair. A few weeks in with how it made my skin look and feel, I started experimenting more.
A drop on my hair ends after showering? Frizz, gone.
Mixed with a matte foundation? Instantly more blendable.
Dabbed on my collarbones before a dinner out? The softest jasmine veil.
This oil travels well, layers beautifully, and plays well with nearly everything. It’s skincare you don’t have to overthink—and that’s rare.
Why I Replaced My $200 Face Oil with This $85 One
For a long time, there was one oil I kept coming back to—the one in the dark glass bottle, beloved by Goop, and purported to end all face oils. It was lush, aromatic, and made with a long list of botanicals. And at $200, it came with the kind of hype that made it feel like skincare royalty.
But over time, I started to question what my skin was actually getting from it. The glow wasn’t “other worldly” and often came irritation. The luxurious feel masked a formula saturated with essential oils—many of them photoreactive or known to sensitize the skin over time. My complexion, once calm, began to feel overstimulated.
That’s where Gentler Essentials Jasmine + Green Tea Beauty Oil shines.
What struck me first wasn’t what was missing from the streamlined ingredients list, but what was in there:
Three sophisticated forms of jasmine—including a rare cell extract that supports skin resilience at the cellular level
Freshly harvested, self-sourced Tsubaki oil—an ultra-premium oil revered in Japanese skincare, far richer in antioxidants and omega fatty acids than commodity oils like grape seed
A formula that’s not only minimalist, but fully organic, down to the jasmine extracts and tocopherol
No essential oils. No added fragrance. Nothing that makes your skin work harder than it should
It’s not just gentler—it’s smarter. At $85, it didn’t just outperform the pricier bottle—it made me rethink what I actually value in skincare: genuine good-for-you ingredients, compatibility, and true, visible results. The quality isn’t just comparable—it’s better.
The Final Word
There’s something deeply refreshing about a product that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to prove anything.
Gentler Essentials Jasmine + Green Tea Beauty Oil is one of the few face oils I’ve used that truly lives up to the phrase “less is better.” It’s thoughtful, versatile, skin-compatible, and beautiful—in texture, scent, and performance.
It’s for those who’ve done the maximalist routine, seen the trends, and come out the other side wanting something more refined. For minimalists, it’s a no brainer, high quality, fresh, organic oil. For maximalists, it’s a multitasking performance oil that uplifts everything, and also provides a break from the onslaught of multi-active products.
Everyone will find something to love in this beautiful oil.
Written by Hayley Cassidy, Staff Writer
Images by Move With Life
Video by Move With Life, Model: Kelsey Wiedenhoefer, Co-Founder of Move With Life
