Although I wish it were the case, Hailey Bieber and I don't have a ton in common. I (sadly) don't have a multimillion-dollar beauty brand or a closet full of extremely cute designer clothes, but something we do wholeheartedly agree on is daily morning musts. Bieber recently told Time that her morning routine consists of three essentials: skincare, coffee, and a shot of olive oil with lemon.
I was pretty excited to hear that Bieber shares my love for this seemingly random practice. I learned about the benefits of olive oil a few years ago and haven't looked back since. You might assume that drinking a shot-sized glass of the stuff won't get you too far in the long run, but think again. Experts totally back this wellness practice, and if you stay dedicated, you'll see results with your internal health, and your skin will take on a whole new quality, according to Furtuna Skin founder and CEO Agatha Relota Luczo.
Relota Luczo opened my eyes to even more benefits that drinking olive oil daily can offer. Relota Luczo is so passionate about this ingredient that she built her entire brand around it. "I've always been fascinated by the profound connection between longevity and the olive tree," she says. "Some of the most exciting emerging research around olive polyphenols—particularly hydroxytyrosol and other potent antioxidants naturally found in high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)—points to their potential role in supporting cellular health and protecting telomeres, the caps at the ends of our chromosomes associated with healthy aging."
For more on why this ingredient is expert backed and how you can incorporate it into your own routine, read on.
What are the health benefits of drinking olive oil?
From a beauty perspective, olive oil has so much to offer. Relota Luczo says, "When it comes to the skin, true high-quality olive oil is one of the most effective things you can consume for skin health. Oleocanthal—I call it nature's Motrin—acts in the same way as ibuprofen as an anti-inflammatory, and combined with oleuropein, another powerful antioxidant compound, the two work together to address systemic inflammation."
Relota Luczo then went on to say that this is key. First, whatever is happening on the surface of the skin—whether that's dullness, redness, or premature aging—it's all a reflection of what's going on internally. "The polyphenols in a genuinely potent EVOO fight free radical damage and defend against collagen breakdown," she continues. "The fatty acids, both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated, work at a cellular level to reinforce your skin's moisture barrier and ease oxidative stress."
As a bonus, Luczo mentioned that when take olive oil on an empty stomach, it may also support nutrient absorption through the gut (which has its own downstream effect on skin). "I think of it as skincare you eat," she adds. "The results aren't instant, but they're real, and they're cumulative. It’s about feeding the skin the same way we feed the body—with ingredients that support vitality, resilience, and long-term skin health at a cellular level."
Simon Poole, MD, a Mediterranean nutrition expert and author of Olive Oil for Dummies, adds that olive oil is a high-quality healthy fat and consuming it regularly has also been linked to reduced risk of various diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers, and even dementia.
How to Shop for a Quality Olive Oil
If you're considering incorporating this wellness practice into your daily routine, you should know that any old olive oil won't do. Receiving the full health benefits of this ritual requires a high-quality olive oil. Both Relota Luczo and Poole have key advice about what you should consider. "This is where most people get lost because the marketing is so misleading," Relota Luczo explains. She's sharing her ultimate cheat sheet for the selection process below.
1. Shop by harvest date.
"[Don't go by] a 'best by' date. Polyphenol content degrades over time. You want an oil harvested within the last 12 months, ideally consumed within 18 months of harvest. A best by date tells you almost nothing."
2. Look for a single origin, single estate.
"Blended oils, especially those blended across countries, are almost impossible to trace and often contain older or lower-quality stock. Knowing exactly where the olives came from and who grew them matters."
3. Choose a dark glass or tin.
"Light oxidizes oil rapidly, and serious producers know this."
Poole's advice is to find brands featuring growers who really care about quality. "Look for an extra-virgin olive oil that tells a story of its region of production, heritage, care, and passion of the farmers," he says. "If an EVOO is also produced with organic or regenerative farming techniques, then you will know that the producer is nurturing the environment, which further encourages excellence in EVOO. Most importantly, try the oil and enjoy its fruitiness, pleasant bitterness, and pungency, knowing that it will be rich in polyphenol antioxidants."
Shop Furtuna's magical olive oil below along with my other favorite olive oil–rich beauty products you can stack your routine with.
The Best Olive Oil Beauty and Wellness Products
Furtuna Skin's olive oil is a personal favorite to take daily, and Relota Luczo shared exactly why it's so special. "At Furtuna Skin, our olives are harvested by hand at peak phenolic ripeness from our estate in Sicily [and] milled within hours, and we test every batch," she says. "That's the standard I hold other oils to now, and it's made me a genuinely difficult person to shop for at the grocery store!"
This budget-friendly cleansing oil from Japanese brand DHC is great for double cleansing and removing makeup. It's rich in olive oil and just glides all over your skin like silk. If you're wearing makeup, it removes it in record time—even stubborn things like tubing and waterproof mascara.
Furtuna's Biphase Moisturizing Oil is a holy grail for me. It gives your skin a glow almost instantly, and the hydration it offers is truly unmatched. Celebrity aesthetician Candace Marino recommended it to me ages ago, and I've been hooked since. I know how much thought and care Relota Luczo puts into her formulations, and this one is truly exceptional.
If you're more of a minimalist, this multitasking skincare oil is great for your hair, face, and body. It contains pure Greek olive oil along with other nourishing oils like crambe abyssinica seed and sunflower seed.
Wonder Valley's olive oil–rich body oil smells divine. It features a blend of aromatic oils—hinoki, fir, and cedarwood—giving you a total spa experience at home.
This serum from Furtuna packs a serious punch. After just a few uses, my face was luminous and firm, cementing its position on my "all-time favorites" list instantly. It features the brand's star ingredient, olive oil, of course, but other potent botanicals reduce dark spots and fine lines while boosting hydration.
Macrene Actives is an amazing clean luxury brand that I love. The product lineup is simple, allowing you to pare back your routine, but that doesn't mean it skimps on results. This cream features hydrating olive oil unsaponifiables which are rich in squalene, phytosterols, and polyphenols. A whole host of other ingredients repair the skin and leave it with a glow.
Besides Furtuna, Zimms is my favorite brand of high-quality olive oil. The brand offers convenient and cute shot glasses specifically designed to measure out your daily dose of olive oil. The brand also adds that consuming olive oil daily is great for gut, brain, and heart health.