Ether - Face and Hair Oil for Oily Skin
ETHER is a deeply considered botanical oil for skin that produces more than it needs. Rather than stripping or suppressing, Ether works with your skin's intelligence — delivering a linoleic-dominant blend that signals to overactive sebaceous glands that balance has been restored.
Lightweight, fast-absorbing, and non-comedogenic, ETHER carries a rare convergence of active botanicals: cacay nut for natural retinol and cell renewal, tamanu for scar resolution, astaxanthin — one of nature's most potent antioxidants — to interrupt the oxidation of sebum that drives inflammatory breakouts at the source, and a fermented sirtuin complex to support the cellular longevity and communication that healthy, resilient skin depends on.
Every batch is steeped in hand-harvested calendula, lavender, and lemon balm, cold-infused directly into the oil. Not extracted elsewhere and added back. Grown, dried, and infused in small quantities, in the same hands that formulate and bottle.
Microbiome-friendly. Essential oil-free. Fragrance-free. Non-comedogenic. Suitable for sensitive skin.
All Base Oils are essential oil-free, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, and suitable for sensitive skin — gentle enough for both young and mature skin.
Choose Ether for skin that:
- Produces excess shine, particularly through the T-zone
- Is prone to breakouts, congestion, or enlarged pores
- Experiences post-inflammatory marks or acne scarring
- Feels heavy or thick despite being "oily"
Use on hair and scalp that:
- Becomes oily quickly after washing
- Experiences scalp breakouts or follicular congestion
- Requires frequent washing to feel fresh
Moisturizer — face, neck, and body
Oil cleanser — dissolves impurities without stripping
Makeup remover
Scalp treatment — massage in, leave 30+ minutes, shampoo out
Hair mask — mid-lengths and ends
Vitis Vinifera (Grapeseed) Seed Oil*, Squalane, Caryodendron Orinocense (Cacay) Nut Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil*, Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Seed Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil & Saccharomyces/Podophyllum Peltatum Ferment Filtrate (Sirtuin Complex), Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) CO2 Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Antioxidant CO2 Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Haematococcus Pluvialis (Astaxanthin) Extract
*cold-pressed, unrefined
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Ether is made with:
Cacay Nut Oil
Sourced from the Amazon rainforest, cacay nut oil contains the highest concentration of natural retinol of any plant oil — nearly three times that of rosehip. Lightweight and fast-absorbing, it gently accelerates cell turnover and supports the resolution of post-inflammatory marks, working in concert with bakuchiol to activate the skin's renewal pathways without irritation.
SS Sirtuin Complex
Sirtuins are proteins that regulate some of the most fundamental biological pathways in our cells — influencing aging, stress resistance, and cellular longevity. This fermented complex, produced through yeast fermentation and concentration, has been shown to increase SIRT1 sirtuin activity: enhancing how efficiently skin cells function, communicate, and repair themselves. Where most active ingredients work on the surface of skin behaviour, sirtuin activation works at the level of how cells operate — supporting genuine, long-term skin resilience rather than temporary correction. Oil-soluble and formulated for seamless integration into an anhydrous base, it is one of the few truly cellular-level actives available for use in a facial oil.
Tamanu Oil
Cold-pressed from the nuts of Calophyllum inophyllum, tamanu contains calophyllolide — a lactone compound found in virtually no other plant oil. This rare molecule actively promotes new tissue formation, accelerating the resolution of scarring and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation through a mechanism no other ingredient in this formula replicates. Also meaningfully antimicrobial against C. acnes.
Astaxanthin
Derived from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae, astaxanthin is among the most potent antioxidants found in nature. Uniquely, it spans the entire lipid bilayer — protecting cell membranes from both sides simultaneously. For oily skin specifically, it interrupts the oxidation of sebum, a key trigger for comedone formation and inflammatory acne that most skincare ingredients don't address at the source.
A 75ml timeless bottle that blends gracefully into any space. Label-free with a simple, removable paper tag on cotton string.
No fix-it messaging, no branding, no plastic.
Made from hand blown borosilicate glass, these apothecary bottles with ground glass stoppers come wax sealed, are easily reusable or can be returned (for re-use) when you join our refill program.
Love the bottles but don't want to keep multiple empties around?
When you subscribe (below), we send you a new, full bottle with a return label for your used bottle. Just pop your empty bottle in the box and mail it back to us for free. We make them sparkly again to cycle back into our line.
Choose your Plan
Keep skin simple. Pare down on price, pass on plastic, and get your potion on tap with our Refillery Service.
*Easily swap, pause, add, cancel, or gift it to a loved one, anytime.
Ether is made with:
Herb-Infused Grapeseed Oil
Calendula, lavender, and lemon balm — grown and dried by hand — are cold-infused directly into unrefined grapeseed oil. Grapeseed brings its own OPCs and natural resveratrol; the herbs contribute flavonoids, triterpene acids, and rosmarinic acid. The infusion process extracts these oil-soluble compounds slowly and completely, without heat, preserving the integrity of every botanical.
Squalane
Structurally identical to the squalene naturally produced by human skin, olive-derived squalane integrates seamlessly into the skin's own lipid matrix. Non-comedogenic, deeply moisturising, and exceptionally stable, it forms the base of Ether's formula — regulating sebum production by signaling to skin that its lipid needs are met.
Sunflower Oil
Sunflower Oil is particularly suited for oily skin because of its high linoleic acid profile. This non-comedogenic botanical oil keeps your skin moisturized while fighting acne-causing bacteria. Rich in antioxidants, it works to protects the skin from environmental damage.
A Grounded Application
The slow pour.
The old-school pour. It's such a simple thing, yet it's hard find a skincare option out there that doesn't have a complicated plastic pump or bulb dropper or a spray. Are all the little parts really necessary?
It takes a little practice to get the tilt, but more so it just takes presence.
Sometimes rather than innovate we just need to strip away the over-complications.
An enduring alternative.
If you typically use a dropper, our hand-carved crystalline facial massage wand functions as one, making it effortless to lift and dispense a precise number of droplets into your hand. It also doubles as a facial massage tool.
Ethically sourced and artisanally carved, this design serves multiple purposes and can endure use upon use over time. Our crystalline wands have never seen the inside of a factory and are carefully cut to minimize wastage.
The unbranded bottle
We don’t brand our bottles. We love our logo, but you probably don’t care to see our name every time you lift the bottle. There is enough constant, subliminal exposure to branding, marketing, and messaging throughout any given day.
The Timeless Bottle
We encourage reuse and that’s the second reason why we keep our bottle unbranded. You’ll like it better unstamped. We dream that one day your bottle will be considered “vintage” or “antique” and be truly functional in a number of uses around the home.
The Borosilicate Bottle
We chose all glass to eliminate plastic completely, but we choose borosilicate for the following reasons: 1) completely safe and nontoxic, and does not leach 2) Unlike standard type III glass, it’s resistant to thermal shock. So when you decide reuse the bottle, feel free to boil it. 3) Because of the thickness we are able to achieve with this type of glass, it’s 30% lighter than the ubiquitous boston round in a comparable size.
The Wax Sealed Bottle
We ship our bottles sealed with natural wax. We've been tweaking our method for years. Our solution is unconventional. It’s not machinated, and therefore it comes with imperfections. No bottle is a perfectly cloned iteration of the last one. To us that's all the messaging needed.
Define your Āra
Āra/aara/noun [Latin = altar, home, refuge, protection, sanctuary]