Coconut oil is one of those ingredients that gets passionate takes in both directions, and the gurus who reviewed it have genuinely divided views. What ties most of their thinking together, though, is a location question more than a quality one. Whether coconut oil belongs anywhere near a person's skin seems to depend almost entirely on which part of the body is being talked about.
The consensus
Where the experts find real common ground is on the body. Several of the gurus who reviewed it point to its value for very dry skin and atopic dermatitis specifically, with one noting that it performed as well as mineral oil in research on eczema-prone skin, which matters because consistent moisturizing in that condition can reduce flares and lower the need for topical steroids. For anyone with extremely dry body skin, the practical suggestion from these experts is to layer a moisturizer first and then apply coconut oil over the top, which they say helps lock in hydration for longer. However, where the gurus grow far more cautious is the face, and the reason they keep returning to is that coconut oil sits very high on the comedogenicity scale, meaning it is the kind of ingredient that tends to clog pores and trigger breakouts for a significant proportion of people.
In their words
"Coconut oil actually is a really good moisturizing option for those who have atopic dermatitis. It was shown to be as good as one of my favorites, mineral oil, it's just as good as mineral oil for atopic dermatitis. It appeals to a lot of people, and when it comes to atopic dermatitis, consistent moisturizing is necessary. It helps cut down on flares and it helps cut down on the need for topical steroids."
"On the body, you can even go ahead and apply coconut oil. I prefer using a layer of moisturizer then maybe sealing in with coconut oil and that will keep your skin hydrated for longer. This is for those who have extremely dry skin at night. You can use a layer of body cream and then coconut oil along with a moisturizer."
"If you're putting castor oil on your skin for dry skin, you're much better off using many other things like squalane oil or coconut oil. I have no problem with the oils. That's one of the first things I got obsessed with and dug into."
Where they disagree
The split here is fairly sharp. On one side, several gurus genuinely respect coconut oil as a moisturizing option, particularly for eczema and dry body skin, and one mentions it approvingly as an alternative to castor oil for dry skin concerns. On the other side, two of the gurus who reviewed it are quite firm that it has no place on the face, with one going as far as calling it a firm no and pointing out that most people dealing with acne find it makes things noticeably worse. Neither camp is arguing the other is being unreasonable; they are largely talking about different skin types and different body areas, which is why the disagreement is real but not quite a head-on collision.
"I used to use baking soda and coconut oil as a scrub every day until it broke out bad. I have no idea what the obsession is with coconut oil on the face because it is extremely comedogenic it will break the majority of people out. Raw coconut oil is not a good ingredient for the face. I do not recommend it."
"Just about everybody with acne will agree that coconut oil exacerbates it and makes it worse. It's one of the few things that the entire skincare community agree on. And so, coconut oil for me is a firm no. There are some beautiful oils out there. I love castor oil. I love rose hip seed oil, hoba oil. There are loads of amazing oils out there. Coconut oil just ain't it. On the skin there are so many better options."
The bottom line
The gurus' practical steer, taken together, is that coconut oil can be a reasonable choice for the body, particularly for those managing eczema or very dry skin, but that anyone prone to breakouts or thinking of applying it to the face may want to reach for something else. There is genuine respect from some of the experts for what it does in the right context, but the comedogenicity concern they raise about facial use is consistent enough that people with acne-prone skin would probably want to take it seriously.
The gurus who weighed in
This guide reflects what 6 skincare experts said about Coconut oil across their videos, aggregated by The Guru Index. The approval rating is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it. It is general information, not medical advice.