I once spilled nearly half a bottle of olive oil on my kitchen counter. I could have cried. Instead of letting it go to waste, I scraped it into a container and moved it to the bathroom. I used it everywhere—on my legs, my cuticles, in the bath, even in my hair.

It turns out my grandmother was right all along: olive oil really is skin care gold.

For centuries, olive oil has been used as a natural moisturizer, cleanser, and skin protectant. Today, modern research is beginning to confirm what traditional cultures already knew—olive oil contains nutrients that support healthy skin in multiple ways.