Ozonated olive oil is olive oil that has had medical-grade ozone bubbled through it until the oxygen bonds into the oil’s fatty acids as stable compounds called ozonides. On skin, those ozonides break down slowly over hours, releasing oxygen-rich lipids into a barrier that has been worn thin by retinol, acids, peels or too many actives. OzoMD Ozonated Elixir Oil carries that ozonated olive oil in squalane, jojoba, sunflower and rosehip, so it absorbs like a light face oil rather than sitting on the skin like a paste.
How ozonated olive oil is made
- Start with cold-pressed olive oil. Its fatty acids carry the double bonds that ozone reacts with.
- Generate ozone from oxygen. Ozone is oxygen in a more reactive form, three atoms (O₃) instead of two. OzoMD uses a pharmaceutical-grade oxygen source.
- Bubble the ozone through the oil until the unsaturated fatty acids have taken up the oxygen. The oil thickens and turns paler as it goes.
- Carry it. On its own it is a dense paste; OzoMD blends it into squalane, jojoba, sunflower and rosehip so it spreads and absorbs.
There is no free ozone gas in the jar: by the time it reaches you the ozone has reacted completely, and what remains is oxygen bonded into the lipid.
What ozonides are and what they do on skin
The fatty acids in olive oil contain double bonds. Ozone attacks those bonds and rearranges them into ozonides and related peroxides, which hold oxygen inside the oil. In a capped jar they sit quietly. On skin, warmth and moisture break them down gradually over hours, releasing oxygen and leaving behind lipid fragments that are themselves moisturizing. That slow, steady delivery is why ozonated olive oil feels like comfort rather than a jolt.
Ozonated olive oil is not an oxygen facial: there is no gas, no machine and no spray. It is also not an active in the retinol or acid sense. It does not exfoliate or resurface. It supplies lipids and bonded oxygen, then gets out of the way.
What peroxide value means
Peroxide value is the lab measurement most often used to describe how much bonded, active oxygen an ozonated oil holds. It is measured when the oil is made; a higher number means the oil took up more oxygen. It is a marker of the fresh product, not a fixed property: time, heat, light and air all spend the bonded oxygen slowly, which is why a jar that smells of nothing at all is the one to question.
We do not publish a peroxide value yet. If you want to know ours, ask us at info@agentozo.com.
Why it suits an over-treated barrier
Your skin barrier is the outer layer that keeps water in and irritants out. Over-exfoliation, retinoids, acids and back-to-back treatments wear it thin, and a thin barrier is exactly when skin starts to sting, flush and flake. What a worn barrier usually needs is fewer inputs and more of what it is short on: lipids, water and time.
That is where ozonated olive oil fits. It is lipid-first by nature, and in OzoMD it arrives with squalane and jojoba. There is no fragrance, no essential oil, no acid and no retinoid, so nothing in it works by provoking skin. The Ozonated Face Cream adds niacinamide, panthenol and hyaluronate in a daily moisturizer that seals the oil in. Together they give skin a calm window to recover, which is the subject of our guide to the signs of a damaged skin barrier.
The whole idea is less for your skin to react to: lipids and bonded oxygen, and nothing built to sting.
What the research says about the ingredient
Four studies on the ingredient, linked so you can read them yourself:
- A meta-analysis of 18 randomized trials examined ozonated oils and gels as an adjunct in gum care (Clin Exp Dent Res 2026, PubMed).
- A randomized trial of 123 patients studied daily topical ozonated olive oil in a hospital wound-care setting (Lipids Health Dis 2025, PubMed).
- A laboratory study found commercial ozonated olive and sunflower oils showed activity against S. aureus at doses with no keratinocyte toxicity (Molecules 2024, PubMed).
- A systematic review of 9 studies assessed the safety of topical ozonated oil (Int Wound J 2022, PubMed).
OzoMD is a cosmetic; this is research on the ingredient, not a claim about the product. These were clinical and laboratory settings, not a home skincare routine, and OzoMD is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
How OzoMD is made
OzoMD is physician formulated and made in the USA in an NSF-certified facility, from a pharmaceutical-grade oxygen source and cold-pressed oils. Every formula is fragrance free, non-comedogenic, vegan and cruelty free. There are two products: OzoMD Ozonated Elixir Oil (2 fl oz, used at two or three drops a time) and the Ozonated Face Cream (50 ml, the daily moisturizer that seals it in).
Two formulas. One recovery routine.
The Ozonated Elixir Oil at night, the Ozonated Face Cream by day. Fragrance free, made in the USA.
Start Your ResetWhat we don’t claim
OzoMD is a cosmetic. It moisturizes, comforts the feel of over-treated skin, softens the look of redness and supports how the skin barrier looks and feels. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition, and the research above is about the ingredient, not a promise about the jar. We have not run a clinical study on the product, so we do not say we have. If skin is broken or severely reactive, see a dermatologist first and use OzoMD when they say moisturizer is fine.
Frequently asked questions about ozonated olive oil
Why does ozonated olive oil smell metallic?
That brief, clean, slightly metallic note when you open the jar is the activated oxygen in true ozonated oil, the sign the oil is live. In OzoMD it fades within a minute or two and leaves no lingering scent.
Does ozonated olive oil need to be refrigerated?
No. A cool cabinet or drawer, capped and out of direct sun, is enough. Heat, light and air are what slowly spend the bonded oxygen, so the sunny bathroom windowsill is the one place to avoid.
How long does ozonated olive oil last?
Use it within six months of opening for peak freshness. At two or three drops a use, a 2 fl oz jar of OzoMD Ozonated Elixir Oil is roughly 400 uses.
How is ozonated olive oil different from regular olive oil?
Regular olive oil moisturizes. Ozonated olive oil moisturizes and carries bonded oxygen that releases slowly on skin. Ozonation also makes the oil thicker and paler and gives it the brief metallic scent. The two are not interchangeable.
Is ozonated olive oil suitable for sensitive skin?
OzoMD is formulated for it: fragrance free, essential-oil free, non-comedogenic, with no acids or retinoids. Patch test on the inner arm first, and check with your dermatologist if you have a diagnosed condition.
Can you drink ozonated olive oil?
No. OzoMD Ozonated Elixir Oil is a cosmetic for external use on skin. It is not a food, a supplement or a mouth rinse. Keep it out of reach of children.