The research and development of the Bio-Oil formulation was the life’s work of Dieter Beier, a German cosmetic scientist living in South Africa.

Dieter Beier, now retired, began research into oil-based skincare products in the early 1970’s when he joined Union-Swiss, a leader in oil-based skincare. At Union-Swiss, Beier observed how the oxygen-free environment of oil was perfect for storing vitamins and other natural ingredients, preserving their potency. This observation later led Beier to his idea for the Bio-Oil formulation.

“Oil, being oxygen-free, provides a perfect storage environment, but is thick and greasy. Cream, on the other hand, is light, non-greasy and rapidly absorbed, but contains oxygen. In formulating Bio-Oil I wanted the best of both worlds. I had to have an oil base as all my key ingredients for the Bio-Oil formulation were vitamins and natural herbal extracts, but I also needed the finished product to absorb, otherwise it was useless,” recalls Beier.

The breakthrough came when Beier discovered that PurCellin Oil™ (a laboratory recreation of the preen gland oil of ducks), when added to his formulation, reduced the thickness of the oil, giving it the skin-friendly properties of a cream.

In 1986, almost a decade after research commenced, the Bio-Oil formulation was finally completed. After a year of finished product testing, it was made available to consumers in 1987.