Avocado oil has been a long time a favourite of cosmetic manufacturers. Avocado (Persea Americana) is a familiar fruit to many and is praised in many ways as a healthy nutrition. Many health experts recommend avocados as well as avocado oil to keep up good health. Avocado oil also has a pleasant taste and beautiful colour. Therefore, it is preferred oil in many recipes. How do the precious oils of avocado work on the skin?
Avocado oil is easy to find in major supermarkets
The popularity of avocado oil is indicated by the fact that it is now quite easy to find in ordinary supermarkets. It is usually fresh and of good quality because it is also used a lot. There are also cold-pressed quality avocado oils available. All the valuable antioxidants and vitamins are still intact in cold-pressed avocado oil. You can buy a big bottle of avocado oil at once. It is not perishable and can be used as well in cooking.
Avocado oil is produced all over the globe.
The avocado is native plant of Central America. Avocados are now grown wherever the climate is smooth enough. Avocado cannot tolerate frost and requires a subtropical or tropical climate to thrive. The major avocado producing countries are Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Indonesia, Colombia and Brazil. These countries sell raw avocados to ripening plants all around the world. Thus, the actual avocado oil can be produced anywhere in the world.
Avocados need a huge amount of water to grow. It has been calculated that the amount of groundwater consumed by one avocado is about 70 litres, depending on the place of growth. In addition to this, of course, the avocado also needs rainwater. In Chile, however, the amount of groundwater needed by one avocado is a staggering 320 litres. Such water consumption is a heavy toll to the local water economy. When choosing avocados or avocado oil, also pay attention to the ethics and sustainability of the fruit and oil.
Avocado is a very oily fruit
Avocado is one of the most fat-rich fruits. Avocado fruit flesh can contain up to 32% oil and 65% water. Avocado oil was originally used only in cosmetics. Avocado oil for cosmetics is traditionally made from dried avocado using solvents and heat. Finally, the oil is purified, bleached and perfumed. Such avocado oil is used by large cosmetic giants.
Avocado oil for cooking is always made from carefully ripened, healthy avocados. Over-ripen, black avocados cannot be used in top quality oil. The avocado mass is ground into a paste and rinsed for 60 minutes at 45-50 degrees Celsius. The pulp is then made into oil by mechanical treatment. Fortunately, we cosmetics makers always have the opportunity to choose the highest quality oils for our products. Personally, I choose cold-pressed, organic oil.
Avocado oil is equivalent to olive oil
The fat profile of avocado oil is similar to that of olive oil. It contains very high concentrations of oleic acid. Avocado oil is therefore not suitable for persons having easily clogged pores on their skin. Due to its high oleic acid content, it causes easily acne, pimples and skin problems on the facial skin.
Unlike olive oil, avocado oil is high in skin-protecting oleic acids such as palmitic and palmitoleic acids. That’s why I think avocado oil is a good addition to dry skin products.
Avocado oil is moderately rich in vitamin E, or tocopherol. Vitamin E is a very effective substance in combating the signs of skin aging. In addition, avocado oil contains chlorophylls as well as carotenoids. Chlorophylls are a green dye in plants. Because of the high content of chlorophyll, the avocado has such a wonderful, emerald green colour. The colour of avocado oil is also beautifully visible in the products. Chlorophyll is very sensitive to light. That is why it is especially important to keep avocado oil and products protected from light.
Fatty acid composition, cold pressed, extra Virgin avocado oil
- Palmitic acid 10-12%
- Palmitoleic acid 5-8%
- Oleic acid 60-80%
- Linoleic acid 7-20%
How do I use avocado oil in cosmetics?
Avocado oil has a very similar fat profile to olive oil. A good feature of avocado oil is its shelf life. Just like olive oil, avocado oil won’t get spoiled easily. If you wish, you can use avocado oil instead of olive oil in your products. As an easily pore-clogging oil, I do not recommend avocado oil for face products, at least in large quantities. Here are some examples of how you can utilize avocado oil in cosmetics
- In body products
- In washable products
- In hair products
- In very dry skin products
- In peeling products
- In foot creams
- In hand creams
- In soaps
Avocado oil is worth exploring
I have written here on my blog about many oils. I always choose my favourite oils as my topic. I don’t want to write about oils I don’t like. I was considering writing about avocado oil for a long time. I considered it to be too pore-clogging. However, avocado oil has quite a few good features. It’s gorgeous emerald green colour, good shelf life, skin protective fatty acids and rich antioxidants made me rethink. Avocado oil is a useful cosmetic raw material with certain notice. I recommend trying it in cosmetics.