Jojoba Oil: Natural Protection for Skin & Hair
Plants like the jojoba or Simmondsia chinensis shrub have an amazing way of adapting to their environment. This adaptation is their natural defense mechanism, similar to our own immune system, that allows them to survive and thrive no matter what harsh conditions—sun exposure, extreme heat, lack of water, and pests—they face in the environment.
This is one reason why, at Pharmacopia, we tap into plants like jojoba oil and their unique protective substances for our better-for-you body care products, harnessing these powerful plant-based benefits for skin and hair.
The jojoba plant produces a liquid wax ester or oil that allows it to survive long periods with no water in the Southwestern desert conditions where it grows. The liquid wax ester or jojoba oil does this by creating a protective barrier on the plant’s leaves and seeds that prevents water loss through evaporation. These jojoba wax esters are also heat and UV resistant, allowing the oil to remain stable despite the scorching desert sun.
Jojoba oil is similar in structure to human sebum, the natural oil produced by our skin, allowing jojoba oil to mimic the skin’s oils without clogging pores.
But there’s more to jojoba oil than just mimicking sebum. Jojoba oil also contains more beneficial ingredients that help to protect and hydrate the skin and hair.
Nourishing Benefits of Jojoba Oil
Jojoba oil is chock-full of beneficial plant goodness including:
Fatty acids: Jojoba oil is rich in fatty acids, particularly eicosenoic acid. It’s these fatty acids that help to maintain the skin’s barrier integrity, our skin’s natural protective mechanism. Just as jojoba oil helps to protect the jojoba plant in the desert, so too do these fatty acids help to protect our own skin from moisture loss, heat, and UV exposure. (Keep in mind that jojoba oil, while UV protective, is not a substitute for sunscreen.)
This protective barrier on the skin helps the skin to retain moisture, preventing dryness and flakiness, and helps to heal skin. The jojoba oil in our Pharmacopia Body Lotions helps keep skin soft and supple.
These fatty acids also help to keep the hair shaft hydrated, making it softer and more manageable—and reducing frizz and enhancing shine. You’ll find that jojoba oil is a star ingredient in our Citrus and Verbena Better-for-You Conditioner.
Vitamins: Jojoba oil is a good source of the antioxidant vitamin E, as well as B complex vitamins. As an antioxidant, vitamin E helps to protect the skin and hair from oxidative stress—which can occur from exposure to extreme temperatures, drying conditions, and the sun’s UV rays. Vitamin E also helps to lock in the skin’s moisture, maintaining hydration in the skin. The B vitamins also nourish the skin and scalp, keeping them healthy and in optimal condition.
Find the goodness of vitamin E and jojoba oil in our Citrus and Verbena Body Wash, which contain other beneficial plant-based ingredients like aloe vera, chamomile, and green tea extract.
Minerals: Essential minerals like zinc and copper can be found in jojoba oil. Both minerals are important for the health of skin and hair which is why we formulate our better-for-you Pharmacopia Citrus and Verbena Shampoos and Conditioners with this plant-based oil.
Zinc is incredibly soothing for the skin thanks to its anti-inflammatory benefits—helping to calm skin, reduce redness, and aid in wound healing. It also helps keep hair healthy by supporting the production of keratin, which helps keep locks strong, silky, and frizz free.
Copper plays a crucial role in stimulating the production of collagen and elastin in the skin, helping to slow down the aging of skin. It also helps to maintain the health and structure of the hair shaft, promoting hair growth.
Plant sterols: These substances in plants like the jojoba plant are similar in structure and function to cholesterol, helping them integrate seamlessly into the skin’s lipid layer. It’s this lipid layer that helps to protect the skin, locking in moisture and soothing irritation and redness in the process.
Jojoba oil is one of the key ingredients that makes our Tangerine Lip Elixir so healing and nourishing for the lips, cuticle skin, and even hands. Not only does our Lip Elixir help to prevent chapped lips and dry, ragged cuticles, it also helps to heal irritated, dry skin, too.
What also makes jojoba oil so incredibly beneficial for skin and hair is that it’s able to penetrate skin and scalp effectively, providing hydration without a greasy feel. This makes jojoba oil suitable for all skin types, including oily and acne-prone skin.
Jojoba oil, in our mind, is one of the most nourishing plant ingredients. It’s no wonder it plays a starring role in almost all of our better-for-you body care products!
