Nature’s Nourishment: How Seed Oils Can Benefit the Skin
No matter what you may have heard about ingesting seed oils and your health, one thing is true: seed oils from plants have tremendous nourishing benefits when used topically. In fact, some seed oils are so nurturing, they’re absorbed and utilized by the skin, hair, and scalp to pamper and hydrate. This is why seed oils, plus the oils from nuts and fruits, play a starring role in all of Pharmacopia’s better-for-you body care products.
What exactly are seed oils? These oils like sunflower oil, sesame oil, and grapeseed oil are extracted from the seeds of plants. Many of the seed oils used in foods today are highly processed, which can make them unhealthy for you. But the seed oils we use in our natural products are sustainably sourced and extracted using cold pressing methods. This process involves pressing the seeds without high temperatures, high pressure, or chemicals, helping to preserve all the delicate plant-based goodness inside. (Cold pressing is one of the oldest and simplest ways to extract oil with reports of ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans having used this method.)
Nourishing Benefits of Seed Oils
Seed oils are rich in powerful nutrients, antioxidants, and fatty acids. These nurturing ingredients are particularly important because they:
🌱 Moisturize and hydrate. Seed oils are emollients—ingredients that help to hydrate, soften, and smooth skin by creating a protective barrier on the skin. Some seed oils, like grapeseed oil or Vitus vinifera seed oil found in our hydrating natural conditioners, and hemp seed oil or Cannabis sativa seed oil found in our Tangerine Herbal Lip Elixir, are also humectants, helping to draw moisture to the skin to keep it hydrated.
By creating a protective barrier on the skin, seed oils help to reinforce and protect skin’s natural barrier. It’s the skin barrier that locks in skin’s moisture, helping the skin to stay hydrated.
🌱 Protect against inflammation. Many seed oils, particularly when sourced with natural methods like cold-pressing, have anti-inflammatory properties. This is why so many topical seed oils, like jojoba or Simmondsia chinensis seed oil, help to heal irritated skin naturally.
🌱 Protect the skin from oxidative stress. Seed oils, like other plant-based ingredients, are chock-full of protective antioxidants. These antioxidants neutralize free radicals found in the environment, helping to prevent cellular damage called oxidative stress that can lead to dryness, irritation, and premature skin aging. (Everything from sun exposure to pollution can trigger oxidative stress in the skin.) Common antioxidants found in seed oils include vitamin E or tocopherol, flavonoids, and polyphenols.
🌱 Balance the skin’s oil production. While there is a belief that oils can make skin greasy and prone to breakouts, this is not the case with many seed oils, like hemp seed oil or jojoba oil, which is similar in structure to the skin’s own oil or sebum. These oils alert the skin that it doesn’t need to overproduce oil, which can result in less greasy skin and less shine. This is why Pharmacopia’s gentle, natural Body Washes and Body Lotions are good for all skin types, including oily, acne-prone skin. It’s also why our Shampoos and Conditioners are good for everyone, even those with oilier hair and scalp.
Beneficial Seed Oils Found in Pharmacopia Body Care
Argan oil is derived from the seeds or fruit of the Moroccan argan tree and is rich in the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E, as well as hydrating fatty acids like omega-6, linoleic, and oleic acids. Argan oil also contains anti-inflammatory plant sterols.
Benefits: Hydrates skin, calms irritated skin, helps protect the skin from free radical damage, soothes an itchy scalp and conditions hair
Found in: Our green tea- and melon-infused Argan Oil Bath and Body Care Collection with Body Wash, Body Lotion, Shampoo, Conditioner, and Cleansing Bar
Babassu seed oil, or Orbignya oleifera seed oil, comes from the seeds of the babassu palm tree. It’s rich in a fatty acid called lauric acid—a fatty acid naturally found in the skin—which helps to moisturize the skin and reduce skin irritation. Babassu oil is lightweight and non-comedogenic and is quickly absorbed into the skin, helping to prevent a greasy feel when used topically.
Benefits: Hydrates skin, helps lock in skin’s moisture, protects skin’s barrier, reduces irritation
Found in: Our Citrus & Verbena Body Lotions, as well as our Argan Oil Body Lotion
Grapeseed oil is extracted from the seeds of grapes and is rich in hydrating fatty acids like linoleic and oleic acids that help moisture the scalp and promote healthy hair. Grapeseed oil also contains antioxidants vitamin E and C and proanthocyanidin, which helps to protect the scalp and hair.
Benefits: Moisturizes the scalp, nourishes hair follicles, reduces scalp irritation, reduces frizz, adds shine to the hair
Found in: Our better-for-you Citrus and Verbena Conditioner
Jojoba seed oil is extracted from the seeds of the jojoba or Simmondsia chinensis shrub. It’s rich in plant sterols and fatty acids like eicosenoic acid that help to protect against moisture loss and maintain the skin’s barrier integrity. Jojoba oil is also chock-full of nutrients like vitamins E and B that help to protect against oxidative stress as well as the minerals zinc (an anti-inflammatory) and copper, which helps to slow down skin’s aging.
Benefits: Helps skin to retain moisture, promotes skin healing, protects against oxidative stress, helps slow down skin’s aging, nourishes the hair follicles and scalp, stimulates scalp circulation
Found in: Our Body Washes, Body Lotions, Shampoos, Conditioners, and Lip Elixir
Sesame seed oil is derived from the seeds of the flowering sesame or Sesamum indicum L. plant. Like other seed oils, sesame oil is rich in skin-hydrating fatty acids like oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linoleic acid. Sesame oil also contains antioxidants like vitamin E that help to protect the skin from environmental damage and reduce inflammation in the skin.
Benefits: Keeps skin soft and supple, helps protect the skin, helps reduce itchiness and irritation
Found in: All of our nourishing, hydrating Body Lotions
Sunflower seed oil is extracted from the seeds of the sunflower or Helianthus annuus plant. It’s also rich in fatty acids like linoleic acid, which helps to reinforce the skin’s barrier—locking in moisture—and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Sunflower seed oil’s high vitamin E content also gives it powerful antioxidant properties, helping to protect the skin from oxidative stress.
Benefits: Promotes skin barrier integrity, locks in moisture, promotes skin healing, helps protect the skin from external elements
Found in: Our Citrus, Verbena, and Argan Oil Body Lotion
Without question, seed oils are incredibly valuable for the skin, scalp, and hair—helping to lock in moisture, reducing inflammation, and protecting from environmental damage. Each oil offers unique benefits that can address specific concerns, from hydration and anti-aging to soothing inflammation. But overall, it’s these oils that play a powerful plant-based role in helping the skin, hair, and scalp to look and feel their healthy best.
