In fact, as we publish this post, some 100 search results come up for seed oils, so it is likely that a quarter of our free formulations feature seed oils. As you can tell, seed oils are popular ingredients in natural cosmetics, playing myriad roles as foundation ingredients and providing numerous benefits to cosmetics.
Why single out seed oils?
Recently, we have noticed a surge in articles and social media posts that decry seed oils as detrimental to our health. Seed oils have become a topical, highly-charged subject.
Much of this discussion relates to seed oils’ benefits or otherwise within our diet and as common ingredients in processed foods; canola, rapeseed, sunflower and soybean oils are among the refined seed oils most frequently mentioned, and they all happen to be polyunsaturated oils. We explain the chemical structure of oils later on.
The role of fats, whether plant- or animal-derived and whether saturated or unsaturated, in our diet is complex and the subject of much ongoing research. A British Medical Journal paper, which examines opposing research conclusions on fats and cardiovascular disease, obesity, and other factors, starts by saying: ”Are dietary fats “villains”, are they benign, or are they even “heroes” that could help us consume better overall diets and promote health? And, which dietary fats fit into which category?”
In the world of cosmetics, similar questions are being raised about polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils vs saturated fats in relation to skin and hair care. There are cosmetics’ brands stressing that they formulate without seed oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), preferring instead to use predominantly saturated botanical oils, and sometimes animal tallow, in their products.
A preference to formulate cosmetics with a high amount of saturated botanical oils and tallow is the formulator’s and brand’s choice. These ingredients offer great benefits to our skin and most certainly have a firm place in cosmetics’ manufacture. Where would we be without babassu, moringa, coconut and other gorgeous saturated fat oils, butters and more?
Interestingly, tallow has been a cosmetic ingredient for millennia. A Roman face unguent was unearthed at an archaeological site in London which proved, on examination, to be formulated with animal fats. Many other seed oils have been used since ancient times. Sesame is one of the oldest seed oil crops. Grown in the Middle East as a drought-tolerant crop, Shear butter oil derived from the seed of the shear butter plant is used in Ghana and Africa, also the sesame plant’s seed oil is also used for everything from cooking to lighting and cosmetics.