Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil

We can talk about hemp/cannabis and its wonderful properties all day long. The plant is truly an underutilized powerhouse ingredient, and that is before we even start talking about its medicinal uses.

The ingredient you will find most commonly in your skincare products, however, is Cannabis sativa seed oil, or hemp seed oil (which has nothing to do with THC or CBD). This because of the very strict regulations enforced due to the presence of psychoactive compounds in some strains of cannabis.

Hemp seed oil is pressed or extracted from the seeds of industrial hemp, which is cultivated for fiber, biomass, and seed oil. The plants usually contain very little to no THC. Hemp seeds contain up to 36% of oil, depending on the variety and location. The major fatty acid in hemp seed oil is linoleic acid (up to 70%), followed by linolenic acid (30%), and a few other saturated fatty acids.

Hemp Seed oil has one of the best ω-6 : ω-3 fatty acid ratios, which makes it a unique, nutritionally beneficial oil. Moreover, the oil contains phytosterols, phytol, and vitamin E, which have emollient and antioxidant properties.

Hemp seed oil is a fantastic skincare ingredient because of its rich content of unsaturated fatty acids. It is suitable for all skin types, including oily skin.

It is good a base oil and solvent for other oil-soluble compounds and has occlusive moisturizing and emollient properties. It has a specific hemp-like aroma.

The skincare formulations require some caution due to the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Hemp seed oil isn't suitable for high temperatures, and is very prone to oxidation and turning rancid if left open.

It is widely used in creams, lotions, soaps, and lip balms.