Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil

Glycine soja oil is an oil expressed from soybeans (Glycine soja, or Glycine max).

It can either be cold-pressed, hot-pressed, or extracted with a solvent and then refined, which is the most common method. It is not only used as a popular cooking oil in the USA, but also in skincare products for its beneficial composition and moisturizing (occlusive) and emollient properties.

Soybean oil is one of the healthiest cooking oils because of its chemical composition – the main fatty acids are linoleic acid (50%) and oleic acid (25%), along with smaller amounts of palmitic and linolenic acid.

Other than that, soybean oil contains huge amounts of phospholipids (which are usually removed from the oil and used in cosmetics on their own as emulsifiers), a large amount of vitamin E, phytosterols, phytoestrogens, and phenolic compounds, which have antioxidant properties.

One minor limitation of linolenic acid is that it is especially prone to oxidation, so it may go rancid if exposed to air or light.

Soybean oil is used as a base oil and solvent in skincare products. On its own, it has moisturizing (occlusive) properties and does not leave an oily feeling on the skin. This is due to its low content of saturated fatty acids. It is also an emollient and its extra compounds have antioxidant properties.

As for other uses, soybean oil, similarly to linseed oil, is a drying oil, meaning that it can be used as a wood varnish. Soybeans are a source of many different raw materials and are one of the most important technical crops in the world.