Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil

Persea gratissima oil is a fatty oil expressed from the fleshy part of an avocado, used in skincare for its excellent emollient and occlusive moisturizing properties, as well as for its content of other beneficial compounds.

It is one of the very few oils that is not obtained from seeds or nuts but instead from the soft, fleshy pulp that is also eaten. This avocado pulp can be comprised of up to 30% oil, but needs to be dehydrated before the oil extraction can begin.

Freshly pressed virgin avocado oil has a characteristic avocado smell and a beautiful green color (caused by chlorophyll and carotenoids that got from the pulp to the oil). Processed avocado oil has a darker, greenish-yellow color and can be bleached until it is almost colorless.

The processed, bleached oil is the one most commonly found in skincare products because the green avocado oil is particularly prone to going rancid and has an undesirable, avocado-like aroma. The oil is very stable even at high temperatures, which not only makes it good for cooking, but also as a very good base oil in skincare products.

Avocado oil consists largely of monounsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic acid (up to 80%). Other fatty acids included are linoleic and palmitic acid.

Other than fatty acid triglycerides, avocado oil also contains squalene, vitamin E, carotenoids, and a significant amount of phytosterols.

Due to this content of squalene (a hydrocarbon that is a major part of normal skin sebum), avocado oil is richly emollient and occlusive moisturizing. The other additional compounds give the oil its antioxidant properties.

Avocado oil has been a long-time favorite of many cosmetic producers, especially when considering products aimed at dry skin. A high content of oleic acid may be a problem for oily and acne-prone skin types, as it is said to be more irritating and disrupting to the skin’s barrier function.