All about jojoba oil and its many skincare benefits

how often you read the list of ingredients on the back of your skin care products? Be honest - it's probably not as common, or at least not as often as it should be. However, if you start paying attention to what's inside your skin care products, you may find some noisy ingredients. For example, jojoba oil appears on the labels of many new beauty products that hit store shelves, but the ingredient isn't really new at all. 

Jojoba oil has been used in skin care products for many years, but it is starting to be offered to consumers more and more, as well as vitamin C и hyaluronic acid. If you've seen jojoba oil on the back of a serum or moisturizer but aren't quite sure what it is, read on. 

What is jojoba oil?

“Jojoba oil is not an oil, but a liquid wax,” explains Amer. Schwartz, CTO of Vantage, the world's largest producer of jojoba oil and its derivatives. “While traditional oils such as avocado or sunflower oil and the like are made up of triglycerides, jojoba oil is made up of simple unsaturated esters, which place it in the wax category. Jojoba oil also has a unique dry feel compared to other natural oils.”

Interestingly, the Schwartz reports that the structure of jojoba oil is similar to that of human natural sebum, the oil your skin produces to protect itself from dehydration and other external stressors.

"Our skin needs sebum because it's a natural defense," Schwartz says. “If the skin does not detect sebum, it will produce it until it replenishes. So, if you wash your skin with products that contain traditional oils, such as avocado or coconut oils, which are very different from jojoba oil and human sebum, your skin may still try to produce more sebum. This can easily lead to oily skin.”

How is jojoba oil processed for use in cosmetic products?

Once the jojoba seeds are harvested and cleaned, Vantage begins the process of extracting the oil, Schwartz said. "Jojoba seeds contain 50% pure oil," says Schwartz. “It is extracted directly from the jojoba seeds by mechanical grinding and then filtered to remove fine particulate matter. The extracted oil has a distinctive nutty flavor and a bright golden color, but can be further refined to completely remove color and odor through environmentally friendly processing.” 

What are the key beauty benefits of jojoba oil?

Along with moisturizing properties, jojoba oil has a long list of other well-known benefits - for the face, body and hair - including nourishing and softening dry, brittle hair and helping fight free radicals. 

“Jojoba oil is often included in formulas designed for oily, combination, and even sensitive skin, often because it exhibits very low occlusion properties while still providing high levels of hydration,” Schwartz says. “Jojoba oil contains smaller molecules than those found in most other natural oils such as argan or coconut oil, and also contains many natural metabolites such as antioxidants, tocopherols, and others that are effective in fighting free radicals.”

What to Look for When Buying Jojoba Oil Skin Care Products

Consumers should pay attention to the origin of the oil,” advises Schwartz. While jojoba is now harvested in various parts of the world, it is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Southern California.