Avocado Oil - Virgin Cold Pressed
Origin & History
Avocado trees are native to Southern Mexico, where we think the first avocados were farmed around 500BC. However, the fruit has been consumed by humans for over 7000 years.
The avocado tree is impressive, growing to over 20 metres tall. It only grows in warm climates, because it can’t tolerate frost.
What is Avocado Oil?
Avocado oil is extracted through cold pressing from the flesh of the avocado. The stone and skin of the fruit are removed prior to pressing, which results in a higher quality oil.
The avocados are squeezed at a temperature below 35C and the oil is then filtered to remove any avocado fruit particles.
Virgin avocado oil has not been refined so it retains its natural scent and colour. It is a dark green and quite viscous oil with a moderately strong scent.
Benefits of Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is rich in fatty acids and vitamin E. A study in 2013 found that avocado oil could help skin heal due to its fatty acids in the avocado oil.
Another study in 2001 looked into the effects of vitamin B cream containing avocado, against psoriasis. They found that it was beneficial to use as a long term treatment to help treat psoriasis.
Avocado oil is a rich emollient, this can help to soften the skin, which is perfect for dry and sensitive skin. It is great for moisturising and hydrating the skin, however it can still block pores.
A recent study in 2020 found that avocado oil can help reduce wrinkles and is an efficient and safe treatment for facial skin rejuvenation. However, avocado oil is high on the comedogenic scale and can block pores for many skin types
Is Avocado Oil sustainable?
Yes, our virgin avocado oil is produced in a sustainable way. You can read more about our avocado oil sourcing here
How to Use Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is a fantastic ingredient for skin and hair treatments. It can be used in recipes for moisturisers, creams, lotions and more!
It can also be used directly on the face or in skincare products and it is ideal for people with dry skin. However, it has a comedogenic rating of 3 which means it could block pores.
Avocado oil is also popular for hair care as it contains vitamins that are believed to help keep hair strong and healthy.
Avocado Oil FAQs
Is avocado oil better for you than olive?
We usually recommend virgin avocado oil for skin and hair treatments, and olive oil for soap. However, this doesn’t mean that olive oil is unsuitable for skin treatments, or that avocado oil isn’t suitable for soap making.
How is avocado oil different from olive oil?
Our virgin avocado oil is less processed than our pomace olive oil.
Pomace olive oil is solvent extracted from olive presscake and then refined.
Our virgin avocado oil is pressed from the flesh of fresh avocados and doesn’t go through a refining process.
This means that our avocado oil is dark in colour with a medium-strong scent, when compared to a light coloured, unscented pomace olive oil.
What other types of avocado oil are there?
We also stock refined avocado oil, and organic virgin avocado oil which has been certified organic by the Soil Association
Technical documents
To find the technical documents click here.
