Clean Skin care

Growing consumer awareness about the purity and origin of cosmetic ingredients continues to shape the future of the health and beauty care market. Many consumers are increasingly selective about the beauty products they use, and prefer to nourish their skin with natural, organic and plant-based ingredients that offer proven efficacy and benefits. Almond oil, one of the most versatile and well-trusted plant oils, has been sourced as a natural emollient and moisturizer for centuries. Today, it is embraced by global manufacturers of health and beauty products for its rich, therapeutic qualities, which provide a variety of skin care benefits. One of the world’s oldest cosmetic ingredients, sweet almond oil is helpful for beauty companies looking to align their products with the demand for cleaner, more recognizable ingredients. A closer look at the molecularmakeup of sweet almond oil allows us to understand the natural chemistry at work, and how it can help health and beauty care companies respond to demands for efficacy and transparency in skin and facial care.

Understanding the basics

Sweet almond oil offers several advantages over other plant-based oils, and these benefits lie within its fatty acid ratio. Fatty acids – which are long chains of hydrocarbons – can differ from each other in two important ways: in chain length and hydrogen saturation. We experience differences in saturation and chain length in performance. Aside from lauric oils (coconut oil and palm kernel oil), which are useful in surfactants due to their exceptionally high content of lauric and myristic fatty acids, most vegetable- based fatty acids are 16 or 18 carbons long. These chains can be saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated. Differences in saturation can have drastic effects on how we see and feel an oil or butter on our skin. For example, shea butter has a high level of saturation, so the different triglyceride molecules physically stack one on top of the other. We see this stacking appear as a solid fat. In contrast, rosehip seed oil has a high level of polyunsaturation; we feel this as a dry feeling on our skin when it is applied.

These different attributes must be balanced. Saturated fats tend to have longer shelf-lives because the same physical structure that allows them to stack on top of each other also blocks oxygen, preventing peroxide reactions. Polyunsaturated fats feel dry on the skin, and often become sour and unusable when left open overnight.

Sweet almond oil has a favourable balance of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which contribute to unique skinfeel benefits and overall skin health. Because most of the oil’s triglycerides have a polyunsaturated component to them, sweet almond oil feels dry on the skin and absorbs rapidly. However, since it also has monounsaturated fatty acids, it is more stable and stands up to heated formulations. This gives sweet almond oil some of the best advantages of different configurations without many disadvantages.

Bringing the benefits to skin care

Sweet almond oil’s fatty acid makeup can help improve the barrier function of skin, making the plant oil ideal for facial care products. With a perfect balance of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, sweet almond oil contributes a rich and nourishing feel to skin care formulations and absorbs quickly to leave skin light and silky, never greasy. These moisturizing benefits also make sweet almond oil a natural fit for dry or sensitive skin care products. The oil also contains high levels of Vitamin E, which provides antiinflammatory benefits and helps protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals caused by pollution, UV rays, and other environmental factors. Vitamin E occurs naturally in almond skin and is concentrated in almond oil during the extraction and pressing process. Beta-sitosterol is also found at relatively high levels in sweet almond oil, as compared to sunflower oil or coconut oil. This phytosterol has a similar functionality to cholesterol in the skin, adding fluidity and flexibility. Studies have been published that link beta-sitosterol to angiogenesis – the creation of new blood vessels – a property with highly significant in applications for more youthful looking skin¹.

Natural ingredients create value

For today’s consumers, what they put on their body is as important as what they put in their bodies. Ingredient transparency and efficacy plays an increasingly central role in generating value for consumers, especially those who believe they are paying for, and using, a premium product. According to a 2019 survey from Euromonitor International, the top two attributes consumers associated with premium cosmetics included “proven efficacy and benefits” and “natural ingredient formulation.” The survey found that 58% of consumers who define premium beauty products as having proven efficacy and benefits would be willing to pay at least 10% more for these features. With an ingredient like sweet almond oil, there is an immediate recognition and confidence established. The almond is a symbol of California agriculture, and beloved by consumers for its versatility and extensive health benefits. These positive associations are carried over to the personal care market. As a result we are seeing more examples of the use of almonds in personal care products with almonds being featured on packaging, in television ads and on manufacturers’ product websites.

For Blue Diamond’s sweet almond oil, the journey starts in the almond orchards of California’s Central Valley, where our growers nurture their trees through bloom to harvest. Once harvested, the ripe, shell-free almonds are expeller-pressed to remove the oil. There is also included sterol testing as a marker of 100% pure almond oil – no blending with low cost cooking oils. The result is a pure, unadulterated product that reflects the expertise of our membergrowers who have worked the rich soils of central and northern California for generations. 

References:

1 Moon, EJ., Lee, Y.M., Lee, OH. et al. Angiogenesis (1999)
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https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009058232389