PLANT OIL
Olive Oil Unsaponifiables
Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil Unsaponifiables
The small, concentrated fraction of olive oil that is not a fat, rich in squalene, plant sterols and tocopherols, used to condition skin and hair and leave them feeling soft and smooth.
Source
The unsaponifiable fraction of olive oil
Used for
Dry skin, soft-feeling hair
How it works
The concentrated minor lipids of olive oil.
Most of olive oil is made of triglycerides, the fats that turn into soap when they react with an alkali. A small part of the oil does not react this way. This is the unsaponifiable fraction, and it holds many of olive oil's valued minor components, including squalene, phytosterols, tocopherols and other natural compounds.
Squalene is especially interesting for skin, because it is also one of the natural lipids in human sebum, the oily film that coats the skin's surface alongside fatty acids, wax esters and cholesterol.
In cosmetics its listed functions are skin conditioning and hair conditioning. It helps keep skin feeling soft, smooth and comfortable, and leaves hair easier to comb, supple and shiny, so it suits creams, balms and conditioners, morning or night.
Squalene is especially interesting for skin, because it is also one of the natural lipids in human sebum, the oily film that coats the skin's surface alongside fatty acids, wax esters and cholesterol.
In cosmetics its listed functions are skin conditioning and hair conditioning. It helps keep skin feeling soft, smooth and comfortable, and leaves hair easier to comb, supple and shiny, so it suits creams, balms and conditioners, morning or night.
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01
Concentrates olive oil's squalene, plant sterols and tocopherols
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02
Leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and comfortable
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03
Helps hair feel supple, soft and easy to comb
Questions
What does unsaponifiable mean?
It describes the part of an oil that does not turn into soap when the oil is mixed with an alkali. In olive oil this small fraction holds many of the minor compounds, such as squalene, plant sterols and tocopherols, while the rest of the oil is made of fats. (COSMILE Europe; Ghanbari et al., 2012)
How is it different from olive fruit oil?
Olive fruit oil is the whole oil, mostly made of fats. Olive oil unsaponifiables is just the concentrated minor fraction of that oil, rather than the oil as a whole. The whole oil has its own entry in this dictionary. (COSMILE Europe; Talarico et al., 2024)
Why is squalene good for skin?
Squalene is a natural lipid made by plants and by people. It is one of the components of human sebum, the oily film on the skin's surface, so a plant source of squalene feels familiar on skin and helps it feel soft and supple. (PubChem; Mijaljica et al., 2024)
Can it be used on hair as well as skin?
Yes. The European cosmetic ingredient database lists it as both a hair conditioning and a skin conditioning ingredient, helping hair feel easy to comb, supple, soft and shiny. (COSMILE Europe)
About the plant
Virgin olive oil, pressed from the fruit of the olive tree, contains valuable minor components alongside its fats, including phenolics, phytosterols, tocopherols, carotenoids and squalene. (Ghanbari et al., 2012)
In cosmetics, the unsaponifiable fraction is listed as a plant-origin skin and hair conditioning ingredient. (COSMILE Europe)
In cosmetics, the unsaponifiable fraction is listed as a plant-origin skin and hair conditioning ingredient. (COSMILE Europe)
The research
- COSMILE Europe (Cosmetics Europe) cosmetic ingredient database: Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables (olive; unsaponifiable parts of the oil; functions: hair conditioning, skin conditioning; origin: plant) (opens in a new tab)
- Ghanbari R, Anwar F, Alkharfy KM, Gilani AH, Saari N. Valuable nutrients and functional bioactives in different parts of olive (Olea europaea L.): a review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2012;13(3):3291-3340. PMID: 22489153. (opens in a new tab)
- Talarico IR, Bartella L, Rocio-Bautista P, Di Donna L, Molina-Diaz A, Garcia-Reyes JF. Paper spray mass spectrometry profiling of olive oil unsaponifiable fraction for commercial categories classification. Talanta. 2024;267:125152. PMID: 37688893. (opens in a new tab)
- Mijaljica D, Townley JP, Spada F, Harrison IP. The heterogeneity and complexity of skin surface lipids in human skin health and disease. Progress in Lipid Research. 2024;93:101264. PMID: 37940006. (opens in a new tab)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 638072, Squalene (C30H50, a triterpene; a plant metabolite and a human metabolite) (opens in a new tab)
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