What Avocado oil is?
Avocado oil is a vegetable fat extracted from the fruit of the Persea americana (Avocado). The plant is native to Central America and is one of the few oilseeds with a higher concentration of lipids in the fruit pulp (15-38%) than in the seeds (2-8%). The plant is cultivated today, in dozens of different varieties, in many warm-temperate or sub-tropical areas of the globe: Mexico, Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Indonesia,Australia, Peru, USA, Colombia, Brazil, Kenya.
With an average production of 17,000 tonnes per year (2016-2018), Mexico is the world’s largest producer of Avocado oil.
This kind of oil is a mixture of different types of lipids, mainly triglycerides (over 95 %).
The fatty acid composition of Avocado oil is very similar to that of Olive oil:
- Oleic acid: 45-75%
- Palmitic acid: 5-25%.
- Palmitoleic acid: 1-12%.
- Linoleic acid: 5-20%.
- Alpha-linolenic acid: 3%
- Stearic acid: 3%
Although the actual concentrations may vary depending on the characteristics of the geographical region where the plant is cultivated.
Which properties Avocado oil has?
The properties of Avocado oil derive from its composition rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A and B vitamins.
It has an incredible sebum-normalising activity that is ideal for nourishing and regenerating the skin, making it especially suitable for dry, devitalised, rough, dehydrated, eczematous or ‘dull’ skin. Thanks to its sebum-like characteristics, it is able to normalise the hydrolipid mantle of the skin and restore its physiological softness and hydration.
The functional substances contained in this oil perform an important skin renewal action resulting in increased hydration and elasticity by promoting collagen synthesis, while the avocatins act as inhibitors of collagenase, a protease that destroys collagen fibres.
Cosmetics containing it are therefore particularly suitable in anti-ageing, moisturising, nourishing and sebum-normalising treatments.
It is the third ingredient in Gen-Hyal Bioactive Lip Care precisely because of its incredible moisturising, nourishing and regenerating properties.
