What is it?
An oil pressed from the flesh of the avocado, Persea americana, listed on cosmetic labels as Persea gratissima. Its main fatty acid is monounsaturated oleic acid, and it also contains linoleic acid and vitamins. In cosmetics it softens and conditions the skin and hair in moisturizers, body oils, balms and hair products. It is also sold as a cooking oil.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel first found avocado oil safe for cosmetic use in 1980 and later included it in a review that found 244 plant oils safe as used.
- Avocado oil is used at up to 98 percent in cosmetic products, and patch tests with the undiluted oil caused no irritation or allergy.
- It is pressed from the fruit rather than a seed, and its main fatty acid is monounsaturated oleic acid.
More information
Figures compiled by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) put oleic acid at 67 to 72 percent of avocado oil’s fatty acids, followed by palmitic and linoleic acids, though the balance varies with the fruit. A 2017 review of topical plant oils describes avocado oil as a good moisturizer for dry, damaged or chapped skin.
The CIR Expert Panel first concluded in 1980 that avocado oil is safe for cosmetic use and decided in 2003 that the review did not need to be reopened. It then included the oil in an assessment of 244 plant-derived oils whose final report, published in 2017, concluded that they are safe as used in cosmetics. Avocado oil was reported in products at up to 98 percent. It was not an irritant or sensitizer in human patch tests of the undiluted oil or of products containing up to 10.7 percent, and a skin salve with 10 percent caused no significant irritation in a four-week use test.
Allergic reactions are rare. The CIR report describes one woman with dermatitis around her eyes and earlobes who reacted to her sunscreen and then to undiluted avocado oil in patch tests. The Panel noted that people with food allergies rarely react to the refined oil of the same plant, because the proteins behind food allergies do not carry over into refined oil.
The 2017 review also notes that oleic acid on its own can disrupt the skin barrier under continuous application, while linoleic acid supports it. On labels, look for Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil.
Sources: CIR: Final Report on Plant-Derived Fatty Acid Oils as Used in Cosmetics (Expert Panel meeting, March 2011); International Journal of Toxicology (2017): Safety Assessment of Plant-Derived Fatty Acid Oils; International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2017): Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils
