What is it?
The oil obtained from the kernels of the babassu palm, Orbignya oleifera, which grows widely in Brazil and is now usually classified as Attalea speciosa. Like coconut oil, it is mostly saturated fat, led by lauric acid, and it melts at around 24 to 26.5 degrees Celsius (75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit). In cosmetics and personal care products it works as an emollient that softens skin and hair, in soaps, cleansers, lotions, lip products, makeup and hair conditioners.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded that babassu oil is safe in the present practices of use and concentration in cosmetics.
- It is mostly saturated fat, with lauric acid the main fatty acid, much like coconut and palm kernel oils.
- In 2010 use data it appeared in 161 cosmetic products, at up to 27 percent in bath soaps and up to 4 percent in leave-on products.
- In northeastern Brazil it has been used for decades as a cooking oil.
More information
Babassu kernels are 50 to 66 percent fat. The oil is pressed from raw kernels or from roasted and crushed ones, and, like other plant oils, it may then be refined to remove color, odor and other unwanted components. A 2022 review of Brazilian palm oils reports that babassu kernel oil is 84 to 95 percent saturated fat, mainly lauric acid (48 to 50 percent) with smaller amounts of myristic, caprylic, capric and palmitic acids, a profile the authors compare to palm and coconut oils.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel included babassu oil in its assessment of 244 plant-derived fatty acid oils, under both Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil and Orbignya Speciosa Kernel Oil, which the report identifies as two names for the same ingredient. It concluded that babassu oil is safe in the present practices of use and concentration. In a repeated patch test on 104 people, a cream cleanser containing 3.79 percent babassu oil, tested diluted, was not irritating or sensitizing. The Panel asked suppliers to keep limiting pesticide residues and heavy metals, which can occur in any botanical ingredient.
The CIR report cites the observation that, apart from a possible tendency to clog pores, there is no documentation that high-quality edible oils cause adverse reactions in people with normal skin. Because babassu oil is chemically similar to coconut oil, people who are acne-prone may want to notice how their skin responds to rich leave-on products. On labels, look for Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil or Orbignya Speciosa Kernel Oil; babassu acid and sodium babassuate are related ingredients made from the oil.
Sources: Cosmetic Ingredient Review: Plant-derived fatty acid oils, final report for Expert Panel review (March 2011); Molecules (2022): Emerging lipids from Arecaceae palm fruits in Brazil
