What is it?
The fat pressed from copra, the dried meat of the coconut. It melts at about 21 to 25 degrees Celsius (70 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit), so it is solid in a cool room and liquid in a warm one. It is roughly 90 percent saturated fat, mostly lauric and myristic acids. In skin and hair care it softens and conditions, and it is a base for soaps, balms, lotions and hair oils. It is also a common cooking fat.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded that coconut oil is safe as a cosmetic ingredient.
- It contains little polyunsaturated fat: linoleic acid makes up at most about 2.5 percent.
- Its high comedogenic score comes from rabbit-ear testing, which is more sensitive than human skin.
- As a food it is mostly saturated fat, and the American Heart Association advises replacing saturated fats with unsaturated ones.
More information
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel concluded in 2008 that coconut oil is safe as a cosmetic ingredient, provided it is free of aflatoxin, a mold toxin that can contaminate copra, and that pesticide and heavy-metal residues are limited. It was then reported in 626 products at up to 70 percent. It did not irritate rabbit skin or cause allergy in guinea pigs, bar soaps with up to 13 percent caused no to mild irritation in people, and undiluted coconut oil did not cause allergic reactions in 12 people who are allergic to cocamidopropyl betaine, a coconut-derived cleansing ingredient.
Reality check: coconut oil is often listed as highly pore-clogging, with a score of 4 out of 5. Scores like that come from rabbit-ear tests of raw ingredients. In a 1989 survey that applied ingredients daily to the sensitive inner ear of rabbits for two weeks, “coconut butter” scored 4, and the author noted that rich oils such as cocoa butter and coconut butter had long been linked to acne from hair pomades. He also called the model extremely sensitive, wrote that results for natural oils depend on the raw material, and said it remained uncertain whether high scorers always clog human pores. A 2006 study of finished products on human skin concluded that products made with comedogenic ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic. If you are acne-prone, notice how your skin responds to rich leave-on oils, including hair oils that touch the forehead.
As a food, coconut oil is 80 to 90 percent saturated fat. The American Heart Association advises against using it and recommends replacing saturated fats with unsaturated ones. A review of 16 clinical trials found that, compared with non-tropical vegetable oils, it raised LDL cholesterol and, to a smaller degree, HDL cholesterol.
Sources: Cosmetic Ingredient Review: Amended safety assessment of Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil and related ingredients (2008); Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (1989): Comedogenicity and irritancy of commonly used ingredients in skin care products; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2006): A re-evaluation of the comedogenicity concept; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Coconut oil
