Organic almond oil
Although it has not (yet) become common around the dinner table, sweet almond oil is actually a food oil which is delicious in salads or porridge due to its mild, nutty flavour. However it is also very beneficial to the skin as it is very quickly absorbed making it a highly effective moisturiser. Sweet almond oil is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and provides a small amount of UV protection. All together these properties make almond oil very effective at supporting healthy skin, reducing acne and eczema and maintaining skin elasticity.
Sustainability report
To understand the sustainability issues related to almond oil let’s first look at almonds as a crop. Almonds grow on trees which are a perennial crop, which are generally more sustainable than annual crops. Almond husks can be used for livestock bedding or for energy production, reducing waste in the system. However almonds are a water-intensive crop meaning that a lot of water is used to grow them.
The environmental impact of extracting the oils depends on the process that is used. Almond oil extracted using high temperatures and solvents is both energy intensive and uses harsh chemicals. Cold-pressing on the other hand uses less energy. Cold-pressing also has the additional advantage that it retains the nutrients which are destroyed from high heat and solvent methods.
Overall my conclusion would be that almond oil is not the most sustainable ingredient, but by using organic, cold-pressed almond oil this reduces the environmental impact significantly. In future I plan to research other plant oils to see whether a more sustainable, but equally healthy alternative exists for my skin products. I’ll let you know how my research goes!
The organic, cold-pressed sweet almond oil I have used in my products come from Primabene.
Which products contain almond oil?
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