Why are esterified oils useless in cosmetics?

In this series devoted to oils as essential cosmetic ingredients, we have seen that the most common oils used in our creams are of petrochemical origin.
There are two other types of oils which are of natural or partially natural origin, but which have undergone a modification of their chemical structure: esterified oils and hydrogenated oils. Here, we will look at esterified oils, which are widely used in cosmetics as an alternative to natural vegetable oils.

Their composition is fundamentally different. Esterified oils are derived from two successive transformations of vegetable oils. The first involves breaking down the main components of a vegetable oil (triglycerides). The second involves recombining the resulting molecules (fatty acids) with molecules foreign to vegetable oils (natural or petrochemical alcohols). The result is an esterified oil whose composition and properties are totally different from those of the original vegetable oil.

These profound changes in composition are not, strictly speaking, harmful to the skin. Nevertheless, esterified oils have lost all the beneficial properties of the natural vegetable oils from which they are derived. Gone are the Omega 3 and other essential fatty acids, bye-bye vitamins and antioxidants, adios the multiple virtues of unsaponifiables.

Their drier feel, more neutral odour and appearance are generally cited. Esterified oils are also more stable: they become rancid (oxidize) much less than natural vegetable oils. A final major "advantage" is their lower cost. When present in high proportions in a cream product, they significantly reduce the cost of the product.

Many of the famous formulas that boast their "star" vegetable oils (Argan, Borage, Evening Primrose and others...) are in fact mainly composed of esterified oils. You can spot this by reading the list of ingredients, where you'll find, for example, one of the following molecules in the first positions:

- Caprylic Capric Triglyceride - Coco Caprylate Caprate - Oleyl Erucate - Oleyl Linoleate - Decyl Oleate - Dicaprylyl Ether - Octyldodecanol Ether?

The list goes on and on, but unfortunately it's far too long!

In fact, it's only much further down the list of ingredients that you'll find vegetable oils, relegated to the back of the pack by their low percentage in the formula...

Organic cosmetics have had the merit of imposing many highly beneficial rules to guarantee a certain level of naturalness in cosmetics. However, when it comes to esterified oils, the restrictions imposed by organic labels are virtually non-existent. Only the German label Natrue requires that creams contain no more than 15% esterified and hydrogenated oils. Nothing, however, from Cosmébio, the most widely used French label, or the new European Cosmos label.

Esterified oil and palm oil, the same battle !

In natural cosmetics, esterified oils are used to the detriment of vegetable oils for their lower cost and drier feel. This substitution not only deprives your skin of the beneficial properties of the latter, but also has very harmful effects on the environment.

Indeed, the vegetable oil most commonly used to manufacture esterified oils is palm oil, which is responsible for massive deforestation of the primary forests of Southeast Asia... Does it make sense for cosmetics that claim to be natural to degrade biodiversity? Of course not.

At oOlution, it's very simple: our maximum use limit for esterified oils is... 0%!

We use ONLY genuine vegetable oils(especially in our vegetable oil compositions), obtained exclusively by first cold pressing. They are all organically grown or sustainably harvested for superior quality... the only quality worthy of your skin! :)