Today, I will be discussing a rather special plant oil. It is considered special because its inclusion allows many facial oils or creams to easily be priced over a thousand dollars.
For example, the following three creams all contain this plant oil.
Meadowfoam Seed Oil Overview
It is Meadowfoam Seed Oil, with the Latin name Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil.
Meadowfoam Seed Oil gets its name because when it blooms, the flowers are pure white, resembling foam. Therefore, it also has another name, Meadowfoam, which refers to the appearance of vast fields of flowers that, when blown by the wind, look like white foam rolling over the landscape.
Meadowfoam Seed Oil was discovered a long time ago, and scientists had already isolated and identified the fatty acid composition of Meadowfoam Seed Oil in the 1960s.
However, when it comes to commercial use, the Japanese were the first to start utilizing it, and the raw material itself is quite expensive.
There are two reasons for this. First, Meadowfoam has a short blooming period (only 3-5 days each year), and its yield is not high. More importantly, it has a very unique fatty acid composition and possesses advantages that other oils do not, which is why it is also referred to as the 'gold of oils.
Meadowfoam Seed Oil Features
Although Meadowfoam has a short blooming period, the extracted seed oil has the longest stability among all plant oils, thanks to its unique fatty acid composition.
On one hand, it contains a higher proportion of long-chain fatty acids with 20 or more carbon atoms.
For example, compared to olive oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil has a significantly higher content of long-chain fatty acids, with the majority concentrated in 20- and 22-carbon chains, whereas olive oil mainly contains 18-carbon oleic acid.
The longer the carbon chain, the higher the stability. Another typical example is SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL.
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL is also known for its high stability, due to its high content of C18-22 straight-chain unsaturated fatty acids and wax esters. However, when compared to Meadowfoam Seed Oil, the latter has an even higher proportion of long-chain fatty acids.
Second is the number and position of unsaturated bonds.
We all know that the antioxidant properties of unsaturated fatty acids depend on the number of unsaturated bonds, specifically the 'carbon-carbon' double bonds in their structure. For example, one of our favorites, DHA (scientific name: docosahexaenoic acid), has strong antioxidant properties due to its high number of carbon-carbon double bonds, particularly the unsaturated bonds at the Δ3 and Δ6 positions.
The Δ3 and Δ6 positions are prone to forming conjugated double bonds, making them highly reactive but less stable.
Similarly, SWEET ALMOND OIL, which is also excellent for skin antioxidant effects, contains over 90% unsaturated fatty acids, but more than 20% of this is linoleic acid.
Linoleic acid is easily oxidized and degraded precisely because it has double bonds at the Δ9 and Δ12 positions. These positions are also prone to forming conjugated double bonds when exposed to environmental changes.
Now, looking at Meadowfoam Seed Oil, although it contains more than 98% unsaturated fatty acids, the unsaturated double bonds in these fatty acids are not located at the Δ3, Δ6, Δ9, or Δ12 positions. Instead, they are uniquely concentrated at the Δ5 and Δ13 positions.
The Δ5 and Δ13 positions are less likely to form conjugated double bonds, making them highly stable and less susceptible to external influences. This results in very strong stability for Meadowfoam Seed Oil.
With such a unique fatty acid composition, it’s not surprising that Meadowfoam Seed Oil has one of the highest average oxidation stability indices (OSI) among all plant oils.
For example, research shows that at an extreme test temperature of 110°C, Meadowfoam Seed Oil has an average OSI of 80 hours, while the second-place SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL has an OSI of 40 hours. When tested at an even higher temperature of 130°C, Meadowfoam Seed Oil’s OSI can still reach 14-15 hours, whereas SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL only lasts 1-1.5 hours—about ten times less.
Additionally, Meadowfoam Seed Oil can enhance the skin’s reabsorption of moisture. It also forms long-chain fatty alcohols, which create a layer of hydration on the epidermis, achieving long-lasting moisture retention and hydration.
Meadowfoam Seed Oil has higher friction and lubrication coefficients, which are characteristic of its high concentration of long-chain fatty acids. This results in an exceptional skin feel—not only is it highly spreadable and easy to apply, but once applied, it provides a natural, velvety matte finish.
Summarize
Meadowfoam Seed Oil has three core characteristics:
It features a combination of ‘long-chain’ and ‘unsaturated’ carbon chains. This results in excellent moisture retention (similar to the occlusive effect of non-physiological lipids like liquid paraffin). At the same time, due to the presence of unsaturated bonds, it does not solidify easily like coconut oil and remains a highly fluid liquid at room temperature, which is ideal for creams and lotions.
It has strong antioxidant properties. However, due to the unique positioning of the Δ5 and Δ13 unsaturated bonds, it maintains a very stable state.
It has high friction and lubrication coefficients, providing an excellent skin feel upon application. This makes it especially suitable for use in high-end creams and lotions.
Therefore, Meadowfoam Seed Oil offers strong antioxidant benefits, excellent moisture retention, and a level of stability not found in other plant oils.
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