Hippophae Rhamnoides Seed Oil, commonly known as sea buckthorn seed oil, is a natural oil extracted from the seeds of the Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea buckthorn) plant. This oil is renowned for its richness in essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6, as well as potent antioxidants such as vitamin E. Thanks to its regenerative, moisturizing, and protective properties, it is a valuable ingredient in cosmetic formulations for treating dry, sensitive, or damaged skin.
Chemical Composition and Structure
Sea buckthorn seed oil is particularly rich in linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), which help maintain the skin's lipid barrier, promoting hydration and reducing trans-epidermal water loss. The high concentration of vitamin E acts as a powerful antioxidant, protecting the skin from oxidative stress and environmental damage. The oil also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can soothe and repair irritated or damaged skin.
Physical Properties
Sea buckthorn seed oil has a golden-yellow color and a lightweight, silky texture that is easily absorbed by the skin. It is oil-soluble and is used in a wide range of cosmetic products, including facial oils, moisturizers, and serums, thanks to its nourishing and regenerative properties.
Production Process
Sea buckthorn seed oil is produced through cold pressing of the plant's seeds, a process that preserves the integrity of the fatty acids and vitamins. Cold pressing ensures a high-quality oil rich in essential nutrients that offer numerous skin benefits.
Harvesting the Seeds: Seeds of Hippophae rhamnoides are collected from ripe fruits. It is essential to follow sustainable harvesting practices to ensure the quality of the plant material.
Cleaning: After harvesting, the seeds are cleaned to remove dirt, residues, and impurities. This step is crucial to ensure that the final oil is of high quality.
Extraction: The seed oil is extracted using appropriate methods, such as cold pressing or solvent extraction. In cold pressing, the seeds are mechanically pressed to obtain the oil, while in solvent extraction, the plant materials are immersed in a solvent to dissolve the oil.
Filtration: After extraction, the obtained oil is filtered to remove undissolved solids and impurities, resulting in pure, high-quality oil.
Refining: The extracted oil may be refined to remove further impurities and improve the flavor and appearance of the final product. This process may include deodorization and bleaching.
Quality Control and Packaging: Finally, Hippophae rhamnoides seed oil undergoes quality control checks to verify its purity, efficacy, and compliance with standards. After analysis, it is packaged in appropriate containers for distribution and use in cosmetic products and dietary supplements.
Applications
Skincare: Sea buckthorn seed oil is ideal for hydrating and regenerating dry or damaged skin. It helps improve skin elasticity, promotes cell renewal, and protects against free radicals.
Anti-aging Products: Due to its high content of antioxidants and essential fatty acids, the oil is used in anti-aging formulations to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and protect the skin from pollution and sun damage.
Hair Care: Sea buckthorn seed oil can also be used in hair care products to nourish the scalp and add shine and softness to dry or damaged hair.
INCI Functions:
Skin protectant. It creates a protective barrier on the skin to defend it from harmful substances, irritants, allergens, pathogens that can cause various inflammatory conditions. These products can also improve the natural skin barrier and in most cases more than one is needed to achieve an effective result.
CAS: 225234-03-7 607-094-8
Health and Safety Considerations
Safety in Use
Sea buckthorn seed oil is considered safe for cosmetic use. It is well tolerated by the skin and does not pose significant risks of irritation or sensitization. Major regulatory authorities, including the European Union and the FDA, approve the use of this oil in skincare and haircare products.
Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions to this oil are rare, but as with all botanical oils, it is advisable to perform a patch test before use, especially on sensitive or allergy-prone skin.
Toxicity and Carcinogenicity
It is considered safe and beneficial for the skin due to its nourishing, regenerative, and protective properties.
Environmental Considerations
Sea buckthorn seed oil is obtained from a renewable and sustainable resource. The sea buckthorn plant grows in challenging environments, reducing the need for pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Cold pressing is an eco-friendly process that preserves the oil’s nutrients while keeping the environmental impact low.
Regulatory Status
Sea buckthorn seed oil is approved for use in cosmetics by major regulatory authorities, including the European Union and the FDA in the United States. It is widely used in skincare and haircare products, particularly in moisturizing, regenerative, and protective formulations.
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Studies
From the leaves and berries of the sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is extracted chloroform and n-hexane, components with intense antibacterial activity (1).
It is a rich source of vitamins C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, organic acids, amino acids, sterols, triterpenols and isoprenols (2) with an antioxidant activity.
The berries produce an oil containing carotenoids, palmitic, palmitolic and oleic acid, while the seed oil is composed of linoleic, linolenic and oleic acid as main components (3) .
This oil has traditionally been used to improve blood circulation and for the treatment of dermatological problems including wounds, gastritis, peptic ulcers, uterine erosion and inflammatory disorders of the genital organs (4).
Sea buckthorn has significant cardioprotective activity and a positive effects on the healing of the cardiovascular system, including inhibition of platelet activation (in particular platelet aggregation), reduction of cholesterol concentration, blood pressure and antioxidant action (5).
In this study, a positive evaluation of the topical effects on atopic lesions as it improved the severity of dermatitis by reducing epidermal thickness (6).
The results of this study on the extract of Sea buckthorn, provide a basis for affordable, low side-effect therapy for the treatment of psoriasis (7).
Cosmetics
It produces a regenerating effect on the skin produced by carotenoids, vitamin E and unsaturated fats contained in the pulp and seeds.
Other applications
It is placed in foods, candies, to give a particular taste.
Sea buckthorn studies
