Actinidia Chinensis Seed Oil, commonly known as kiwi seed oil, is extracted from the seeds of the kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis). This oil is rich in essential fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), as well as vitamin E and natural antioxidants. It is valued for its moisturizing, regenerative, and antioxidant properties and is widely used in cosmetic products to nourish and protect the skin, improving elasticity and softness.
Chemical Composition and Structure
Kiwi seed oil is primarily composed of essential fatty acids, with a significant concentration of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. It is also rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps protect the skin from free radical damage and supports moisture retention. These nutrients work synergistically to enhance skin health and appearance, providing nourishment and protection.
Physical Properties
Kiwi seed oil is light and easily absorbed, with a silky texture that leaves no greasy residue on the skin. It ranges in color from pale yellow to light green and has a delicate scent. Due to its lightweight nature, the oil is ideal for use in facial serums, moisturizing lotions, creams, and hair products.
Production Process
Kiwi seed oil is extracted through a cold-pressing or solvent extraction process, which helps retain its nutrient-rich and antioxidant properties. This extraction method ensures that the oil preserves its essential fatty acids and natural antioxidants, making it effective in cosmetic applications.
Harvesting the Seeds: Seeds of Actinidia chinensis are extracted 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 pulp residues, dirt, and impurities. This step is crucial to ensure that the final oil is of high quality.
Drying: The cleaned seeds undergo a drying process to remove moisture. This helps preserve the active properties and facilitates subsequent extraction.
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, Actinidia chinensis 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 dietary supplements and cosmetic products.
Applications
Moisturizing Skin Care: With its ability to quickly penetrate the skin and provide deep hydration, kiwi seed oil is used in creams, lotions, and serums to improve skin elasticity and softness.
Anti-aging Products: The high content of vitamin E and antioxidants makes this oil ideal for anti-aging formulations, helping to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines while protecting the skin from oxidative damage.
Hair Care: Kiwi seed oil is also used in hair care products to nourish the scalp and hair, improving shine and reducing dryness.
INCI Functions:
Skin conditioning agent - Emollient. Emollients have the characteristic of enhancing the skin barrier through a source of exogenous lipids that adhere to the skin, improving barrier properties by filling gaps in intercorneocyte clusters to improve hydration while protecting against inflammation. In practice, they have the ability to create a barrier that prevents transepidermal water loss. Emollients are described as degreasing or refreshing additives that improve the lipid content of the upper layers of the skin by preventing degreasing and drying of the skin. The problem with emollients is that many have a strong lipophilic character and are identified as occlusive ingredients; they are oily and fatty materials that remain on the skin surface and reduce transepidermal water loss. In cosmetics, emollients and moisturisers are often considered synonymous with humectants and occlusives.
Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment as it has the function of restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants that can be added in the formulation.
CAS 299184-71-7
Health and Safety Considerations
Safety in Use
Kiwi seed oil is considered safe for use in cosmetics. It is generally well-tolerated by the skin, and no significant side effects have been reported. However, as with all plant-based oils, a patch test is recommended before use, especially for sensitive skin.
Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions to kiwi seed oil are rare, but individuals with kiwi fruit allergies should exercise caution and perform a patch test before use.
Toxicity and Carcinogenicity
It is considered safe and beneficial for the skin due to its nourishing and antioxidant properties.
Environmental Considerations
Kiwi seed oil is sourced from a renewable and sustainable resource. The extraction process has minimal environmental impact and utilizes a part of the fruit that might otherwise be discarded, contributing to waste reduction.
Regulatory Status
Kiwi seed oil is approved for use in cosmetic products by major regulatory authorities, including the European Union and the FDA in the United States.
Studies
Kiwis contain on average:
- Vitamin C Ascorbic acid in the following measures (Cultivar Actinidia chinenssis Plach, Gaivard): mg/g 5,44 in the juice, 1,14 in the skin, 4,20 in the pulp (1).
- Vitamin E
- Potassium
It has good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties due to the presence of ascorbic acid.
Flavonoids, vitamin C and carotenoids have a preventive effect against cardiovascular diseases (2).
Kiwi has proven effective in relieving chronic constipation (3) with these benefits:
- decreased in days of laxative used
- satisfaction of bowel habit
- improvement in transit time
- improvement in rectal sensation
