Jojoba - Not Just Another Pretty Face

If you saw a picture of a jojoba shrub, “beauty” would not be the first descriptive to pop in your mind. Yet this perennial shrub, with its start in the wilds of the hot, dry Sonoran Desert region of northwestern Mexico and the nearby southwestern United States (primarily California and Arizona), is today a mainstay in the beauty industry.

The oil extracted from jojoba seeds, actually a golden colored liquid wax, is presently used in cosmetics and personal care products of every kind imaginable. Its popularity can be attributed to the unique chemical makeup that makes it closely mimic the natural oils secreted by human skin (sebum) and the sperm whale oil that was, until the early 1970's, mainly used in the industry. Jojoba oil is non-toxic, hypoallergenic, non comedogenic, a natural carrier of Vitamin E and a natural antioxidant. It penetrates the skin to moisturize without blocking and works well to break down excess sebum and product residues and pollutants that can cling to hair. There is even evidence it can be effective as an anti-inflammatory and that it possesses anti-bacterial properties.

The amazing moisturizing properties of this unique seed oil have been known through the ages. Early Native Americans and the Indians who inhabited northwestern Mexico used the seeds and their oil for many applications. While they found it useful in the making of a coffee-like beverage, medicines for cancer and kidney disorders, and chewing as a dietary supplement and an appetite suppressant when food was scarce, probably the most lasting use has been for treating skin and scalp.

Jojoba “oil” is different from other vegetable oils in that it is not actually triglyceride oil but a liquid wax. The peanut-to-olive-size seeds of the jojoba plant are crushed using various methods (and can be solvent processed) to extract the rich golden-yellow oil. The oil can be further processed with filtration to remove the color and odor. The forms most used by the cosmetics industry are “golden or refined (lite) jojoba, hydrogenated jojoba, jojoba esters, hydrolyzed jojoba, ethoxylated jojoba and other value added jojoba derivatives.” (International Jojoba Export Council, www.ijec.net, Manufacturing with Jojoba)

A slow-growing, long-lived (100-200 years) woody shrub, jojoba is presently also commercially cultivated on plantations all around the world in countries including Argentina, Australia, Chile, Egypt, Israel, Mexico, Peru, and the USA. While it has many other uses and potential applications including as a biodegradable industrial lubricant, a biodiesel fuel, a carrier base for medications requiring topical application, printing ink, a low-calorie edible oil, insulation for batteries and electrical wires, and more, the cosmetics industry continues to be the primary claim to fame for this humble desert plant.

The world may not be ready for cars that run on jojoba based fuel. Commercial jojoba growers may not yet be able to supply all the seed needed to meet demand and cover all the potential applications of this versatile oil. But with such a history of success for keeping the ravages of time at bay, jojoba will remain for cosmetics manufacturers and consumers, well attractive.