Apricot Kernel Oil



Apricot Kernel Oil is well known for its gentle nature and is widely used in the skin care industry, including massage therapy, aromatherapy, soap making and lotion making.

Rich in moisturising and conditioning fatty acids like oleic and linoleic, this oil is ideal for those with dry, irritated, mature and sensitive skin types.

It is high in minerals, as well as vitamins A and E and it is reported to help skin healing and provide itch relief.

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Common Name(s): Apricot Kernel Oil

Botanical Name(s): Prunus Armeniaca

INCI Name: Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil

Apricot Kernels are cold pressed to extract the oil used in soap making.

Common Extraction Method: Cold pressing of the apricot kernels.

Plant Origin: Various regions including Kenya and Chili  

Physical Description: The colour ranges from the clear, light yellow of the refined oil to the darker, golden yellow of the unrefined oil. It has a good absorption rate without leaving the skin with a heavy, greasy feeling. It's shelf life is upwards of two years, especially if it is stored in a cool, dark location. Refrigeration upon opening is recommended. 

Aromatic Description: The refined oil has little in the way of scent but the unrefined oil has a light nutty odour.

Approximate SAP Value: KOH = 195; NaOH = 139

Soap Making Characteristics: Use up to 20% of this oil in your soap recipe. It will produce a nice conditioning lather.

Cautions: Recommended for external use only.

Recipe Suggestions: Both my Apricot Kernel Soap recipe and my Seagrass Soap recipe use this oil but you can easily replace a portion of olive oil or other liquid oil in any recipe with this oil. (Don't forget that any time you change a soap making recipe, you need to run the recipe through a lye calculator in order to get the new correct lye amount.)

Fatty Acid Content: The chart below shows the approximate percentages of fatty acids present in this oil.

Lauric Myristic Palmitic Stearic Ricinoleic Oleic Linoleic Linolenic
    6     66 27  
Hardness  
Cleansing  
Full Lather   F/L  
  Stable Lather  
  Conditioning

This information is provided for reference use only and is not meant to substitute the advice of a licensed health care professional.



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