The prickly pear is the fruit of a tree known as Opuntia ficus-indica, more commonly referred to as the prickly pear cactus. Native to Mexico, it belongs to the cactus family. Cold pressing the seeds of the prickly pears yields an oil with numerous benefits for the skin, hair, and nails.
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How is prickly pear oil produced?
Summary
Published October 20, 2021,
updated on October 4, 2024,
by
Maylis, Chemical Engineer
—
4 min read
Process of obtaining prickly pear oil.
The prickly pear thrives in arid lands and easily acclimatises to hot and dry climates. To obtain the precious prickly pear oil, several steps are necessary. Firstly, when they are sufficiently ripe, the fruits are hand-harvested. In Morocco, the picking period extends from July to September. This initial stage is quite laborious as prickly pears grow densely, in sometimes hard-to-reach places and their thorns can easily cause injuries.
The figs are then washed before being depulped to only collect the precious seeds. Next, these are washed and sun-dried. The drying of the seeds must be carried out at about 40°C so as not to alter the quality of the oil and its content of fatty acids and vitamin E. Cold pressing of the dried seeds allows for the extraction of a liquid which is then filtered to extract the oil without any possible residues generated during the pressing phase.
The extraction of a single litre of oil requires 30 kilos of seeds, which equates to a tonne of figs. Each seed contains approximately 5% ofoil in its pure form.
The high cost of prickly pear oil is attributed to its low yield and the potentially laborious fruit harvest. However, despite its rarity and often high price, prickly pear oil is used in cosmetics as it is a true ally for mature, dehydrated and flaky skin.
A few words about our Prickly Pear oil.
At Typology, our Prickly Pear oil is obtained through cold pressing of fruit seeds from organic farming, harvested in Morocco. It is suitable for all skin types and particularly for mature, flaky and dehydrated skin. It provides your skin with a powerful tightening and firming effect.
Apply one to two drops of prickly pear oil onto clean, dry skin. Massage in upward circular motions (from bottom to top) across the entire face, not forgetting the neck. Although it has excellent stability to oxidation, we still advise you to keep it away from heat, moisture, and light in its amber bottle, tightly closed.
Our Prickly Pear oil is also present in two other treatments: the eye cream for wrinkles and fine lines as well as in the night firming mask. The eye cream is applied morning and evening; it hydrates and prevents the appearance of the first wrinkles around the eye. The face mask is applied once or twice a week, in the evening; it nourishes weakened skin and firms the tissues.
Sources:
APREA E. & al. Prickly pear seed oil extraction, chemical characterization and potential health benefits. Molecules (2021).
SANTINI A. & al. Chemistry, bioactivity and industrial Applications. Cosmetics and Pharmaceuticals (2021).
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