Blueberry seed oil is made by crushing blueberry seeds and collecting the oil.
Blueberry seed oil is rich in nutrients, including essential fatty acids, vitamins and carotenoids, which have powerful antioxidant activity.
Blueberry seed oil has many benefits for your skin.
- What is blueberry seed oil?
- How is blueberry seed oil made?
- What does blueberry seed oil smell like?
- What color is blueberry seed oil?
- What does blueberry seed oil feel like?
- What is composition of blueberry seed oil?
- Summary
- References
What is blueberry seed oil?
INCI: Vaccinium corymbosum (Blueberry) seed oil
Extraction Method: cold pressed
Appearance: light green to dark green oil
Texture: lightweight, easily absorbed into skin
Aroma: light, fresh, fruity aromatic oil
Blueberry seed oil is a natural oil derived from the seeds of the blueberry.
Blueberry seed oil is cold-pressed from seeds that would otherwise go to waste in the juice industry and is considered a ‘zero waste’ seed oil.
Fruit seeds are a major by-products of the food industry, and creating new uses for them by converting them to value-added products helps to prevent their disposal as waste, and promotes sustainable production.
Blueberry seed oil is rich in essential nutrients, including essential fatty acids, vitamin E, carotenoids and antioxidants.
Blueberry seed oil has many benefits for your skin.
How is blueberry seed oil made?
Blueberry seed oil is typically made through a process known as cold-pressing.
This method involves extracting the oil from the seeds of blueberries without using heat or chemicals, which helps preserve the oil's nutritional and antioxidant properties.
Here is a step-by-step overview of how blueberry seed oil is typically made:
1. Harvesting: Blueberries are harvested when they are fully ripe. The seeds are separated from the fruit's pulp.
2. Cleaning: The blueberry seeds are thoroughly cleaned to remove any remaining fruit residue, dirt, or debris.
3. Drying (optional): In some cases, the seeds may be dried to reduce their moisture content, which can help improve the oil extraction process.
4. Pressing: The cleaned or dried blueberry seeds are then subjected to a cold-pressing process. This process involves using a hydraulic press or an expeller press to extract the oil from the seeds. The seeds are typically placed in a press where they are squeezed under high pressure.
5. Filtration: After pressing, the oil is separated from any remaining solids, such as seed particles or pulp, using filtration methods. This helps ensure that the final oil is pure and free from impurities.
The quality of the blueberry seed oil can vary depending on factors such as the quality of the seeds, the extraction method, and the storage conditions.
High-quality blueberry seed oil is typically cold-pressed, unrefined, and stored in dark bottles to protect it from light and air, which can cause the oil to degrade over time.
What does blueberry seed oil smell like?
The aroma of blueberry seed oil is quite delightful!
Blueberry seed oil has a unique aroma that can be described as sweet, fruity, and reminiscent of freshly picked blueberries.
The intensity and specific scent of blueberry seed oil may vary depending on the quality of the seeds, the extraction process, and any additional processing or refining steps involved in the production of the oil.
Cold-pressed, unrefined blueberry seed oil has the strongest aroma, whereas processed oil has a faint aroma.
What color is blueberry seed oil?
The color of blueberry seed oil depends on how the seeds are processed and how the finished oil is refined.
Cold-pressed, unrefined blueberry seed oil is a beautiful light green to dark green color.
Refined blueberry seed oil will have a golden yellow to clear color.
What does blueberry seed oil feel like?
Blueberry seed oil has a light silky texture and it is easily absorbed into your skin.
Blueberry seed oil leaves a non-greasy finish.
What is composition of blueberry seed oil?
Blueberry seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin E, carotenoids and has antioxidant activity.
Fatty acids
The fatty acid composition of blueberry seed oil is:
- 41 - 57% linoleic acid
- 16 - 27% alpha-linolenic acid
- 16 - 25% oleic acid
- 3 - 7% palmitic acid
- 1 - 6% stearic acid
Blueberry seed oil contains ~57% linoleic acid, the major essential n-6 fatty acid found naturally in our skin. Linoleic acid is a precursor for ceramides, which are bioactive lipids that play a role in keeping our skin barrier firm, smooth and healthy.
Learn more: What is Linoleic Acid? Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acid for Dry Skin
Blueberry seed oil contains 16 - 27% alpha-linolenic acid, an essential omega 3 fatty acid that calms redness and irritation (McCusker et al, 2010).
Blueberry seed oil also contains 25% oleic acid and 7% palmitic acid, fatty acids which are found naturally in the protective outer layer of the skin, and help the skin retain moisture.
Vitamin E
Blueberry seed oil contains vitamin E.
Vitamin E is an essential nutrient and it has benefits for your skin.
When applied topically, vitamin E is a skin conditioning agent, a powerful antioxidant and it can protect your skin against photodamage from the sun.
There are 8 types of natural vitamin E. There are four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta).
Blueberry seed oil is one of the best sources of vitamin E tocotrienols - a rarer form of vitamin E.
Cold-pressed blueberry seed oil has been shown to contain 1.24 mg/g of delta-tocotrienol, as well as small amount of tocopherols, including 0.039 mg/g gamma-tocopherol and 0.016 mg/g alpha-tocopherol (Li et al, 2016).
Learn more: Vitamin E for Skin
Carotenoids
Carotenoids are a large family of fat-soluble isoprenoid pigments widely recognized as bioactive, responsible for many of the yellow-to-red colors in flowers, fruits, vegetables and microorganisms.
Carotenoids have strong antioxidant activity and play a role in protecting your skin against oxidative damage.
Human skin contains carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene and their isomers, which serve the living cells as a protection against oxidation (Darvin et al, 2011).
Cold-pressed blueberry seed oil contains a high amount of carotenoids, with:
- 7.80 mg/g zeaxanthin
- 1.49 mg/g cryptoxanthin
- 1.35 mg/g beta-carotene
- 0.60 mg/g lutein
- 11.24 mg/g total carotenoids
(Parry et al, 2005)
Summary
Blueberry seed oil is made by crushing blueberry seeds and collecting the oil.
Blueberry seed oil is cold-pressed from seeds that would otherwise go to waste in the juice industry and is considered a ‘zero waste’ seed oil.
Blueberry seed oil has a delightful aroma! Its is fresh, fruity and sweet - similar to fresh berries.
Blueberry seed oil has a light silky texture and is easily absorbed, leaving a non-greasy finish.
Blueberry seed oil is rich in nutrients, including essential fatty acids, vitamins and carotenoids, which have powerful antioxidant activity.
References
Darvin ME, Sterry W, Lademann J, Vergou T. The Role of Carotenoids in Human Skin. Molecules. 2011 Dec 16;16(12):10491–506.
Li Q, Wang J, Shahidi F. Chemical Characteristics of Cold-Pressed Blackberry, Black Raspberry, and Blueberry Seed Oils and the Role of the Minor Components in Their Oxidative Stability. J Agric Food Chem. 2016 Jul 6;64(26):5410-6.
Luo Y, Yuan F, Li Y, Wang JD, Gao B, Yu LL. Triacylglycerol and Fatty Acid Compositions of Blackberry, Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry, Blueberry and Cranberry Seed Oils by Ultra-Performance Convergence Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry. Foods. 2021 Oct 21;10(11):2530.
McCusker, et al. Healing fats of the skin: the structural and immunologic roles of the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Clin Dermatol. 2010 Jul-Aug;28(4):440-51.
Parry J, Su L, Luther M, Zhou K, Yurawecz MP, Whittaker P, Yu L. Fatty acid composition and antioxidant properties of cold-pressed marionberry, boysenberry, red raspberry, and blueberry seed oils. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Feb 9;53(3):566-73.
Author Information
Dr. Natasha Ryz is a scientist, skin care expert and an entrepreneur. She is the founder of Dry Skin Love Skincare, and she creates skincare products for beauty, dry skin and pain relief.
Dr. Ryz has a PhD in Experimental Medicine from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and she is a Vanier scholar. She also holds a Master of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.
Natasha is the former Chief Science Officer of Zenabis Global, and she oversaw cannabis extraction, analytics, and product development. Her team brought 20 products to market including oils, sprays, vapes and softgels.
Why I Started A Skincare Company