What is Sea buckthorn oil and its uses?

Sea buckthorn oil is a reddish-orange oil extracted from the sea buckthorn plant.The most commonly used species for this purpose is sea buckthorn.Species belonging to this genus accumulate lipids in the mesocarp (pulp),so that oil can be extracted from the seeds or the pulp.The resulting oils (seed and pulp oils, also known as fruit or berry oils) are used in dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and skin care products.

Chemical composition

The oil content of sea buckthorn seeds averages 7-11%, while the pulp is approximately 1.5-3% oil per fresh weight.Seed oils are characterized by a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids while pulp oils contain monounsaturated fatty acids and carotenoids. Both oils also contain high amounts of tocopherols, tocotrienols[3] and phytosterols.

Fatty acids 

Oils from sea buckthorn seeds and pulp vary widely in fatty acid composition.While linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid are the main fatty acids in the seed oil, sea buckthorn pulp oil contains approximately 65% monounsaturated, palmitoleic and saturated fatty acids, palmitic.This results in significant differences in appearance and consistency between sea buckthorn oil extracted from the seeds and sea buckthorn oil extracted from the fleshy part of the fruit. Sea buckthorn fruit oil is dark orange and thick (it is liquid at room temperature but thickens when refrigerated),while seed oil is pale yellow and does not solidify when refrigerated.Few other vegetable oils contain similar amounts of these fatty acids.The high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids is also responsible for the relatively short shelf life, as they cause the sea buckthorn oil to spoil quickly.

Tocopherols and tocotrienols

Alpha-tocopherol is the main vitamin E compound in sea buckthorn.The seed oil also contains high amounts of gamma-tocopherol. The total amount of tocopherols and tocotrienols is about 64-300 mg/100 g in seed oil and about 100-481 mg/100 g in pulp oil.

Carotenoids

Since carotenoids are the pigments that give sea-buckthorn berries their distinctive orange-red color, these compounds are found in abundance in the pulp and seed oils; the average carotenoid content in the pulp oil is 350 mg per 100 g, while the carotenoids in the seed oil Carotene content is 67.5 mg per 100 g.The total carotenoid content in pulp oil varies widely (300-2000 mg/100 g) between different growing locations and subspecies and between components, total carotenoids in seed oil Up to 85mg/100g in pulp oil and up to 1000mg/100g in pulp oil.In general, the main carotenoid pulp oils contain beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, and lycopene.

Phytosterols

Seed and pulp oils also contain significant amounts of phytosterols (12-23 g/kg and 10-29 g/kg oil, respectively).Beta-sitosterol is the major sterol compound in the whole berry, accounting for 57-83% of the total sterols.

Uses

Sea buckthorn oil is often used in cosmetics, especially topical products marketed for aging and dry skin.Sea buckthorn oil is used in some shampoos and other hair care products.It is sometimes used as a topical drug in the treatment of skin conditions,although there are no high-quality studies demonstrating the effectiveness or safety of any such use.Taking sea buckthorn oil as a dietary supplement does not help eczema.It has been used in traditional medicine in Asia and Russia for centuries.In some East Asian countries, pulp oil is used for skin burns.