Ingredient

MACADAMIA INTEGRIFOLIA SEED OIL

Name of the plant

Macadamia Nut; Queensland Nut; Smooth-Shell

Used plant parts

Seeds (kernels)

Type of preparation

Fat or essential oil

Function(s) of this ingredient in cosmetic products

SKIN CONDITIONING

Maintains the skin in good condition

Origin

plant

Occurrence in cosmetics

Skin and haircare products

Background information on use in cosmetics

Macadamia is a plant genus in the family of protea (proteaceae). It is mainly its fruit, the macadamia nut, of the two species macadamia integrifolia as well as macadamia tetraphylla, which is known and only occurs in Queensland, New South Wales and subtropical Eastern Australia. The plant parts of the macadamia used are, for instance, the fruits, the seeds and shells. Depending on the plant part used or the extraction process (pressing, alcoholic, oily and aqueous extracts), the different components of the plant are used for different purposes in cosmetics. Above all the oil of the macadamia nut is used in cosmetics, eg as a fatty base oil. Macadamia nut oil (INCI: MACADAMIA INTEGRIFOLIA SEED OIL) is obtained from the ripe nuts of the macadamia tree. After the harvest the oil which can be used perfectly well as edible oil or in cosmetics is obtained from the chestnut-like fruits with an oil content of up to 78 % by gentle pressing. The oil of the macadamia nut contains a high share of mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids such as palmitoleic acid, a component of the skin’s own lipids in the epidermis. Moreover, the oil contains valuable ingredients such as the vitamins A, B, E and minerals. The oil has a skin smoothing, softening and regenerating effect. In cosmetic products it is frequently used as an exclusive body oil. Hair packs with macadamia nut oil are used as care products for dry and brittle hair as well split ends. Vegetable oils are characterised by a high share of (poly) unsaturated fatty acids, which are characteristic for the liquid consistency. As an admixture many vitamins, carotenoids and free fatty acids are present.

Belongs to the following substance groups

Ingredients for skincare

Oil components

Regulating cosmetics

Cosmetics Ingredients are subject to regulation. Please note, different regulations may apply to cosmetic ingredients outside the EU.

Understanding your cosmetics

How are cosmetics kept safe in Europe?

Strict laws make sure that cosmetics and personal care products sold in the European Union are safe for people to use. Companies, national and European regulatory authorities share the responsibility of keeping cosmetic products safe.

What should I know about endocrine disruptors?

Some ingredients used in cosmetic products have been claimed to be ‘endocrine disruptors’ because they have the potential to mimic some of the properties of our hormones. Just because something has the potential to mimic a hormone does not mean it will disrupt our endocrine system. Many substances, including natural ones, mimic hormones but very few, and these are mostly potent medicines, have ever been shown to cause disruption of the endocrine system. The rigorous product safety assessments by qualified, scientific experts that companies are legally obliged to carry out cover all potential risks, including potential endocrine disruption.

Are cosmetics tested on animals? No!

In the European Union, testing cosmetics on animals has been fully banned since 2013. Over the last 30 years, long before a ban was in place, the cosmetics and personal care industry has invested in research and development to pioneer alternatives to animal testing tools to assess the safety of cosmetics ingredients and products.

What about allergens in cosmetics?

Many substances, natural or man-made, have the potential to cause an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction occurs when a person’s immune system reacts to substances that are harmless to most people. A substance that causes an allergic reaction is called an allergen. Cosmetics and personal care products may contain ingredients that can be allergenic for some people. This does not mean that the product is not safe for others to use.

Database

Cosmetics matter to people and play an important role in our everyday life. On average European consumers use over seven different cosmetics daily. You too? It’s only natural that you want to know more about the ingredients in those products.

In the digital world we live in, there’s a deluge of information on cosmetics. However, it can be difficult to know which sources are reliable. COSMILE Europe is a European cosmetic ingredient database that offers reliable, verified and scientifically supported information on almost 30,000 ingredients used in cosmetics.

This database will help you understand why certain ingredients are in your cosmetic products; which properties they have and much more. The database is currently available in fourteen languages with more to come.

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