Jojoba Alcohol

What Is It?

Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil and Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Wax, also called Jojoba Oil and Jojoba Wax, are natural ingredients derived from the seeds of the desert shrub, Simmondsia chinensis. Other ingredients made from Jojoba Oil include Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Butter, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Jojoba Esters, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Isomerized Jojoba Oil and Jojoba Alcohol. Synthetic Jojoba Oil is mixture of wax esters of fatty acids and alcohols that is indistinguishable from natural jojoba oil with regard to chemical composition and physical characteristics. Among the ingredients made from jojoba, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil is most frequently used in cosmetics and personal care products. Product categories in which Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil may be found include bath products, eye makeup, hair care products, makeup, nail care products, personal hygiene products, shaving products and skin care products.

Why Is It Used?

When used in cosmetics and personal care products, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Wax, and the ingredients derived from Jojoba Oil have the following functions.

  • Emulsion stabilizers – Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters Film Formers – Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
  • Hair conditioning agents – Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Butter, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
  • Skin-conditioning agents – emollient – Jojoba Esters, Isomerized Jojoba Oil
  • Skin-conditioning agents – miscellaneous – Jojoba Alcohol
  • Skin-conditioning agents – occlusive – Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Butter, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Synthetic Jojoba Oil
  • Surfactants – emulsifying agents – Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
  • Viscosity increasing agent – nonaqueous – Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Wax, Jojoba Alcohol

Scientific Facts

Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil is obtained by pressing the seed kernels of an evergreen shrub native to the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of Arizona, California and Mexico. This oil is different from other common plant oils in that it is composed almost completely (97%) of wax esters of monounsaturated, straight-chain acids and alcohols with high molecular weights (carbon chain lengths from 36 to 46). This makes Jojoba Oil and its derivative Jojoba Esters more similar to sebum and whale oil than to traditional vegetable oils.

Safety Information

The safety of Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Butter, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Jojoba Esters, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Isomerized Jojoba Oil, Jojoba Alcohol and Synthetic Jojoba Oil has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and based on the available information concluded that Jojoba Oil and the related ingredients were safe for use as cosmetic ingredients.

CIR Safety Review:

Based on the large molecular weight of the components of the Jojoba Oil ingredients, the CIR Expert Panel concluded that they would not penetrate the skin. The CIR Expert Panel reviewed a number of studies that indicated low acute and subchronic toxicity of Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil. Undiluted Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil was not a skin irritant. In a maximization test, no sensitization reactions were observed with Jojoba Alcohol. Jojoba Alcohol and mixture of Jojoba Oil and Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil were not mutagenic in bacterial assays. Tests of topical products containing Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil found them to be nonirritants and nonsensitizers to humans. Sensitization to undiluted Jojoba Oil was not observed. The use of Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Wax and the other Jojoba ingredients in cosmetic products in the European Union is allowed according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the Europian Union.

Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation: http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_packaging/co0013_en.htm

More Scientific Information

Jojoba is grown for the liquid Jojoba Oil in its seeds. Jojoba Oil is easily refined to be odorless and colorless. Jojoba oil is also stable to oxidation. Jojoba (seed) Oil and its derivatives are used primarily as hair conditioning agents and skin conditioning agents (occlusive).

Resources

EU Cosmetic Ingredients Inventory http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/

Search the Code of Federal Regulations http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm