Seed Oils & Skincare - Facts Don't Equal Fear
It wasn't until the 1900s that humans began consuming seed oils.
The composition of fatty acids in seed oils was entirely new for humans. In the past, our diets consisted of animal fats, which are high in saturated fats and low in PUFAs (PUFAs being the toxic part of seed oils).
When seed oils became widespread in our diets, there was a direct correlation to the rise of cancer, diabetes, and various diseases.
Fatty acid composition in animal fats vs seed oils looks completely different with animal fats being perfectly balanced, usually 40-50% saturated - 40-50% monounsaturated and less than 10% PUFAs.
Seed oils look like this: 10% saturated, 20% monounsaturated and up to 70% and more PUFAs! Yikes! That’s a significant difference.
Fast forward to today and seed oils have not only taken over the food industry but also the skincare industry as well.
I see a lot of people defending seed oils in skincare, spreading misinformation and blatant lies - clearly not understanding the science of fatty acids.
Seed oils are high in a fatty acid called linoleic acid also known as PUFAs. PUFAs are unstable due to their double bonds in the molecular structure. As a result of these bonds, the overall structure is weakened, making them more susceptible to oxidation and free radical attack.
The actual chemical structure of seed oils (the bad PUFA part) doesn’t change due to processing. Organic farming, cold-pressing, CO2 extracted, small batch, family farmed…none of it matters. PUFAs are PUFAs - they will oxidize regardless of how they are processed.
Each time you open your skincare bottle and apply that oil to your skin, the oxygen starts breaking down that seed oil. And whenever that seed oil on your skin is exposed to sunlight, it becomes susceptible to oxidation and free radical attacks.
People can spin how they want, but the truth is a seed oil is a seed oil…they don't magically change and become stable because someone wants them to.
That’s like saying arsenic is safe only when it’s extracted from organic farm soil…arsenic is still arsenic and seed oils are still seed oils.
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Kossma's signature skincare line, featuring PUFA aware oils and animal fats, is consciously crafted to balance fatty acids in our tallow and oils, nurturing your skin to its healthiest state. Our products, infused with whole plants and resins and free from essential oils, are designed to be gentle for everyone at all life stages. Utilizing a potent extraction technique, we infuse a broad spectrum of beautifying constituents from herbs and resins into bioavailable animal fats, creating balanced, effective, and healthy skincare solutions.
