The Downfall of Grape Seed Oil

The Downfall of Grape Seed Oil:

When I first began making scrubs, like most, I started out using coconut oil.  It has a long shelf life and it was all the rage. However, I wanted to expand my oils, so I made up a batch of sugar scrub using a combination of Grape Seed and Coconut oils. I sold two of the jars before having the opportunity to use it. ( Defiantly My Bad)  I was so unhappy with it when I did use it, I recalled it. I did some deeper research on and decided that Grape Seed Oil was not all that it has been cracked up to be.  All though I could greatly reduce my cost by using it, if I don't like it, then I am not going to put it out there for someone else to use.  I felt the oil was too dry and didn't leave the skin feeling soft or impart the beautiful glow that I am used to.

Grape Seeds are promoted as having a high level of a Polyphenol called proanthocyanidin which has a high level of anti oxidant properties. The drawback however is that this polyphenol is a water-soluble, so unfortunately this means that there is very little to none in the actual oil due the process of the oil being chemically extracted from the seeds.

The other downfall of this oil is that is has been found in some instances to contain PAH's or Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons which are known carcinogens in animals when digested. (But we are not consuming it.) The bigger downfall, the shelf life is extremely short, only two to three months.  The use of this oil in my products would also require me to use an enormous amount of antioxidants to keep it from going rancid.

The Grape Seed oil is a very dry oil due to the tannins and catechins in the seed,  so it does not leave the skin with the very cushiony, soft feel like that other oils do.  While there may be a good use for this oil in the skin care world, the chemical extraction process of this oil  and the quality of my final product knocks it out of the options for use in my products.

I have spent over a year making scrubs and other bath and body products. You will only find coconut oil in a few of my products, and then it is purely for the fragrance, not for the properties of the oil itself. And never will you find grape seed oil.

 I have spent hundreds of hours researching oils, butters and other additives to come up with a formula. I have settled on a few that my customers love, for a scrub that is just amazing! The world of making cosmetics is utterly fascinating, complex and challenging.  But I love it none the less.  

Stay Beautiful!