Plant Oils

What are they?

We wanted to try to explain the magic of Plant Oils. This will hopefully be good background information before you read the detailed information on each oil on our website.

All Plant Oils consist of different but similar molecular structures. These molecular structures are all based on fats and scientists call them monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and saturated fats.

So what is the difference between these types of fats?

Think of each different fat as a chain, like a pearl necklace.  The pearls are fat cells, or lipids and in between each pearl in the chain is small hoop to bind the pearls into the necklace.

If the fat chain is saturated then the little hoops that bind the pearls  are 'saturated' with Hydrogen molecules. Think of the hydrogen molecules as an extra strengthener to the hoops that join the pearls that makes the chain extra-strong strong and pretty inflexible.

If the fat chain is unsaturated then the little hoops have no hydrogen molecules. This means that the chains are not strong but more flexible. If the fat chain is MONO-unsaturated then the pearls are held together with only one hoop. If the fat chain is POLY-unsaturated then the pearls are held together with two or more thinner and weaker gold hoops. 

The weakest fat chain is the POLY-unsaturated chain as the hoops are thinner and weaker. That means that polyunsaturated fats and oils breakdown quickly. This is oxidation, when the hoops break and the pearls or lipids fall off the necklace.

MONO-unsaturated oils are stronger because the hoops are that hold the pearls or lipids together are stronger. These oils oxidise much slower and have a longer shelf life.

SATURATED OILS are the most stable because the hydrogen hoops form the strongest bond. So most saturated fat is animal based, if you think of butter or fat on a piece of meat where the fat is almost solid. At Purity we only use plant based ingredients and the most well known saturated plant based oil is Coconut Oil, which can come in a slightly solid form.

The table below is a summary of the Plant Oils we use:

	Mono-unsaturated	Poly-unsaturated	Saturated	Saturated	Saturated
	Oleic Acid	Linoleic & Linolenic Acid	Lauric Acid	Stearic Acid (Caprylic, Myristic etc)	Palmitic Acid
	Omega 9	Omega 3, 6			Vitamin A	Vitamin E
Almond Oil	32%	73%			10%	1%
Coconut Oil	7%		48%	20%	10%
Avocado Oil	70%	14%				20%
Shea Butter	50%	10%		30%	10%

 

We have approximated the percentages of each type of fat in each oil. It is interesting that that Sweet Almond Oil is broadly unsaturated but a mix of strong and weak bonds which means it is a really good carrier oil. Coconut Oil is broadly saturated meaning it is a great moisturiser, keeping water on the skin. Avocado Oil is broadly mono-unsaturated and therefore has mostly strong bonds which makes it a great anti-oxidant. These bonds mean that as it breaks down this process means its molecules actually search of toxins as the binds break and the oil breaks down. Finally, Shea Butter is the most balance of all the oils. It is both unsaturated and saturated. This makes it a fairly superior all-rounder. It is a great anti-oxidant and moisturiser at the same time.

This is a really simple summary - it is meant to be broad and explain the chemistry behind Plant Oils. You can find more detailed information on each type of oil that we use in the ingredients section on our website. Hope it was useful and interesting!