We keep a very short list of our Favorite Oils for Skin Health . It’s been a long time since we’ve added any oils to this list, until today.
Prickly Pear Seed Oil, Opuntia ficus-indica, sometimes called Barbary Fig Oil or Indian Fig Oil, or even Cactus Seed Oil due to the fact that it is derived from the prickly pear cactus. Nopales, as they’re known in their native place.
I’m not one to chase skincare trends. Especially trending ingredients. Usually, there’s too much marketing and sales hype involved, and to be honest, the ingredients I ultimately end up loving the most are ones that are old. Sorta ancient even.
Nature, keeping only useless secrets, had placed within reach and in sight of human beings the things it was necessary for them to know.
Michel Foucault
I’m also not one for seed oils, due to the fact that they contain too much polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) and are usually produced via a highly industrialized process that isn’t at all sustainable or even natural. I trust that Mother Nature has given us everything we need, and that we don’t have to push and press her gifts to extremes with our machines.
Prickly Pear Oil is a seed oil, but it one of those ancient ones. For centuries, people in Mexico – and later in Morocco – have been processing the oil by hand. It’s a laborious process, but the oil’s incredible ability to moisturize and heal the skin was worth the effort. And after testing it out on my skin for a few months, I am quite impressed.
A desert delight
Prickly pear cacti are native to deserts in Mexico, where they are called nopales (the pads) or tunas (the fruits). To understand their value, we have to go wayyy back. Tunas are ancestral fruits that pre-date Hispanic culture, going all the way back to the Aztec and Maya indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica, and by the Incas in South America. They have been used though the ages by indigenous people in the Americas as a nutritious food source, as a skincare ingredient, as food coloring and textile dyes, and as medicine. Tunas have not only sustained humans, but they are very valuable to all kinds of wildlife and to the land itself.
It’s believed that Christopher Columbus brought a prickly pear cactus back to Europe with him after his very first voyage to the Americas. The plant has acclimated to Mediterranean shores, but it’s totally adapted itself to the Moroccan desert, and it’s been used in Morocco for so long – since the 16th century – that many people assume it’s native to Morocco rather than Mexico.
Prickly Pear Seed Oil
How is it made?
Today, prickly pear seed oil is made similarly to how it was a few hundreds of years ago. It is often done by cooperatives of women, who must manually remove all of the prickly spikes from the cactus fruit, and then separate the seeds from the fruit. Everything is done by hand. To make just a single liter of prickly pear seed oil, it takes around 1 million seeds – or around 5,000 cacti fruits – and 3 days of manual labor. The resulting oil is incredibly concentrated, however. It’s usually bottled up like an essential oil, in small 5 or 10 ml bottles that slowly yield the oil drop by drop.
What goodness does it contain?
First of all, Prickly Pear Seed Oil contains FAR more vitamin E than any other cosmetic oil. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects from free radical damage and helps rebuild skin cells. Also incredibly moisturizing.
Prickly Pear also contains the highest concentration of Betalain, another wonderful antioxidant that is known to be anti-aging. Not only do betalains keep our skin looking fresh and firm, but it also supports our skin’s defense system in resisting harmful bacteria and viruses. They have anti-inflammatory benefits as well. Usually when we think of plants high in betalains, we think of pomegranate, acai, beetroot and blueberries. But prickly pear oil contains much more than all of those. In fact, it is the only plant that contains all 24 known betalains.
It’s also rich in vitamin K, which helps brighten pigment spots, dark marks under your eyes, redness and reduce vascular bursts. Vitamin K is also an excellent wound healer.
Prickly Pear Seed Oil has a significant amount of of essential fatty acids which can reduce inflammation and redness. The oil is easily absorbed into skin and penetrates quickly without leaving any greasy residue. Its fatty acid profile includes high levels of linoleic acid, which is considered anti-acne, as it helps prevent sebum from hardening and thus prevents blocked pores which would lead to acne and spots. It also contains a good amount of palmitic acid, which is a rich saturated fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties and the potential to support cell renewal.
One study also found that the oil had “high levels of antimicrobial activity” that were effective against all sorts of bacteria and fungi. As well as a wide range of antioxidants, polyphenols and more.
Who should try it?
Those with sensitive skin – it soothes and nourishes, it does NOT irritate or inflame.
Those with redness or dark spots – the vitamin K content in Prickly Pear can help.
Those with dry, aging skin – all of the vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants deeply moisturize the skin. Plus the betalain content can stimulate collagen production.
Those with acne – the oil is rich in linoleic acid, which been shown to help clear up acne and balance the skin overall. Non-greasy and non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores).
Those with dry, dull hair too. Or fragile cuticles and weak nails.
What about all of the polyunsaturated fats (PUFA)?
Yes I know. I still stand by my stance on low-PUFA oils, but what makes Prickly Pear so unique is that it contains an incredible amount of vitamin E, namely δ-tocopherol, which naturally helps prevent oxidation, and therefore the oil is less likely to age the skin cells. How much vitamin E? Well, let’s compare it to argan oil, since argan oil’s big selling point is its vitamin E content. Prickly Pear Seed Oils contains three times more vitamin E! And plus, the oil is much more sustainable. The unsustainable process by which most seed oils are made is a big reason why I’m turned off by them, other than just the oxidation risks. So Prickly Pear Seed Oil is perhaps a unique exception. It has been used for many centuries as food, medicine, skincare and more.
How to use it?
A couple of drops is all you need. Prickly Pear Oil is expensive, for good reason (see above about how it’s made), and it’s highly concentrated.
Here’s how I’ve been using it: Every night after cleansing and toning, I put one squirt of Seaberry Skin Repairing Oil in my hand and then add 2-3 drops of Prickly Pear Seed Oil. I press this oil into my skin gently and that’s it. I often do this in the mornings too, but always at night. This has been my ritual for quite a few weeks now.
I have dry, aging skin with a lot of sun damage. Hello 4th decade of life! But in the warm, summer months I can still struggle with acne. So Prickly Pear Seed Oil has been amazing for all of my skin struggles. Particularly the age marks and dryness.
Let us know in Comments if you have any experience with Prickly Pear Oil!
