I don’t know about you but for me, coconut = beach vacation. So this summer, the monthly all-about-oil spotlight is coconut oil. From baking, cooking to skincare formulating and soaping this botanic oil is so versatile, basically, there’s nothing that it can’t do. Today we are going to look into the scientific aspect of this oil, to learn why and how it is so useful to our daily life.
Botanic Profile of Coconut Oil
- Scientific Name / INCL ā Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
- Botanic Family ā Arecaceae
- Origin ā Asia
Virgin,refined or fractionated coconut oil, what’s the difference
Coconut oil often exists in different forms, the general coconut oils you could find on the market are virgin coconut oil, refined coconut oil, and fractionated coconut oil. They have different properties and were chosen for different reasons during skincare formulation. This brief summary will help you to understand the difference between them and maybe will help you to decide what to choose for your formulating project.
| Virgin Coconut Oil | Refined Coconut Oil | Fractionated Coconut Oil | |
|---|---|---|---|
| INCL | Cocos Nucifera | Cocos Nucifera | Caprylic / capric triglycerides |
| Extraction Method | Cold-pressed | Cold-pressed | Esterification/ Fractionation: Long-chain fatty acids removed from virgin coconut oil |
| Processing Type | Unprocessed | Refined, Bleached, Deodorized | Refined |
| Extraction Part | fresh coconut meat is scooped out of the shell by hand, then cold-pressed, leaving just the oil which has a pure coconut flavour | made from dried coconut meat, or copra | Coconut Kernel |
| Major Composition | Caprylic saturated C8 -7% Decanoic saturated C10 -8% Lauric saturated C12 -48% Myristic saturated C14 -16% Palmitic saturated C16 -9.5% Oleic monounsaturated C18:1 -6.5% Contain a higher amount of polyphenolic antioxidants 32.24 (+-) 1.2mg/100g of oil Other -5% | Caprylic saturated C8 -7% Decanoic saturated C10 -8% Lauric saturated C12 -48% Myristic saturated C14 -16% Palmitic saturated C16 -9.5% Oleic monounsaturated C18:1 -6.5% Other -5% Contain a lesser amount of polyphenolic antioxidants 18.1 (+-) 2.01mg of oil | main medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) -C8: caprylic acid or octanoic acid C10: capric acid or decanoic acid |
| Organoleptic Properties | Colour: White when solid Odour: Sweet scent of freshly extracted coconut oil Consistency: Solid at room temperatures. Gentle heating is required. Melting point: 24Ā°C Smoke Point: 176Ā°C | Colour: White when solid Odour: Odourless Consistency: Solid at room temperatures. Gentle heating is required. Melting point: 21Ā°C Smoke Point: 204Ā°C Absorption: Coconut Oil creates an oily, protective barrier on the skin. | Colour: Clear Odour: Virtually odourless Texture: liquid Consistency: Typical and Characteristic of Carrier Oils. Absorption: Non-greasy and absorbs easily into the skin. |
| Function | home cooking, commercial food processing, and cosmetic, industrial, soaping, and pharmaceutical purposes | Coconut (RBD) Carrier Oil can be used to create a variety of products such as massage oils, body balms, lip balms, lotions, and cold process soaps. It is one of the most preferred oils in soap making because soap made with coconut oil tends to be hard, and retains more water than those made with other oils and therefore increases manufacturer yields. It is more soluble in hard water and saltwater than other soaps allowing it to lather more easily. Coconut oil is also used in cosmetic manufacturing industries. | medical applications, special diets, and cosmetics, sometimes also being used as a carrier oil for fragrances |
| Shelf life | Users can expect a shelf life of up to 2 years with proper storage conditions (cool, out of direct sunlight). Refrigeration after opening is recommended. | Users can expect a shelf life of up to 2 years with proper storage conditions (cool, out of direct sunlight). Refrigeration after opening is recommended. | Users can expect a shelf life of up to 2 years with proper storage conditions (cool, out of direct sunlight). Refrigeration after opening is recommended. |
I realised that it is almost impossible to compile this summary because depending on your purchase sources, the extraction method can be varied. Do let me know if I missed out on any information on the table above.
It is difficult to truly determine the quality of coconut oil, specifically virgin coconut oil because the terminology used to describe coconut oil such as ācold-pressedā, ārawā, āvirginā, āextra-virginā is ambiguous and obscure. This is due to the fact that there are no standards or regulations defined by the authorities for labeling coconut oil.
In addition to this, coconut oil nutritional labels do not list medium-chain fatty acid levels or moisture content. However, if you are extremely familiar and experienced with various types of coconut oil, it is possible to tell by recognising the variances in color, texture, smell, and flavor.
If you are unable to discern these characteristics and you want to know the quality of the brand of coconut oil youāre using, we suggest calling the company and asking for the following:
1. The MCFA content (capric, caprylic, and lauric acids)
2. Coconut harvesting and kernel processing process
3. The extraction and pressing methods
4. The Certificate of Analysis for the batch of oil you have
Where to buy
- Amazon
- Plant Therapy
DIY recipes with coconut oil
If you have been following me for a while, you might already discover my profound love for coconut oil. I have been formulating with coconut oil as well as cooking with it!
DIY foaming coco-cocoa body scrub 
coco-cocoa body butter 
Quadruple Coconut Body Scrub 
DIY whitening toothpowder 
DIY Shea Coconut Hair Shampoo Bar
- Foaming Coco-Cocoa Body Scrub
- Minty Coconut Salt Scrub Cubes
- Eucalyptus Mint Clay Mask
- Bergamot Tea Tree Hair Conditioning Bar
- Super Nourishing Coco-Cocoa Body Butter
- Quadruple Coconut Dose Body & Foot Scrub
- DIY Shea Butter & Coconut Hair Shampoo Bar
- DIY WHITENING TOOTH POWDER
- 4-INGREDIENT DIY BODY BUTTER
Minty Coconut Salt Scrub Cubes 
Eucalyptus Mint Clay Mask 
Bergamot Tea Tree hair conditioning bar 
4-Ingredient Body Butter
Check out my cooking recipes with coconut oil:
Side notes:
While the coconut is really one amazing oil that can do pretty much everything from cooking, soaping to skincare formulating. It is important to know that virgin coconut oil and refined coconut oil are highly comedogenic? With a 4 out of 5 ratings on the comedogenic scale, meaning it is guaranteed to clog pores and result in breakouts, blemishes, and inflammation. It is therefore we shouldn’t follow recipes calling for virgin coconut oil that use directly as a face cream and hair oil, as it will finally make your skin worst.
Conclusions
What should I look at when buying coconut oil? An easy way to check if youāre buying quality coconut oil is to make sure itās certified organic and verified Non-GMO. The next step is to confirm that Virgin Coconut Oil is cold-pressed, made without hexane, and never deodorized or bleached. Refined Coconut Oil should never be refined using harsh chemicals, so be sure to check if itās steam-refined.
And finally, due to the distinct physical-chemistry difference of virgin coconut oil, refined coconut oil, and fractionated coconut oil, please note that when a recipe is calling virgin coconut oil, do not swap it with the other type of coconut oil, doing so will make a huge impact on texture and absorption speed of your end products.
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Source
- Chemical composition and health beneļ¬tsof coconut oil: an overview – Afka Deen,a,b Rizliya Visvanathan,aDhanushki Wickramarachchi,aNazrim Marikkar,aSirinivas Nammi,a,c,d Barana C JayawardanaeandRuvini Liyanagea (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/jsfa.10870
- Wikipedia: Coconut Oil
- Physicochemical and Phytochemical Analyses of Copra and Oil of Cocos nucifera L. (West Coast Tall Variety)Int J Food Sci. 2014; 2014: 310852.Published online 2014 Nov 10. doi: 10.1155/2014/310852
- Chemical composition and health benefits of coconut oil: an overview March 2021 Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 101:2182ā2193
Calleigh
Hi, I am Calleigh, MEng Chemical Engineering and a process engineer, and I'm here to show you how to DIY your skincare and household products with the correct formulation and using only natural ingredients. I believe that eating good food (Yes I have cooking recipes too!) and living in a chemical-free environment are the keys to having a healthy lifestyle. And that doesn't need to be expensive.
