What is it? |
The oil pressed from the seed of the plum fruit, Prunus domestica L. |
Appearance |
Warm yellow liquid. |
Texture |
Velvety, smooth, rich. |
Scent |
Wonderful scent reminiscent of marzipan and dried fruit. |
Absorbency Speed |
Medium, but on the faster side of medium. Stunning, satiny skin feel. |
Solubility |
Oil |
Why do we use it in formulations? |
The incredible scent carries through in final products at 10, contributing a very luxurious scent that is hard to get without the use of fragrance oils. |
Do you need it? |
No, but it’s a nice luxury oil. If you love the scent of marzipan I highly recommend it! |
Refined or unrefined? |
Definitely get the variety that has the scent in tact. |
Strengths |
Stunning scent, beautiful skin feel. |
Weaknesses |
It does tend to be fairly expensive, but we don’t need to use it at large amounts. |
Alternatives & Substitutions |
If you don’t have the plum oil I think your best alternatives would be apricot kernel oil (USA / Canada) or cherry kernel oil—oils that are pressed from the kernels of similar stone fruits. You will lose the marzipan/cherry note. You can look to replace that scent with a fragrance or flavour oil with a similar scent (I’d start at 0.1–0.2% as it’s a pretty subtle scent). I haven’t found this scent anywhere else in the realm of natural ingredients, sadly. |
How to Work with It |
Use it at 10% of the oil phase to contribute a stunning marzipan-y scent to the end product. |
Storage & Shelf Life |
Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, plum oil should last at least two years. |
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks |
The fatty acid composition is very similar to apricot kernel oil, sweet almond oil, cherry kernel, and peach kernel oil. |
Recommended starter amount |
50mL (2fl oz) or less |
Where to Buy it |
I personally recommend the stuff from Essential Wholesale. I haven’t found it for sale from very many shops, but you could always try a different online DIY ingredient supplier. |
Some Formulations that Use Plum Oil