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Apricot kernel oil is the cold-pressed plant oil from the kernel of the apricot, Prunus armeniaca, a tree of the rose family and of the same genus as the almond, the peach, the cherry and the plum. On the label of our apricot kernel oil the ingredient reads Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, cold-pressed and made in Turkey, as a cosmetic oil for hair and skin; there is no second ingredient. It is a light, thin, nearly scentless oil, sold in a 30 ml and a 100 ml bottle with a pipette.
Many people search for 'star apricot oil' or search for 'apricot kernel oil benefits'; the address of this page still carries the first of those, a mistranslation, and there is no such thing as a star apricot: the oil is apricot kernel oil. We make no claim about what this oil does in or under the skin or to the hair: the label says nothing about that, and neither do we. What you can check yourself is what the label says, where the oil comes from, how it looks, smells and feels, and how to use it, in what amount. That is what this guide is about.
Apricot kernel oil at a glance
- Label: Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, the only ingredient; cold-pressed; made in Turkey.
- Plant: the apricot, Prunus armeniaca, of the rose family; the oil comes from the kernel inside the stone of the fruit.
- Colour and smell: light yellow; nearly scentless, at most faintly nutty, and the smell does not linger.
- Texture: light and thin; absorbs fast and leaves no greasy layer.
- Use: face oil, make-up removal, body and massage, carrier for essential oils, hair ends; external use only.
- Patch test: the apricot is related to the almond, an allergen; anyone who reacts to nuts or stone fruit tests first.
- Bottle and storage: 30 ml or 100 ml, dark glass with pipette; cool, dark and closed, finish within a year.
Where the oil comes from
The apricot is a stone fruit: orange flesh around a hard stone, and inside the stone a kernel, which looks like a small almond. The oil is pressed from that kernel, which is why the label says Kernel Oil. The tree comes from Central Asia and China and owes its name to Armenia, through which it reached Europe; today most of the world's apricots are grown in Turkey, and the label says the oil is made there. It names one ingredient, says cold-pressed, and gives no shelf life.
How the oil looks, smells and feels
Light yellow and clear, and nearly scentless: at most a faint nutty note when you open the bottle, gone once the oil is on the skin. It is light and thin, spreads easily, absorbs fast and leaves no greasy layer. Next to sweet almond oil, its closest relative in the shop, it feels a little lighter and glides for a shorter time before it absorbs; next to jojoba oil it is very similar in feel and a little richer.
As a light face oil
This is the use most bottles are bought for. Two to three drops on lightly damp skin, in the morning under a day cream or in the evening as the last step; the oil absorbs within minutes and does not shine. Once or twice a day. Three drops is about 0.15 ml, so a 30 ml bottle gives about two hundred applications: more than six months at once a day, more than three at twice a day.
To remove make-up
Five drops on a cotton pad, also around the eyes, because the oil is nearly scentless and does not sting; press the pad on the closed eyelid for a few seconds and wipe outwards, then cleanse as you usually do. Five drops is about 0.25 ml, so about a hundred and twenty times from 30 ml. Avoid getting oil in the eye itself, and rinse with lukewarm water if it happens.
On the body and for massage
A teaspoon per arm or leg after showering, on skin that is still damp; the oil absorbs fast, so you can dress within minutes. For a massage, a tablespoon: it glides for a shorter time than almond oil and then absorbs, which some people prefer and others do not; for a long massage, mix it half and half with almond oil. A teaspoon is 5 ml, so twenty arms or legs from 100 ml; a tablespoon is 15 ml, so six massages from 100 ml.
As a carrier for essential oils
Nearly scentless and thin, so a blend smells only of the essential oil: at most two to three drops of essential oil per tablespoon of apricot kernel oil. Mix the amount you need in the palm or a small bowl; for a bottle, mix in clean dark glass, label it, and finish it within a few months. Essential oils and other carriers are in the essential oils and carrier oils collections.
On the hair ends
One drop rubbed between the palms and smoothed over dry ends, without the roots. That is about 0.05 ml a time, and you hardly notice it on the bottle. More than a drop weighs fine hair down.
How much you use and which bottle to choose
For the face, make-up removal and the hair ends, 30 ml lasts for months. For the body, massage and blends, 100 ml is the size, and it is cheaper per millilitre. Both bottles hold the same oil, in dark glass with a pipette. More oil than the skin takes up stays on top of it.
How to store it
Cool, dark and tightly closed, not in the bathroom or on a windowsill, and finish an opened bottle within a year; the label gives no shelf life and we give none either. If the oil smells sharp or rancid instead of nearly nothing, do not use it any more.
What to watch out for
External use only: this is a cosmetic oil, so do not swallow it and do not use it in the kitchen, and that goes for this oil in particular, because apricot kernels contain amygdalin. The apricot is related to the almond, which is a nut on the European list of fourteen allergens: anyone who reacts to nuts or stone fruit tests first and asks a doctor when in doubt; the apricot itself is not on that list, but that is not a promise. Apply one drop to the inside of the wrist first and wait a day. Avoid contact with the eyes and rinse with lukewarm water. Keep out of reach of children. Other single-ingredient oils are in the pure oils collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is star apricot oil?
A mistranslation that has stuck to the address of this page. The oil is apricot kernel oil, pressed from the kernel inside the apricot stone.
How does it compare with sweet almond oil?
The two are close relatives. Apricot kernel oil feels a little lighter and glides for a shorter time before it absorbs.
Can I use it around the eyes?
Yes, to remove make-up on a cotton pad; it is nearly scentless and does not sting. Avoid the eye itself.
Can I swallow it?
No. It is a cosmetic oil, and apricot kernels contain amygdalin.
