Rapeseed oil for cosmetic use is among the cheapest oils on the market and is extracted mechanically and chemically. Rapeseed has a very high oil content, about 40%.
It is also referred to as Canola oil
The rape plants Brassica napus, Brassica rapa, Brassica juncea belong to the Brassicaceae family.
The extraction process requires large, specialised plants and goes through these stages :
Cleaning of the oily seed by dedusting and defertilisation by mechanical pressing to ensure a better yield.
- Cold pressing with mechanical extraction of the crude oil.
- Clarification of crude oil by separation from sludge (DIN V 51605).
- Filtering of the clarified oil by microfiltration to 1 micron.
- Storage of the filtered oil in approved tanks.
It contains erucic acid, an acid that can cause toxicity in high doses. However, since 1991, the European Community has established more restrictive cultivation lines for rapeseed, so the amount of this acid in rapeseed oil has drastically decreased. This oil now has a low content of erucic acid (around 2%) as well as glucosinolates.
After soya oil and palm oil, rapeseed oil is the third most popular oil in the world. Due to its composition, which includes tocopherols, sterols and phenolic compounds (synapic acid), it has antioxidant properties.
It comes in the form of a yellow oily liquid or as a white powder with a slight nutty smell.
Typical commercial product characteristics
| Appearance | Yellow liquid |
Smoke Point
| 460 – 530oF |
Monounsaturated fat (omega 9)
| 59.1 g |
Monounsaturated fat (omega 3) (C 18:3)
| 10% |
| Saturated fat | 6.5 g |
Beta-sitosterol
| 413 mg |
| Campesterol | 241 mg |
| Gamma Tocopherol | 27.4 mg |
| Alfa Tocopherol | 17.5 mg |
| Iodine | 100 - 122 (Wijs) |
Refractive Index
| @ 40oC: 1.460 – 1.467 @20°C 1.505 to 1.512 |
Saponification Value
| 182 – 193 |
Fire Point
| 670 – 690oF |
Flash Point
| 610 – 640oF |
| Density | Min. 0.9180 Max. 0.9225 at 25°C and 4°C at 15°C: 900-930kg/m3 |
| Impurities | 0.10% Max |
Unsaponifiables Matter
| Max. 1.50 pct. |
| Lecithin | 0.02% Max |
Calorific value
| 35.000 kJ/kg |
Kinematic viscosity
| 38 mm2/3 (40°C) |
Water content
| 75mg/kg |
| Ash | 0.01 mass% |
Sulphur content
| 20mg/kg |
Phosphorus content
| 15mg/kg |
Neutralizations number
| 2,0mg KOH/g |
It protects the skin by regulating its water balance and produces a slight anti-ageing effect. This study found that certain protease-only hydrolysis products (Alcalase 2.4L FG, Protex 6L, Protamex and Corolase 7089) exerted antioxidant, anti-wrinkle and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro (1).
Used in treatments for and soaps. hair, nail oils.
References______________________________________________________________________
(1) Rivera D, Rommi K, Fernandes MM, Lantto R, Tzanov T. Biocompounds from rapeseed oil industry co-stream as active ingredients for skin care applications. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2015 Oct;37(5):496-505. doi: 10.1111/ics.12222.
Rapeseed oil cosmetic use 
