Sea buckthorn oil

The distinction that matters

If you take one thing from this page, take this: a product labelled only "sea buckthorn oil" is not telling you what you are buying. The berry yields two oils and they are not the same.

Pulp / berry oil

Pressed from the flesh and skin. Deep orange-red, heavier, and the source of the omega 7 and most of the carotenoids. This is the oil behind the skin use.

Seed oil

Pressed from the small seeds. Paler and lighter, high in omega 3 and 6 at close to a 1:1 ratio, higher in vitamin E, low in omega 7.

Biosash sells them separately, which is the honest way to do it and is worth taking as a signal when comparing brands.

Taken, or applied

Both. Swallowed, the oil is sold as a capsule. Applied, it is the base of the creams, serums and body oils, and is also sold neat in a small bottle for adding to whatever you already use.

Why the colour

The orange-red is beta carotene. It is also why sea buckthorn oil can leave a faint tint on very pale skin when used heavily.

How deep that colour runs varies with the harvest, and with no colour added there is nothing holding it to a fixed shade. Batch-to-batch variation is what an unadulterated oil looks like, not a fault in it.

The range