Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil

What it is

Sweet almond oil is cold-pressed or refined from the kernels of Prunus amygdalus dulcis, the edible almond, and is dominated by oleic acid with a useful share of linoleic acid. It has a mild, slightly nutty character, sinks in at a moderate pace, and has centuries of traditional use for dry and irritated skin. Reviews of its use in skincare find real but inconsistently evidenced benefits for stratum corneum integrity.

What it does well

• Reliable emollient for dry and rough skin

  A 2022 review of the clinical literature concluded almond oil can strengthen stratum corneum integrity and recovery, while noting that the underlying trials are small and methodologically uneven.

  Limited evidence

Worth knowing

• It is a genuine tree nut oil

  Almond is one of the nuts EU food law requires to be declared as an allergen. Refined cosmetic oils contain very little residual protein, but analytical work has found IgE-reactive protein surviving refinement in at least one nut oil, and a large birth-cohort study linked applying peanut-oil-containing skin preparations to inflamed infant skin with later peanut allergy. The sensible position is caution on broken or eczematous skin, particularly in children, rather than blanket avoidance.

  Matters most toPeople with a diagnosed almond or tree-nut allergy, and parents applying oils to infants with eczema.

Where the EU stands

Sources (2)

Every link goes to the original: a journal, a PubMed record or an EU document.

1. [1]
   Factors associated with the development of peanut allergy in childhood

   New England Journal of Medicine · 2003 · doi:10.1056/NEJMoa013536

   In a cohort of nearly 14,000 children, peanut allergy was independently associated with the use of skin preparations containing peanut oil, suggesting sensitisation can occur through inflamed skin.

2. [2]
   Analytic investigations on protein content in refined seed oils: implications in food allergy

   Food and Chemical Toxicology · 2008 · doi:10.1016/j.fct.2008.08.005

   Refined seed oils retain more residual protein than previously reported, and IgE-responsive proteins were detectable in refined peanut oil extracts.