Rich in omega fatty acids and antioxidants, broccoli seed oil moisturizes, supports the skin barrier, brightens, and helps with fine lines and wrinkles.
When you hear broccoli, you probably donât think of skincare first. While this veggie is one you usually see on your dinner plate, the oil that comes from cold pressing broccoli seeds is fantastic for your skinâs health.
Broccoli seed oil is a naturally pale, yellow-green colour and is considered a fairly lightweight oil. Because of this, it doesnât feel greasy on the skin and absorbs quickly. Itâs known for being antioxidant-rich and high in fatty acids, particularly erucic acid, an omega-9 fatty acidâthe oil from the seeds is often around 50% erucic acid!
Fun fact: The broccoli that our broccoli seed oil comes from is grown in Fraser Valley, British Columbia. That makes it one of our Canadian Ingredients.Â
Other names: Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Seed Oil
What it is: antioxidant, emollient, skin barrier support, anti-inflammatory
You can find it in: Phyto Clear and Matcha Mint Hair Smoothie
Broccoli seed oil has a number of truly impressive skincare benefits. Not only is it hydrating, brightening, and protective against damage that can cause fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging, itâs also excellent at soothing skin and even taming frizz and adding shine to dry hair!
Broccoli seed oil is a great antioxidant due to its vitamin A, C, and E content. Collectively, these vitamins add antioxidants to the skin, which help neutralize free radicals. If you havenât heard of free radicals before, theyâre essentially a cell with a missing electron.Â
How do they deal with that missing piece? Well, they go around trying to steal that electron from healthy cells. A free radical will damage a healthy cell to get the electron, leaving behind a now-damaged cell who then has to turn around and do the exact same thing to the next healthy cell! It sets off a chain reaction of damage that turns into something called âoxidative stress.â Antioxidants stop that chain reaction and can also help repair some of the damage done.
And when I say âdamageâ, to be more specific, when our skin cells are damaged in this way, our skin becomes more susceptible to dryness and texture because we arenât able to hold hydration as well. We might also find some of the processes in our skin like cell renewal, collagen production, and elastin production have been affected by the damage, leading to the development of fine lines, wrinkles, dull skin, sagging skin, crepey skin, and more.Â
These processes slowing down happens naturally as we age, but oxidative stress can accelerate it. Thatâs why antioxidants are so important, especially combined with other things like fatty acids that are capable of deeply moisturizing and supporting the skin (which Iâll talk about more in the section on skin hydration).
Broccoli seed oil also contains a âplant chemicalâ called sulforaphane, which has incredible antioxidative and detoxifying qualities. A handful of studies (here, here, and here) also show that sulforaphane may also protect the skin against UV damage and photoaging (which is premature aging of the skin caused by UV rays). More research needs to be done, but itâs an exciting possibility!
Vitamins A, C, and E all have the protective capability thanks to their functionality as antioxidants. But how else do these vitamins help?
Broccoli seed oil is incredibly rich in omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids, all of which help with skin barrier function. Fatty acids are part of the structure of the skin barrier, so supporting the skin with ingredients that contain them makes the skin better at holding hydration, more resilient against damage, and more healthy overall. In particular, erucic acid, a type of omega-9 fatty acid, is abundant in broccoli seed oilâit can make up about 50% of the oil! These fatty acids also deeply moisturize the skin, keeping it hydrated. Plus, the linoleic acid (omega 6) helps promote ceramide synthesis (another key component of skin barrier health).
Broccoli seed oil is considered an emollient. This type of moisturizing ingredient helps soften and soothe the skin, mostly by filling in the gaps between your skin cells to create a smoother overall surface. It also makes your skin more âflexibleââwhich sounds like a strange benefit until you remember how frustrating it can be to have skin so rigid and dry that it flakes or cracks. Emollients also leave a thin layer on the skin, which protects the barrier and prevents water loss (aka TEWL).
Barrier support and hydration are key to having plump, healthy looking skin.
Barrier support and hydration are key to having plump, healthy looking skin. When the skin cells and support structure around them are bolstered by moisturizing skincare, the skin appears fullerâyouâll likely see fine lines and wrinkles appear minimized and your skin will look firmer!
Broccoli seed oil is an anti-inflammatory ingredient. Its ability to soothe the skin when itâs inflamed or irritated means that itâs a great ingredient for sensitive skin.
Since broccoli seed oil is also non-comedogenic (aka, itâs unlikely to clog your pores), that combination of soothing and non-comedogenic means that itâs great for reducing the frequency of breakouts.
You might think that itâs counter-intuitive to use an oil on oily or acne prone skin, but actually, broccoli seed oil helps your skin regulate sebum production. Whether youâre producing too much or too little, the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid in broccoli seed oil, help balance you out. Either way, you want a healthy amount of sebum as itâs an important element of a healthy barrier and contributes to your skinâs hydration and ability to protect itself.
Did you know broccoli seed oil is rich in vitamin C? Vitamin C might just be the trendiest skincare ingredient right now, so Iâm sure you already have an inkling of the skin benefits this mighty vitamin possesses. Vitamin C is capable of brightening your skinâaka, it inhibits melanin production, which helps even out the pigmentation on your skin. Vitamin C also boosts collagen production and offers protection from free radicals, something I talked about above. Vitamin E also brightens skin by acting as a melanin inhibitorâplus, it's great for fine lines and wrinkles.
Broccoli seed oil gives you brighter, glowing skin by boosting cell turnover and evening out skin tone.
On top of the brightening vitamin C & E in broccoli seed oil, it also contains something called arachidonic acid, which can promote wound healing, as it naturally releases in our bodies when weâre injured. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and promotes cell turnover. Cell turnover is the rate at which new skin cells make their way to the surface of the skin. The faster your cell turnover is, the faster older, dead, or damaged cells can be replaced with healthy new onesâthis means arachidonic acid helps keep skin bright and glowy by replacing old skin cells that make your skin appear dull.
Lastly, broccoli seed oil is considered a great hair care ingredient! Its ability to hydrate hair strands without weighing them down or leaving a greasy residue makes it great for people who want to tame frizz and have hair with a glossy, shiny finish. Thatâs why you might see broccoli seed oil in conditioners or leave-in products.
Plus, itâs great for those with sensitive scalps. Since itâs anti-inflammatory, gentle, and rich in fatty acids, it soothes and protects the scalpâa lovely benefit to have when you need to be mindful of the hair care products youâre using in relation to your skin, especially for those who have psoriasis or eczema on their scalps.
Broccoli seed oil is good for all skin typesâit is able to deeply moisturize dry skin, plump and revitalize mature skin, and keep breakouts at bay on acne-prone skin.
Broccoli seed oil is good for all skin types â it deeply moisturizes dry skin, plumps mature skin, and keeps breakouts at bay on acne-prone skin.
Everyone can benefit from broccoli seed oilâs anti-inflammatory and skin barrier supporting benefits, but particularly those with sensitive skin will find the ingredient an excellent fit in their routine. Everyone can also benefit from broccoli seed oilâs antioxidant-rich nature, as it protects all skin from damage that can accelerate skin agingâno matter where you are in your skincare journey, skin longevity is a great thing to prioritize!
Last, if you have hair that trends toward the dry side and are looking for a little more shine and less frizz, products with broccoli seed oil are a good fit for you.
Phyto Clear is a gel-like lightweight moisturizer that is perfect for oily, combination, and/or acne-prone skin. It uses a blend of herbs and other plant-based ingredients to clarify skin, minimize the appearance of pores, and improve skin texture.
Phyto Clear also contains two bio-retinols, bakuchiol and dew bean, which help firm skin and improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Unlike traditional retinols, these botanical versions donât cause the skin to become more sensitive to the sun, meaning you can hydrate your skin with Phyto Clear morning and night.
Matcha Mint Hair Smoothie is a nourishing conditioner for people with dry hair. Itâs gentle on both sensitive scalps and sensitive skin in general.
The sulforaphane in broccoli seed oil detoxes hair while the green tea (where the matcha in the name comes from!) protects your strands and scalp against pollution and environmental damage that can weaken it.
Shop Matcha Mint Hair Smoothie here.
In summary, broccoli seed oil:
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