Native Organic Ungurahua Oil

TECHNICAL DATA SHEET

ORGANIC UNGURAHUA OIL

General description:

Fatty oil obtained from Ungurahua fruit/nuts

Product resulting from the biological agriculture certified by BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH 

Use: Cosmetic / food 

INCI Name:  Oenocarpus bataua, Arecaceae

HARVESTING PERIOD

FATTY ACID COMPOSITION AND PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL DATA

The oil extracted from the mesocarp of the Ungurahua palm appears as a greenish yellow and transparent liquid, with little odor and taste, and has the physical appearance and composition of fatty acids that are similar to olive oil (Olea europaea). Its high content of unsaturated fatty acids is remarkable. Due to its high content of oleic acid, patauá oil has moisturizing properties, and can be used to care for skin and hair or in formulas to treat dandruff or to revitalize hair, and can also be used in soaps and moisturizers.

POPULAR USES

Traditionally, Amazonian communities utilize the patauá oil for their hair care and as a tonic to treat hair loss.  Ungurahua is an exceptional emollient and nutritive properties for cell metabolism. 

ECOLOGY

Ungurahua is a palm tree that grows both on dry land and in most humid forests. This species can reach 25 meters in height, has only one stem and the infructescence is arranged in the form of a horse’s tail. The patauá palm starts producing fruits in its eighth year and produces up to 3 infructescences per year. The fruits take between 10 to 14 months to develop, which is why plants can be found with flowers and fruits at the same time.

The traditional method used to extract oil from Ungurahua involves the following procedure: soaking the fruits in water which helps to separate the pulp from the seeds, shredding the fruit and then placing the pulp in a container of water that is boiled until the oil appears.