What is jojoba?

Jojoba oil is not, technically, an oil. It is a liquid wax obtained by cold-pressing the seeds of the Simmondsia chinensis shrub, native to the deserts of southwestern North America. This difference is not minor: its wax structure explains why it is so stable, so well-tolerated, and so extraordinarily similar to the natural sebum of human skin.

Known and used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of the Sonoran Desert (Mexico and Arizona) to protect skin from the sun and soothe irritations, today it is one of the most versatile and common vegetable oils in natural cosmetics.

How it works

Jojoba does not penetrate the deep layers of the skin like a conventional oil: it forms an intelligent protective layer on the surface that mimics the natural hydrolipidic film. Thanks to this, it regulates sebum production without clogging pores: the skin "reads" jojoba as its own sebum and reduces its production if there is an excess, or maintains it if there is a deficiency.

It is the ingredient that does what seems impossible: balance without greasing, nourish without weighing down.

Properties and benefits

• Sebum-regulating: balances sebum production, making it ideal for oily, dry, or combination skin.
• Moisturizing and emollient: softens the skin's surface and reduces transepidermal water loss without an occlusive feel.
• Soothing and anti-inflammatory: contains myristic acid with anti-inflammatory action, useful for reactive skin, redness, or eczema.
• Antioxidant: rich in vitamin E, it protects against oxidative damage and premature aging.
• Non-comedogenic: does not clog pores despite its texture. Score 0-2 on the comedogenic scale.
• Antimicrobial: helps inhibit the growth of bacteria associated with acne.
• Hair and scalp: nourishes without weighing down, regulates excess oil at the roots, seals the cuticle, adds shine, and reduces split ends.

Usage and integration into routine

It can be used pure or as an ingredient in serums, creams, makeup removers, and hair products.

On the face: apply a few drops (2-3) to clean skin, alone or mixed with your serum or cream. Morning and night, suitable for all skin types.

As a makeup remover: glide over dry skin to dissolve makeup before your usual cleansing.

On the hair: as a hair mask (20 minutes before shampooing) or a few drops on the ends to add shine and nourish without weighing down.

Pairs well with shea butter, squalane, hyaluronic acidand niacinamide.

Curiosities and facts

It's not an oil
Technically, jojoba is a liquid wax composed of long-chain fatty acid esters. Vegetable oils are triglycerides; jojoba is not. That's why it doesn't oxidize easily, doesn't go rancid, and its shelf life exceeds that of most oils, reaching 5 years if properly stored.

A desert invention
The jojoba shrub survives extreme temperatures, intense drought, and poor soils where almost nothing else grows. It can live for over 100 years. This is why its seeds concentrate so much energy and protection.

A matter of sexes
The jojoba shrub is dioecious (there are separate male and female plants), and only the females produce seeds.

A favor to whales.
Before jojoba became popular in the 1970s, when it was massively planted in deserts because it withstands brutal droughts, sperm whale oil (spermaceti) was the star ingredient for high-end lubricants and cosmetics, due to its very similar structure. The ban on whaling and cetacean hunting accelerated the search for vegetable alternatives, and jojoba won by a landslide.

Recognized by NASA
In the 1970s, NASA studied vegetable oils for machinery lubricants in extreme conditions. Jojoba was featured in their research due to its exceptional thermal and chemical stability.

Sebum regulator: the jojoba paradox
It is one of the few ingredients that dermatologists and cosmetic companies confidently recommend for oily skin. Applying a wax that mimics sebum to oily skin seems counterintuitive, but it's precisely the inverse logic that works: the skin stops overproducing because it perceives that it already has what it needs.

Suitable for acne-prone skin
Not only does it not worsen it: several studies point to its antimicrobial action against Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes), the main bacterium in acne.

This is how it appears in the INCI: Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Other active ingredients you might be interested in

Squalane— another wax/oil with a sebum-like structure, very light.
Shea butter— intense nourishment, ideal in combination.
Pure vegetable oils— to learn more about options from the plant world.