The Ingredient Library
Acai Berry
Euterpe oleracea
Acai berry oil is pressed from the dark purple fruit pulp of the acai palm, a tall, slender palm of the Amazon estuary in Brazil whose fruit is climbed for by hand.
Get to know acai berry oil
- Source
- Fruit pulp
- Origin
- Amazon estuary, Brazil
- Extraction
- Cold-pressed
- Texture
- Medium, silky
What it is
Acai Berry is a botanical carrier oil used in hair and skin care.
Why it belongs in your routine
Deep green oil pressed from the pulp of Amazonian acai palm fruit.
How to use
Warm a few drops between your palms and smooth over hair or skin. Patch test before use.
Where does acai berry oil come from?
Acai berry oil comes from Euterpe oleracea, a multi-stemmed palm that grows in the flooded forests and river islands around the mouth of the Amazon, above all in the Brazilian state of Pará. The slim trunks reach 15 to 25 metres and carry hanging bunches of small round fruit. Each fruit is a thin layer of purple pulp wrapped around a single hard seed, which makes up most of its weight.
The oil is usually a deep olive green, with a faint fruity, earthy smell. Oleic acid makes up roughly half of its fatty acids, with palmitic and linoleic acid following, and it naturally contains plant sterols and vitamin E. It has a medium weight that spreads easily, so formulators use it in face oils, body lotions, hair oils and conditioning balms.
Sourcing & extraction
How acai berry oil is sourced and extracted
Why it is rare
Only the thin skin of pulp on each acai fruit holds oil, and most of the harvest goes to the food trade as frozen pulp. The fruit spoils within a day or so of picking, so the pulp must be processed quickly and dried before any oil can be pressed.
How it is gathered
Acai berry oil comes from the river communities of Pará, where ribeirinhos climb the palms barefoot using a loop of fibre around the feet called a peconha. They cut the ripe bunches, mostly during the main dry-season harvest from about August to December, and strip the fruit into baskets. Boats carry the baskets downriver to markets such as Belém, where the fruit is soaked and pulped, and some of that pulp is set aside and dried for oil.
How it is made
Cold-pressed from dried fruit pulp
- Ripe fruit is soaked in warm water to soften it, then rubbed in a pulper so the purple flesh separates from the hard seed.
- The wet pulp is dried at low temperature until most of its moisture has gone, leaving a dark, oil-rich flake.
- The dried pulp is fed through a screw press, which squeezes out a thick green oil without added solvents.
- The crude oil is left to settle and then filtered to remove fine pulp particles before bottling.
How to use acai berry oil
- Start with a few drops and warm them between your palms.
- Massage into clean skin, or work through the lengths of damp or dry hair.
- Use on its own, or add a few drops to your moisturizer or conditioner.
For external use only. Patch test on a small area before first use and stop if irritation occurs. If you are pregnant, nursing or have a medical condition, ask a healthcare professional before use.
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Questions about Acai Berry
Where does Acai Berry come from?
Acai berry oil comes from the river communities of Pará, where ribeirinhos climb the palms barefoot using a loop of fibre around the feet called a peconha. They cut the ripe bunches, mostly during the main dry-season harvest from about August to December, and strip the fruit into baskets. Boats carry the baskets downriver to markets such as Belém, where the fruit is soaked and pulped, and some of that pulp is set aside and dried for oil.
How is Acai Berry extracted?
Cold-pressed from dried fruit pulp. Ripe fruit is soaked in warm water to soften it, then rubbed in a pulper so the purple flesh separates from the hard seed. The wet pulp is dried at low temperature until most of its moisture has gone, leaving a dark, oil-rich flake. The dried pulp is fed through a screw press, which squeezes out a thick green oil without added solvents. The crude oil is left to settle and then filtered to remove fine pulp particles before bottling.
Why is Acai Berry considered rare?
Only the thin skin of pulp on each acai fruit holds oil, and most of the harvest goes to the food trade as frozen pulp. The fruit spoils within a day or so of picking, so the pulp must be processed quickly and dried before any oil can be pressed.
