The Ingredient Library
Avocado
Persea americana
Last updated
Avocado wax is a firm, pale plant wax made from avocado oil, which is boiled out of the flesh of the fruit, most of it grown in Mexico, then hardened for balms and bars.
Get to know avocado wax
- Source
- Fruit flesh oil
- Origin
- Mexico and worldwide
- Extraction
- Boiled out, then hardened
- Texture
- Hard, waxy
What it is
Avocado is a rich plant butter used in body and hair care.
In short
Firm plant wax made from avocado oil for balms, sticks and bars.
How to use
Warm a small amount between your fingertips until it melts, then apply to dry areas.
Where does avocado wax come from?
The avocado tree, Persea americana, is an evergreen of the laurel family native to south-central Mexico and Central America. In orchards it is usually kept to around eight to twelve metres. Its pear-shaped fruit has a single large seed and a buttery flesh that can hold 15 to 30 percent oil by weight. Mexico is by far the largest grower, with Michoacán the main producing state, followed by countries such as Peru, Colombia and Kenya.
Avocado wax is an off-white to pale cream solid with almost no scent. Unlike liquid avocado oil, it is hard at room temperature, typically melting at around 60 to 70 °C. It is made mainly of saturated fatty acids such as stearic and palmitic acid. Formulators use it as a plant-based alternative to beeswax to thicken and firm lip balms, solid perfumes, body bars, creams and hair pomades.
Sourcing & extraction
How avocado wax is sourced and extracted
Why it is rare
Avocado wax is made from oil that first has to be boiled out of fruit flesh, often from avocados too ripe or blemished for sale, and then further processed into a solid. It is produced by only a few specialist suppliers, much less widely than avocado oil itself.
How it is gathered
Avocados are picked by hand from orchards in Mexico and other growing countries, using poles with cutting baskets for high fruit. Fruit that is too small, marked or ripe for the export market is often sent to oil mills. There the flesh is separated from the skin and stone and boiled in water so the oil can be skimmed off, and that oil is later sent to specialist processors who turn it into wax.
How it is made
Avocado oil, boiled out and hardened
- Ripe avocados are washed, destoned and skinned, and the flesh is mashed into a smooth paste.
- The paste is boiled in water so the oil separates and floats to the top, where the green avocado oil is skimmed off.
- The oil is refined and then hydrogenated, which turns its liquid unsaturated fats into firm, saturated ones.
- The hardened material is filtered, cooled and formed into pastilles or flakes of avocado wax.
How to use avocado wax
- Scoop a small amount and warm it between your fingertips.
- Massage into dry areas such as elbows, hands and feet, or the ends of your hair.
- Use it as a base for homemade balms and body butters.
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 Avocado
Where does Avocado come from?
Avocados are picked by hand from orchards in Mexico and other growing countries, using poles with cutting baskets for high fruit. Fruit that is too small, marked or ripe for the export market is often sent to oil mills. There the flesh is separated from the skin and stone and boiled in water so the oil can be skimmed off, and that oil is later sent to specialist processors who turn it into wax.
How is Avocado extracted?
Avocado oil, boiled out and hardened. Ripe avocados are washed, destoned and skinned, and the flesh is mashed into a smooth paste. The paste is boiled in water so the oil separates and floats to the top, where the green avocado oil is skimmed off. The oil is refined and then hydrogenated, which turns its liquid unsaturated fats into firm, saturated ones. The hardened material is filtered, cooled and formed into pastilles or flakes of avocado wax.
Why is Avocado considered rare?
Avocado wax is made from oil that first has to be boiled out of fruit flesh, often from avocados too ripe or blemished for sale, and then further processed into a solid. It is produced by only a few specialist suppliers, much less widely than avocado oil itself.
