The Ingredient Library
Carrot Seed
Daucus carota
Carrot seed oil is a carrier oil cold-pressed from the small ridged seeds of the carrot plant. Unlike carrot seed essential oil, it is a fatty oil naturally rich in petroselinic acid.
Get to know Carrot Seed
- Source
- Seed
- Origin
- Europe and Asia
- Extraction
- Cold-pressed
- Texture
- Light to medium
What it is
Carrot Seed is a botanical carrier oil used in hair and skin care.
Why it belongs in your routine
Cold-pressed carrier oil from carrot seeds, for face, body and hair.
How to use
Warm a few drops between your palms and smooth over hair or skin. Patch test before use.
Where Carrot Seed comes from
Carrot seed oil comes from Daucus carota, a biennial of the parsley family native to Europe and south-west Asia. The wild form, Queen Anne's lace, grows along roadsides and field margins, while the cultivated carrot is grown for its root. In its second year the plant sends up a stem around a metre tall topped with a flat umbel of white flowers. These ripen into small, ridged and bristly seeds.
This carrier oil is golden yellow with a faint earthy, carrot-like scent, and should not be confused with carrot seed essential oil or orange carrot root macerate. Like other seeds of the carrot family, it is rich in petroselinic acid, with oleic and linoleic acids alongside. It moisturises and softens, and is used in face oils, body oils, balms and hair oils.
Sourcing & extraction
How Carrot Seed is sourced and extracted
Why it is rare
Carrots are normally harvested in their first year, before they flower, so seed for pressing must come from plants left in the ground a second season. The seeds are small and light, and most seed crops are grown for sowing rather than for oil.
How it is gathered
Carrot seed is produced by leaving plants in the field through winter so they flower in their second summer. The umbels ripen unevenly, so growers usually wait until most heads have turned brown before cutting. The crop is dried, threshed and cleaned to remove the bristly seed hairs and chaff. Seed that is not needed for sowing, or grown on purpose for oil, then goes to presses, typically in Europe and Asia.
How it is made
Cold-pressed from the seed
- Ripe flower heads are cut, dried and threshed to shake out the small, ridged carrot seeds.
- The seed is cleaned of bristles and chaff and dried to a stable moisture level before pressing.
- A screw press crushes the seeds at low temperature, separating the fatty oil from the seed meal.
- The oil is left to settle and then filtered until clear, before being stored in dark containers.
How to use Carrot Seed
- 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.
From ingredient to routine
Products with Carrot Seed
Find this ingredient in our collection.
Questions about Carrot Seed
Where does Carrot Seed come from?
Carrot seed is produced by leaving plants in the field through winter so they flower in their second summer. The umbels ripen unevenly, so growers usually wait until most heads have turned brown before cutting. The crop is dried, threshed and cleaned to remove the bristly seed hairs and chaff. Seed that is not needed for sowing, or grown on purpose for oil, then goes to presses, typically in Europe and Asia.
How is Carrot Seed extracted?
Cold-pressed from the seed. Ripe flower heads are cut, dried and threshed to shake out the small, ridged carrot seeds. The seed is cleaned of bristles and chaff and dried to a stable moisture level before pressing. A screw press crushes the seeds at low temperature, separating the fatty oil from the seed meal. The oil is left to settle and then filtered until clear, before being stored in dark containers.
Why is Carrot Seed considered rare?
Carrots are normally harvested in their first year, before they flower, so seed for pressing must come from plants left in the ground a second season. The seeds are small and light, and most seed crops are grown for sowing rather than for oil.
