The Ingredient Library
Urucum
Bixa orellana
Urucum oil, also called annatto oil, is a red-orange oil extract made from the seeds of a shrub native to the Amazon, where the pigment coating the seeds has long been used to colour the body.
Get to know Urucum
- Source
- Seeds (outer coating)
- Origin
- Brazilian Amazon
- Extraction
- Oil extraction of seeds
- Texture
- Light, deep orange
What it is
Urucum is a botanical carrier oil used in hair and skin care.
Why it belongs in your routine
Red-orange oil extract of annatto seeds from the Amazon.
How to use
Warm a few drops between your palms and smooth over hair or skin. Patch test before use.
Where Urucum comes from
Urucum is the Brazilian name for annatto, Bixa orellana, a shrub or small tree of tropical America that grows to around 3 to 10 metres. It has broad heart-shaped leaves and pink or white flowers, followed by spiky red or brown capsules. When the capsules split they reveal around 30 to 50 small seeds covered in a waxy red-orange coating, which many Amazonian peoples use to decorate the skin.
Urucum oil is deep orange to red and can tint skin and fabric. The colour comes from carotenoids in the seed coat, chiefly bixin, and the seeds also contain tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E. Since annatto seeds hold little fixed oil of their own, urucum oil is usually made by extracting the seeds into a carrier oil. It is used in body oils, sun-season body care, soaps and hair oils.
Sourcing & extraction
How Urucum is sourced and extracted
Why it is rare
The pigment sits only in a thin coat around each small seed, so a large weight of seed is needed to give the oil its colour. Harvesting and opening the prickly capsules is still largely done by hand on smallholdings.
How it is gathered
Brazil is one of the largest producers of annatto, alongside Peru and Kenya. In Brazil the shrubs are typically grown by smallholders in Pará, Rondônia, São Paulo and the North-East, as well as used from backyard and village plants in the Amazon. The capsules are picked by hand when they turn dry and brown, then dried further in the sun. The seeds are threshed out and sold for food colouring and cosmetic extracts.
How it is made
Seeds extracted into a carrier oil
- Dry annatto capsules are picked, sun-dried and threshed to release the small red-coated seeds.
- The seeds are cleaned and crushed or ground to open up the pigmented outer coating.
- The ground seed is steeped in a vegetable carrier oil, often gently warmed, so the oil takes up the colour and fat-soluble compounds.
- The oil is then pressed off the seed and filtered until clear, giving a deep orange-red oil.
How to use Urucum
- 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 Urucum
Find this ingredient in our collection.
Questions about Urucum
Where does Urucum come from?
Brazil is one of the largest producers of annatto, alongside Peru and Kenya. In Brazil the shrubs are typically grown by smallholders in Pará, Rondônia, São Paulo and the North-East, as well as used from backyard and village plants in the Amazon. The capsules are picked by hand when they turn dry and brown, then dried further in the sun. The seeds are threshed out and sold for food colouring and cosmetic extracts.
How is Urucum extracted?
Seeds extracted into a carrier oil. Dry annatto capsules are picked, sun-dried and threshed to release the small red-coated seeds. The seeds are cleaned and crushed or ground to open up the pigmented outer coating. The ground seed is steeped in a vegetable carrier oil, often gently warmed, so the oil takes up the colour and fat-soluble compounds. The oil is then pressed off the seed and filtered until clear, giving a deep orange-red oil.
Why is Urucum considered rare?
The pigment sits only in a thin coat around each small seed, so a large weight of seed is needed to give the oil its colour. Harvesting and opening the prickly capsules is still largely done by hand on smallholdings.
