Prunus Avium Seed Oil
Explained
Prunus Avium Seed Oil is the oil pressed from sweet cherry pits. It's an emollient whose main job is to soften skin and help it hold onto moisture; it can also help keep creams stable.
Most of it is oleic and linoleic acid, with a little palmitic acid and an unusual fatty acid called alpha-eleostearic acid.
Lab tests show antioxidant activity on this ingredient but nobody has studied it on human skin yet.
Safety-wise, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel considers it safe as used in cosmetics.
Brands typically use it in small amounts (0.01 to 0.02%).
Cherry allergies come from proteins in the fruit and refined oils carry very little protein so reactions are unlikely. However, it's still a good idea to patch test if you have a stone fruit or cherry allergy.
There are no comedogenicity results or tests done for this oil. Its high linoleic acid content might actually be beneficial for acne: in a small placebo-controlled trial, topical linoleic acid shrank follicular casts and microcomedones by almost 25% over one month.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe because it's made mostly of C16 and C18 fatty acids. Malassezia can grow well on palmitic acid (C16:0) or oleic acid (C18:1) as its only fatty acid source.
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