What does it mean by Cold Pressed? Let’s learn their benefits & understand the difference between 2 key extraction methods.
Did you know that skin care ingredients can be unrefined and cold pressed, just like your favourite green juice?
The term Cold press relates to the extraction process which involves extracting oil from organic seeds, fruits and nuts without using any chemicals or solvents, and under low to room temperatures. Before we dive into the details of cold pressed extraction method, let’s understand the most commonly used method first, known as” chemical extraction”.
Chemical Extraction – Refined Oils
Most of the oils that we consume these days are obtained from a method called Chemical Extraction.
In this method, raw materials are washed with chemicals or solvents like hexane to extract maximum amount of oil possible. It is heated at high temperature to refine and make it commercially available. It is then distilled to remove the chemical solvents, bleached to remove impurities, and deodorised to remove smell and color. Finally its added with preservatives to improve the shelf life. In the end, the oil we get is bland, colourless and odourless, though not very healthy.
Refining process strip the oil of its healthy antioxidant and nutrients, whilst high heat increase the amount of unhealthy free radicals; plus the further risk of added preservatives and chemicals for extraction process make it even worse.
Although, applying heat to the seeds and nuts as they are being pressed can speed up the process and produce more oil; the downside is that this heat can also break down the nutritional content and weaken the aroma.
Cold Pressed Extraction – Mechanical Process
Cold pressed oils on the other hand are extracted using a completely different and simple approach.
It doesn’t involve use of any chemicals or high heat that can alter their composition. They are obtained using mechanical process such as expelling or pressing without heat.
No heat in the process help oils to stay in their natural and unaltered state – meaning the result is high level of phenols, antioxidants and fatty acids that are found naturally in plants and seeds.
According to the Penn State University Extension and a December 2018 study in the Ukrainian Food Journal, oil produced using the cold pressed extraction method is thought to be more environmentally friendly compared to oil made with other methods. This is primarily because it doesn’t involve any additional chemicals. Chemicals are typically used to improve the total quantity of oil that can be extracted from a plant.
Similarly, heat can destroy good-for-your-skin things like proteins and the fats present in oils. whereas, cold-pressing preserves the integrity of skin-loving nutrients, including omega 3, 6 and 9s.
At Beauty Cleanse Skincare, we know the importance of using nutrient-dense ingredients when it comes to the health of your skin. Oils extracted using cold press method provide nature’s potent antioxidants to the skin which help prevent free radical damage and other signs of premature ageing.
Our Mean Green Superfood Drops (Restoring Serum in Oil) contains over 10 different types of oils from organic fruits and plants, and blending these ingredients together without heat creates a luxurious, nutrient-packed facial oil for a healthy and youth-full looking skin. It really is designed to be a green juice for your skin!
We embrace the combination of organic cold pressed oils and technology-backed natural ingredients that help revive stressed-out complexions, specially affected by urban lifestyles. Lets face it, we don’t have time and energy to do the research in our busy routines, and having a transparent, nutrient-rich and high performance natural solution is all we need!
Organic Cold Pressed
Along with providing endless benefits to the skin, organic cold pressed oils are also a best choice for your overall health and the planet. Organic ingredients are free from pesticides and GMO, and organic farming practises reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility and use less energy. Whereas, cold pressed virgin oils are linked with lower risk of cancer and heart diseases when consumed as food. Ever heard of cooking virgin olive oil on low or no heat, and just use it as a little drizzle on the salads in its raw form? To retain its nutrients is the main reason why its recommended.
What to watch out for?
The only thing you should watch out for when shopping for cold pressed oils or products is the container or bottle in which your cold pressed oils are stored & preserved. As they are the purest form of oils obtained from plants in their unaltered form, there is a chance of them going rancid quickly if exposed to direct sunlight and high heat. Therefore, you should always buy cold pressed oils that comes in opaque or coloured bottles to preserve their integrity for longer shelf life. You would have noticed that they do usually come in brown or opaque solid color bottles anyway. However, some companies still sell them in transparent bottles which means there is a good likelihood of them going bad before their expiry date.
Moreover, always keep them in cool and dry place. It’s never a good idea to leave your oils in your bathroom, because all that steam that comes from taking a long shower would not do justice with your precious oils.
Lastly, make sure the oils are coming from reliable & sustainable sources as the quality of the oils can vary from supplier to supplier.
Here at Beauty Cleanse Skincare, we ensure we only use finest quality organic cold pressed oils from reputable and ethical suppliers in UK. All our suppliers are keen on providing high quality ingredients, along with unique wild-harvested and upcycled oils that are both nutritious, as well as, sustainable. If you want to put them to test, you will automatically notice their fresh, woody or earthy aromas as soon as you open the bottles. For example, our Carrot Algae Marine Drops don’t even contain any additional fragrance from essential oils – its sweet woody aroma comes purely from our locally sourced and wild-harvested Carrot Seed Oil. House in white opaque bottles, our products are completely preserved in their fresh and unaltered forms.