Article co-authored by Stéphanie Monnatte-Lassus Aromatologist, Plantar reflexologist and Relaxologist and Catherine Gilette, Cosmetology trainer, Aromatologist and olfactotherapist.

We smell it, we smell it, we coat it, we revel in it… vegetable oil represents a treasure of pleasures that our taste buds appreciate just as much as our epidermal cells. What is this secret formula for beauty, health and appetite for the senses made of? Where do vegetable oils get their many benefits? What makes them different?

oil is the name given to a fatty substance in the liquid state at room temperature, while the term “fat” designates the fatty substance in the semi-fluid to solid state (butter, lard in particular). Most vegetable oils and fats are from oilseed plants (nuts, seeds or fruits containing lipids), with the exception of some such as evening primrose or borage oil.

Do not mix up vegetable oil (from a plant) with mineral oil (from petroleum: paraffin, silicone) and animal oil (like cod liver oil or cetacean oil). While mineral oils are commonly used by the cosmetics industry (generally under the name of Paraffinum liquidum, or The liquid petrolatum), because very cheap, they do not nevertheless offer the virtues of unrefined vegetable oils, resulting from a cold pressing. In addition, their ecological significance is not the same! Therefore, the choice of a vegetable oil requires the greatest vigilance because it impacts the health of your body, your skin and your planet!

• The oily macerate is obtained by the maceration of medicinal plants in a virgin oil used as an excipient. However, oily macerate is commonly found under the name ofvegetable oil. This is particularly the case of calendula, St. John’s wort, carrot, arnica.
• Vegetable butter is solid at room temperature. Unrefined butter, from a first cold pressing and organic origin, is more respectful of the qualities of the plant. It’s called “raw butter.”

As we will find out, there are different kinds of vegetable oils with many and varied uses and benefits. Vegetable oil can be used in cooking, cosmetics, massage, in combination with essential oils. She is your daily ally to treat, relieve, prevent, heal.

You are going to discover why, but also how to make the most of the gifts she warmly offers us.

In Latin, oil ou oil means oil, derived from olea (olive) is to say how much olive oil has marked our civilization. It is intrinsically linked to the history of man, yet so few references and research exist on oils in the broad sense, there are nevertheless very ancient traces of olive oil. The Mediterranean climate that we know today was established around 12000 years ago, which allowed the gradual expansion of the olive tree and its domestication around -3800 BC. Research has uncovered the use of olive oil in the Neolithic period. Its marketing dates back to the Bronze Age. The oldest wine presses found come from Syria and date back to -1700 years. The use is, at that time, primarily food. However, the oil will also be used for funeral rites (on the occasion of embalming) and for the lighting of temples. From ancient times, olive oil has been used in the manufacture of cosmetics and for its health benefits. Thus, the oil treats cramps and bleeding gums.

Subsequently, globalization allowed the marketing of hitherto completely unknown oils, such as neem, baobab or shea oils. Every day, new treasures are discovered around the world and offered to an increasingly knowledgeable audience. Science has enabled us to better understand the nutritional interests of oil and although uses have led us to banish it from our meals, because it is considered responsible for extra pounds, we now know that it actively participates in our health.

George O. Burr, in 1929, demonstrates that animals fed without fat present severe pathologies mainly caused by the absence of linoleic acid. David Adriaan Van Dorp, for his part, demonstrated in 1964 the bioconversion of linoleic acid, which opened the way for research on precursors of metabolic regulation. This will be the start of scientific proofs of the nutritional character of oils and in particular of the essential fatty acids omega 3 and 6.