Coconut Oil

(in 9,634 products)

1. Emollient - Softens and soothes the skin. Helps with skin conditioning.

2. Insecticide / Pesticide - Kills or inhibits unwanted organisms

3. Pearlescents / Pearlizer - Provides luster and shimmering effects

Coconut oil, or copra oil, is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of mature coconuts harvested from the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). Coconut oil is 99% fat, composed mainly of saturated fats. It has various applications.

Despite its high saturated fat content, coconut oil is commonly used in baked goods, pastries, and sautés, having a "haunting, nutty", flavor with a touch of sweetness. Used by movie theatre chains to pop popcorn, coconut oil adds considerable saturated fat and calories to the snackfood while enhancing flavor, possibly a factor increasing further consumption of high-calorie snackfoods, energy balance, and weight gain. Other culinary uses include replacing solid fats produced through hydrogenation in baked and confectionery goods. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated coconut oil is often used in non-dairy creamers and snack foods.

Coconut oil (and derivatives, such as coconut fatty acid) are used as raw materials in the manufacture of surfactants such as cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamide MEA, and cocamide DEA. Acids derived from coconut oil can be used as herbicides

Coconut oil is an important base ingredient for the manufacture of soap. Soap made with coconut oil tends to be hard, though it retains more water than soap made with other oils and therefore increases manufacturer yields. It is more soluble in hard water and salt water than other soaps allowing it to lather more easily. A basic coconut oil soap is clear when melted and a bright white when hardened. Coconut oil is also used for hair grooming.

1. US FDA Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) (21 CFR 182) [2017]