Cold-pressed castor oil

INCI Summary

INCI: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil | Origin: Vegetable | Grade: Cold Pressed Cosmetic

Functions

Functions: Emollient | Skin Conditioning Agent | Hair Conditioning Agent | Viscosity Controlling Agent | Humectant | Film Forming Agent | Masking

Application Categories

Used In: Hair Oils | Scalp Treatments | Cold Process Soap | Melt and Pour Soap | Lip Balms | Lip Gloss | Body Lotions | Face Serums | Eyebrow Gels | Eyelash Serums | Cuticle Oils | Beard Oils | Castor Oil Packs

Benefits Tags

Ricinoleic Acid Rich | Plant Based | Thick Carrier | Film Forming | Soap Superfatting

Benefits

• Functions as a documented emollient to soften and condition skin and scalp, supported by its high ricinoleic acid content which exceeds 85% in cold pressed grades.
  
  

• Acts as a viscosity controlling agent, contributing natural thickness to anhydrous formulas including hair oils, serums, and lip products without synthetic thickeners.
  
  

• Serves as a film forming agent on hair and skin surfaces, creating a lightweight barrier that reduces moisture loss and adds a perception of smoothness to the treated surface.
  
  

• Functions as a hair conditioning agent, coating the hair shaft to improve softness, reduce frizz, and enhance shine in leave-on and rinse-off hair care applications
  .

• Provides documented humectant properties attributed to its polyol-like hydroxyl group structure, drawing moisture toward the skin surface in humid conditions.
  
  

• Acts as a superfatting agent in cold process and melt-and-pour soap formulations, contributing skin conditioning properties that survive partial saponification.
  
  

• Delivers a distinctive glossy, tacky skin feel that is irreplaceable in lip gloss bases, eyebrow gels, and eyelash conditioning formulas where film adhesion matters.
  
  

• Demonstrates strong compatibility with both polar and non-polar ingredients, giving formulators flexibility to incorporate it into oil-based, anhydrous, or emulsified systems.

Applications

In a hair oil formulation, Castor Oil Cold Pressed delivers both conditioning and viscosity in a single ingredient, making it the structural anchor of scalp oils, hair growth serums, and pre-wash treatments designed for dry, coarse, or low-porosity hair. Its high ricinoleic acid content produces a dense, coating oil that stays on the hair shaft through multiple hours of wear, supporting the moisture retention and smoothing outcomes the formula is designed to achieve. The correct usage rate in a hair oil depends on the target thickness, the carrier oils selected to dilute it, and whether the formula is a leave-on or pre-wash rinse-off product.

In cold process soap, Castor Oil Cold Pressed performs as the primary superfatting and lather booster, contributing a creamy, dense foam that distinguishes it from soap made without it. It saponifies with a relatively high iodine value compared to solid fats, which keeps the bar soft enough for skin contact while the conditioning fraction that survives saponification improves post-wash skin feel. The usage rate in cold process soap is kept moderate to avoid a finished bar that is too soft or develops a sticky surface.

In a lip balm or lip gloss formula, Castor Oil Cold Pressed is the ingredient that creates the characteristic glossy, film forming finish that no other carrier oil replicates. It contributes natural viscosity to the oil phase, reducing the wax percentage needed to achieve a stable stick or pot formula while maintaining a smooth glide on application. The proportion of castor oil in a lip formula controls the glossiness, the drag, and the wear time of the finished product.

In a beard oil or cuticle oil, Castor Oil Cold Pressed is used at low dilution to add conditioning body and thickness to a lighter carrier oil base, improving the tactile feel of the formula on coarse hair and dry cuticle tissue. Its film forming properties extend the contact time of the other actives in the formula, making it a functional delivery vehicle rather than just a texture modifier. The correct dilution ratio with lighter carrier oils such as jojoba or sweet almond determines whether the finished product absorbs cleanly or sits on the surface.

In a body lotion or emulsion-based cream, Castor Oil Cold Pressed is incorporated into the oil phase at low usage rates to contribute emollient depth and improve the skin feel of the finished product without making it greasy. Its compatibility with emulsifiers and its viscosity-modifying behaviour in the oil phase make it a useful texture variable in creams and body milks. The percentage needed to produce a perceptible improvement in skin softness depends on the total oil phase composition and the emulsifier system used.

How to Use

For Hair Oil

Use Castor Oil Cold Pressed at 10 to 30% of the total formula weight in a hair oil blend, diluted with lighter carrier oils to achieve your target viscosity and spread rate. The final texture of the blend and how quickly it absorbs are both determined by the carrier oils selected alongside it and the intended use as a leave-on, scalp massage, or pre-wash treatment.

For Cold Process Soap

Add Castor Oil Cold Pressed at 5 to 10% of your total oil weight in a cold process soap recipe for lather and conditioning enhancement. Higher percentages produce a softer bar with a stickier surface texture, so the ratio to your hard oils is a critical variable specific to your full formula.

For Lip Balm

Incorporate Castor Oil Cold Pressed at 10 to 30% in the oil phase of a lip balm or lip gloss formula alongside your wax and butter components. The gloss level, slip, and wear time of the finished product change significantly with each percentage point, and calibration against your full wax and butter blend is required before finalising.

For Beard Oil or Cuticle Oil

Use Castor Oil Cold Pressed at 5 to 20% in a carrier oil blend, adjusting against lighter oils such as jojoba or sweet almond to control the final viscosity and absorption rate. The ratio between castor and your lightest carrier oil is the primary variable that determines whether the product absorbs within minutes or sits on the surface.

For Body Lotion

Add Castor Oil Cold Pressed at 2 to 8% in the oil phase of an emulsion, dispersing it into the heated oil phase before emulsification. The final skin feel, absorption profile, and stability of the emulsion are each influenced by the emulsifier system, the total oil phase percentage, and the other lipid ingredients present.

For formulation ratios, batch guidance, and troubleshooting support, contact the CosmySupplies team directly.

WhatsApp: wa.me/917975102363 | Email: support@cosmysupplies.com

Claims You Can Make

For your label and marketing

Plant Based | Vegan | Cold Pressed | Ricinoleic Acid Rich | Free From Mineral Oil | Skin Softening | Skin Conditioning | Natural Carrier Oil | Cruelty Free

For your formulator brief

Emollient (INCI confirmed) | Skin Conditioning Agent (INCI confirmed) | Hair Conditioning Agent (INCI confirmed) | Viscosity Controlling Agent (INCI confirmed) | Film Forming Agent (INCI confirmed) | Humectant (INCI confirmed) | CIR safety assessed for leave-on and rinse-off cosmetic applications

Technical Information

Pairs Well With

Coconut Oil combined with Castor Oil Cold Pressed in a cold process soap formula creates the industry-standard lather-boosting combination, where coconut oil contributes bubbly cleansing foam and castor's superfatting and conditioning fraction softens the bar's wash experience. The ratio between these two oils, and the hard oil percentage required to balance them, is the primary structural variable of your soap formula and shifts depending on your target skin type.

Jojoba Oil is the most common diluent for Castor Oil Cold Pressed in hair and beard oil formulations, with its lightweight, non-greasy profile offsetting castor's high viscosity and creating a blend that absorbs at a commercially acceptable rate. The correct ratio between the two is entirely dependent on the target application, hair type, and the desired finish from dry to glossy.

Candelilla Wax is the structuring partner for Castor Oil Cold Pressed in vegan lip balm and lip gloss formulas, providing the hardness and melt resistance that castor's liquid phase cannot contribute alone. The proportion of Candelilla Wax to your castor oil base is the variable that determines final hardness, glide, and whether the stick holds its shape at Indian room temperature.

Rosehip Oil blended with Castor Oil Cold Pressed in a facial serum or face oil base brings skin-repairing linoleic acid and beta-carotene activity alongside castor's emollient depth and film-forming effect, creating a richer serum profile than either ingredient achieves alone. Castor's viscosity at even 5 to 10% of the blend noticeably changes the spreadability of the formula, so calibration against your specific rosehip percentage is required.

Beeswax is the pairing of choice for Castor Oil Cold Pressed in conventional lip balm sticks, where beeswax provides structure and melt resistance while castor contributes the film forming gloss and conditioning that defines lip product performance. The beeswax percentage in the formula determines hardness and pour behaviour, and this percentage is calibrated in relation to the castor oil load and any butter components in the base.

Sweet Almond Oil serves the same diluent function as jojoba in cuticle oils and body formulas, reducing castor's heaviness while retaining the conditioning and film-forming contribution in the finished blend. Sweet almond's oleic-dominant fatty acid profile complements castor's ricinoleic content, and the ratio between them determines whether the blend absorbs cleanly or leaves a perceptible coat on the skin surface.

Vitamin E (Tocopherol) added at 0.5 to 1% to any Castor Oil Cold Pressed formula acts as an antioxidant to extend the stability of the blend, counteracting the natural oxidation tendency of the linoleic fraction in castor oil and improving the shelf life of the finished product. Whether the addition of Vitamin E is sufficient alone or requires a full antioxidant system depends on the other oils in your blend and your target shelf life.