Kukuinut oil

is a vegetable oil that is characterized by its high content of unsaturated fatty acids. Among them are essential acids for the body. Kukuinut oil is obtained from the seeds of the kukuinut tree, also known as candle nut tree. The tree belongs to the euphorb family. It originally grows on mountain slopes and gorges in Hawaii. Nowadays it can be found in Polynesia, South Asia, Australia and Ceylon. The tree has white to pink coloured blossoms which turn into green, roundish fruits. They have a hard skin with two stony fruits inside. Full grown trees bear 35 - 45 kg fruits per year. The oil is obtained by extraction, hot or cold pressing and is afterwards gently filtered and purified or refined. The oil has a light yellow to orange colour and an acidic, grassy and partly chemical scent. It is characterized by its high content of unsaturated fatty acids, like linoleic and linolenic acid, up to 90%. So it is one of the oils with the highest content of fatty acids. It also has a high content of vitamin A and E. Compared to other oils it absorbes fast into the skin without leaving a greasy film. It also offers a natural sun protection factor of 10.