Pomegranate oil or pomegranate seed oil?
Searching for the effects of pomegranate oil brings up texts about very different products: juice, fruit extract, food supplements and the oil from the seeds. Their composition differs, and results for one of them cannot be applied to the others.
This article covers only the cold-pressed oil from the seeds and its use in skincare. Juice, capsules and internal use are not covered.
Origin and name
The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) belongs to the loosestrife family (Lythraceae). It originates from the region of present-day Iran and northern India, where it has been grown for several thousand years. It spread across the Mediterranean and is now also grown in California, Turkey, Spain and Azerbaijan.
The English name came into English via Old French pome grenate, from Latin pomum granatum, literally "seeded apple" (from granum, grain). The German Granatapfel is a direct loan translation from the Latin.
The genus name Punica comes from Latin punicus, "Punic" or "Carthaginian". The Romans knew the fruit from Carthage and called it malum punicum. Punicic acid takes its name from this as well.
In Greek myth, the Hebrew Bible and Persian poetry the pomegranate often stands for fertility and abundance.
Pressing and price
The edible part of a pomegranate is the seed coat, botanically the aril. For the oil, the seeds are separated from the arils, washed, dried and cold-pressed. Cold pressing means no heat is applied from outside and no solvents are used. This protects the sensitive fatty acids but lowers the yield.
Most of a pomegranate is peel, membrane and juice. The seeds are only a small share, and cold pressing recovers only a fraction of their weight as oil. A litre therefore takes a very large number of fruits, far more than olives, almonds or sunflowers. This makes pomegranate seed oil one of the most expensive plant oils in cosmetics, and formulations use it sparingly.
Composition
Pomegranate seed oil is a fatty oil made up almost entirely of triglycerides, that is, fatty acids bound to glycerol. A typical cold-pressed oil is composed as follows:
| Fatty acid | Class | Share (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Punicic acid | conjugated, omega-5 | 70 to 76 % |
| Linoleic acid | omega-6 | 6 to 9 % |
| Oleic acid | omega-9 | 4 to 7 % |
| Palmitic acid | saturated | 3 to 5 % |
| Stearic acid | saturated | 2 to 3 % |
| other conjugated fatty acids | incl. eleostearic acid, catalpic acid | 2 to 4 % |
The ranges come from published analyses of Iranian pomegranate varieties (source 2). For our own formulation, just under 74 percent punicic acid is documented. Values vary with variety, growing region and harvest year, but the high share of punicic acid stays the same.
Punicic acid is often called an omega-3 fatty acid because it belongs to the linolenic acids. Its last double bond, however, sits at the fifth carbon from the methyl end. It is therefore an omega-5 fatty acid.
Pomegranate seed oil is also often linked with vitamin C. Vitamin C is water-soluble and found in the juice of the fruit; a fatty oil contains practically none. The same applies to B vitamins. Fat-soluble compounds such as tocopherols (vitamin E) are present in the oil, though in small amounts.
Punicic acid
Punicic acid is a conjugated linolenic acid (CLnA). Each of its three double bonds is separated from the next by a single bond. In most fatty acids in plant oils a CH₂ group sits between them instead; these are called methylene-interrupted double bonds.
Conjugated fatty acids occur in larger amounts in only a few seed oils, for example tung oil, bitter melon seed oil and calendula oil. Among the oils used in cosmetics, pomegranate seed oil is the best known.
The conjugated structure makes the oil more sensitive to oxygen, heat and light than almond or olive oil. Tung oil shows how strong this effect can be: it hardens in air and has been used to treat wood for centuries. Pomegranate seed oil should therefore be stored cool and away from light and used up soon after opening. Dark glass protects better than frosted glass.
Our experience with the oil
We have used pomegranate seed oil in our face oil since 2022. Three points have turned out to matter in practice.
Share in the formulation. In our face oil it makes up 2.1 percent. The reasons are its price and its sensitivity to oxygen. An oil that is three quarters conjugated triene keeps longer in a stable carrier base. In our case that is cold-pressed organic almond oil.
Scent. In our product reviews, customers mention the scent first more often than anything else. It comes from an added blend of essential oils. The pomegranate seed oil itself has hardly any smell.
Shelf life. We state six months after opening for our face oil and fill it into frosted glass with an outer carton. This period follows from the fatty acid structure of the oil.
Scent and skin feel
Pure pomegranate seed oil does not smell of pomegranate; the fruity aroma is in the juice. The oil itself has little smell or a slightly nutty one, is pale to amber in colour and of medium viscosity.
If a product with pomegranate seed oil smells distinctly fruity or of citrus, that comes from added fragrance. The ingredient list shows which.
How to use it
Used on its own, apply the oil sparingly to cleansed, slightly damp skin and pat it in gently. A few drops are enough for the whole face. Finished products usually combine it with more stable carrier oils such as almond, avocado or jojoba oil.
You can also mix one or two drops into your usual day or night cream. Neck and décolleté can be cared for the same way as the face.
If your skin is sensitive or prone to blemishes, start with one drop and see how your skin reacts.
What is known about its effect
There are many studies on the pomegranate. Most of them look at juice, peel extract or individual polyphenols, often in animal or cell-culture studies and frequently with internal intake. These results cannot be applied to a cold-pressed seed oil used on the skin.
There is much less data on the seed oil itself. On current knowledge, no effect beyond skincare can be substantiated.
Pomegranate seed oil is a high-quality skincare oil with an unusual composition. It cares for the skin, provides moisture, absorbs well and leaves the skin feeling supple.
Frequently asked questions
What does pomegranate seed oil smell like?
Hardly at all. The pure oil smells slightly nutty. The fruity pomegranate scent is in the juice, not in the seed.
Why is pomegranate seed oil so expensive?
The seeds are only a small part of the fruit, and the oil yield from cold pressing is low. A litre takes a correspondingly large number of fruits.
Does pomegranate seed oil contain vitamin C?
Practically none. Vitamin C is water-soluble and found in the juice. The oil contains fat-soluble compounds such as tocopherols, but only in small amounts.
Can pomegranate seed oil be applied on its own?
Yes, sparingly and on slightly damp skin. Finished formulations usually mix it with more stable carrier oils because it is expensive and oxidises easily.
How long does pomegranate seed oil keep?
Stored cool, dark and well sealed, it keeps for several months. For our face oil we state six months after opening.
Is pomegranate seed oil suitable for sensitive skin?
That depends on the product. Finished formulations often contain further plant oils and fragrance. Check the full INCI list and test the product on a small patch of skin first.
Important notes
For external use on healthy skin only. Do not apply to open, freshly operated or inflamed skin. Avoid contact with the eyes. Keep out of reach of children.
If your skin is sensitive, test the oil on a small area first. Formulations with pomegranate seed oil often contain further plant oils. If you have known allergies to nuts or stone fruit, check the full ingredient list.
The safety of Punica granatum-derived ingredients for cosmetic use has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (source 3).
Pomegranate seed oil at Garden of Oils
In our face oil, pomegranate seed oil is the smallest and most elaborate ingredient. The base is cold-pressed organic almond oil, with avocado, jojoba and argan oil added. The full composition including all fragrance components is on the product page.
About this article
Status 20 September 2026. Responsible for content: Good Oil GmbH, Zippelhaus 2, 20457 Hamburg, Germany. The safety assessment of our face oil under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 was prepared by an external safety assessor trained in food chemistry with many years of experience in toxicology. The analytical values documented there were used for this article.
If you spot an error or know of a source that is missing here, please get in touch.
