What is an alternative to fractionated coconut oil?

A question that comes up often is “what carrier oils can I use in place of fractionated coconut oil”

To answer this question, I compiled a list of 11 whole carrier oils that you can use instead. But before I go into that I want to look at what makes fractionated coconut so popular and why I’ve never liked it or wanted to include it in my work.

Fractionated coconut oil is an oil manipulated to be the “perfect” carrier oil.

Characteristics of Fractionated Coconut Oil

>colorless making a neutral base for essential oils. 

>odorless and won’t affect the final scent of a product.

>very long shelf life (to achieve this it is a highly processed “fractionated” oil) 

>won’t solidify in cold temperatures

It looks for a moment like the perfect carrier oil, but here’s why I don’t like it.

To create fractionated coconut oil (and MCT oil) requires blasting apart, literally “fractionating” the oil to achieve the characteristics I mentioned above.

Plus, during this process all the unsaponifiables (the healing fraction) is also removed so there are no anti-oxidants, minerals, tannins or vitamins left in the oil. It is no longer a whole oil.

It feels thin and too slick on my skin.

It is essentially the “junk food” of carrier oils. Convenient, disturbingly long shelf life and characterless enough to do almost everything, without doing anything very well at all. So

To replace fractionated coconut oil we need to find oils that: 

>have little to no scent 

>are clear or have very light color 

>will be compatible with most (if not all skin types) 

>shelf-stable for at least 12 months (many are longer) 

I went through my workshop cupboards and evaluated several dozen whole oils and came up with this list of 11 that you can easily use in place of fractionated coconut oil.

This list includes oils that are easy to find from most suppliers or sometimes even at your local grocery store and some of the more exotic oils that I’ve been working with.

Sweet Almond Oil

Sweet almond oil is an old standby and a lovely oil for most skin types. It is one of the first carrier oils I used when I was first starting to work with oils decades ago. One thing to note though is the potential for an allergic reaction in people with nut allergies. Almond oil is a monounsaturated dominant oil that will last 12 to 18 months stored properly. It is a mild emollient oil that is rich in vitamin E and squalene. 

Camellia Seed Oil

Many of the camellia seed oils I’ve worked with are completely clear and odorless though I have seen some that are pale yellow with a delicate scent. It is a ‘dry’ oil meaning it feels dry on the skin. Camellia seed oil — which comes from the plant family that produces black and green tea — is high in naturally occurring tannins. It is these tannins that give the oil its dry feel. Camellia seed oil is a good all-around base oil, but it is exceptional as a facial oil for people with naturally oily skin. 

Jojoba Oil 

Jojoba ‘oil’ is another great carrier oil for rollerball applicators and as a general base for aromatherapy applications, It is made up of waxy esters and is non-allergenic. Rather than a true oil, Jojoba is a liquid wax ester that feels and acts like an oil. It can sometimes smell slightly smoky and has a golden yellow color. 

Meadowfoam Seed Oil

Meadowfoam seed oil feels and acts similar to jojoba but is a true oil where jojoba is technically a liquid wax. When I first started working with meadowfoam seed oil, I could only get expeller-pressed versions that were very pale in color and had no scent. Since this oil has gained popularity, the demand for less refined versions has created more diversity in the market. Some meadowfoam seed oils I order now have some scent that could interfere with the final product. I recommend purchasing a small amount to start until you get to know a supplier. Meadowfoam has a unique combination of fatty acids that give it a long shelf life, measured in years rather than months. 

Kukui Nut Oil 

Kukui nut oil is a light beautiful oil with no color or scent. Feels wonderfully light on the skin and absorbs well. It is however high in polyunsaturated fatty acids which makes it more prone to rancidity. This is one oil I store in the fridge but you can also store it in a cool dark cupboard with a tight-fitting lid. To help extend the shelf life of products and blends made with kukui nut oil, you can add a little vitamin E to your combinations.

Marula Oil 

Marula oil is a beautiful oil from Africa that is one of the premium oils for skincare. It is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols. You could use it alone as a facial oil or add it to a blend. It is also odorless and pale in color making it a good carrier oil for a wide range of uses though it tends to be more expensive than some of the other carrier oils. Marula oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids with a shelf life of 12 + months when stored well. 

Safflower Oil

Safflower oil is an inexpensive, light oil that is readily available in grocery stores. It has little to no scent and is light in color. Safflower has a slightly complicated history. It has been hybridized for years and so most of the safflower oil you’ll find at grocery stores is high in oleic acid while the original safflower seed was high in linoleic acid. Oleic acid is more shelf-stable than linoleic acid. The hybridization process doesn’t take away from the oil in my option, though I haven’t sourced an unhybridized safflower oil high in linoleic acid yet so I don’t have a specific comparison. It’s not an oil I use often, but it is a good standby and it makes a wonderful neutral carrier oil for a wide range of applications. 

Abyssinian Oil

Abyssinian oil has similar properties and fatty acid structure of meadowfoam seed oil shares the signature long shelf life. It is a versatile oil that is good for skincare, has the light color and minimal scent for a base carrier oil and it has some unusual long-chain fatty acids that give it a rich yet absorbent feel and action on the skin. 

Rice Bran Oil

Rice bran oil is often easy to find at grocery stores making it a good go-to carrier oil. It has a neutral scent and pale color. Rice bran oil is high in phytosterols (which have anti-inflammatory properties) and squalene. 

Daikon Radish Seed Oil

Daikon seed oil is clear, odorless, and light feeling. It is a good carrier oil for hair, especially fine hair giving it a silky texture. It has a generous 12% omega 3 fatty acid content, which makes it more prone to oxidation so I recommend storing it in the fridge to extend the shelf life. Sealed at room temperature it should last about six months. 

Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil is often easy to find at grocery stores in the US and is generally light in color and without scent. Some unrefined versions have more color and a little scent. It is a polyunsaturated oil that is prone to oxidation. Store it in a cool dark place or in the fridge and, to extend the shelf life of grapeseed oil-based products, you can add a little vitamin E to your recipes. Grapeseed oil is slightly astringent and is good for oily skin. 

Carrier Oil Shelf Life

Any discussion of shelf life revolves around how oils are stored. My mantra is cool and dark! This is a general recommendation for all oils. Oils with high percentages of polyunsaturated fatty acids oils need to be kept colder and darker and used up more quickly than monounsaturated dominant oils and saturated butters. Shelf life is not something easily measured in specifics. An unopened oil stored in a cool dark space can last for years, while the same oil sitting next to the stove could go rancid in under a year. 

A note on Refined vs Unrefined Carrier Oils

Unrefined doesn’t mean good and refined isn’t bad. Most oils go through at least some light refinement process to remove plant material. I try to avoid highly refined oils as they have most if not all of the unsaponifiables like anti-oxidants, minerals, tannins, and other compounds stripped out.

Are any oils on this list new to you or is there one you’re particularly excited about? leave a comment below and share the next oil you want to try.