What is Palmitoleic Acid?
Palmitoleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid with one double bond (C16:1). The double bond means that it will go rancid more quickly than some of the saturated fatty acids such as Palmitic or Stearic acid. It will last longer than the polyunsaturated fatty acids like linoleic or gamma-linoleic fatty acids. It is also known as an Omega-7 fatty acid.
How does Palmitoleic Acid Help Our Skin?
Recently Omega-7 has become the darling of the skin care industry. Little was known about it but we’ve discovered that palmitoleic acid is one of the basic building blocks in our skin and helps to prevent wounds, scratches and burns. It is found in both the sebum and in our fatty tissues. It is the most active anti-microbial in sebum and helps wounds from getting infected. Palmitoleic acid production in our skin declines as we get older, but by topically applying palmitoleic acid, we can help mature or dry skin with staying moisturized and supple. We also enhance the anti-microbial action of our sebum. Palmitoleic acid has anti-oxidant properties and can also offer some protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
Palmitoleic acid is particularly good at healing mucous membranes which line the nose, throat, gastrointestinal track and female urinary tract and genital areas. This has promising implications both when taken internally and when applied topically to mucous membranes. And some research has shown that palmitoleic acid has a role in the oxidation of fats and that it could be helpful in the fight against obesity.
What Oils are High in Palmitoleic Acid?
We can get palmitoleic acid in a variety of foods including marine oils, vegetable oils and animal oils.
Some of the oils high in Palmitoleic acid include:
- Sea buckthorn oil (36%) Has a shelf life of about 1 year
- Macadamia nut oil (20%) Has a shelf life of about 1 year
- Jojoba oil (2%) Has a shelf life of about 2 years
- Sweet almond oil (2%) Has a shelf life of about 1 year