
The scientific name of Japanese Camellia is camellia japonica. You may have come across the name tsubaki and that is actually the Japanese name for the Camellia plant. Despite its name having the word Japanese in it, the plant actually originates from China.
Japanese Camellia has actually been used since ancient times in Japan for various purposes from cooking, tea preparation, skincare, haircare and even the maintenance of blades and knives. Japanese traditional entertainers, geishas, and their apprentices and assistants, maikos, use Camellia Seed Oil in their beauty regimen to ensure they have flawless skin and maintain their long smooth hair.

The seeds are cold-pressed to produce Camellia Seed Oil. Cold-pressings squeezes the seeds in a hydraulic press or with weight until the oil is released. The emulsion is then filtered by putting it through a centrifuge to separate the oil from the liquids of the fruit and seed. Because there is no grinding or heating of the seed and the oil, its essential vitamins are preserved. The resulting oil is light in texture and golden in colour. It has a subtle neutral scent.
Camellia seed oil has a texture and lightness similar to sebum which is your skin’s natural oil making it easily absorbable by your skin.
Camellia oil contains :
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Omega-6 (linoleic acid)
- Omega-9 (oleic acid)
The combination of these vitamins and fatty acids makes Camellia Seed Oil exhibit the following properties :
- skin moisturising
- improves skin moisture retention
- improves skin barrier; prevent moisture loss and irritation
- relieve dry skin symptoms such as flaking and itchiness
- reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines
- antioxidant capabilities to fight free radicals
- reduce age spots, wrinkles and fine lines
- anti-inflammatory and anti-irritation effects
- emollient (skin softening) effects
- boost immunity
- helps acne-prone skin
During our research, these beneficial effects made Camellia Seed Oil a must-have to be included in our ioula Postbiotic Body Wash.
images courtesy of Aki Nakazawa and Mareefe