Beautiful, nourishing, native, Australian Macadamia. It’s sublime as a food or oil for cooking, and its benefits are renowned for skincare products. Whether you are a food, nutraceuticals or cosmetics manufacturer, Macadamia will elevate your products, and Australian grown are arguably the best on the planet. How lucky we are! Plenty were the first in the world to press oil from Macadamia nuts in 1986, and we remain one of the world’s largest producers of this amazing, delicious, healthy oil. To read about the amazing benefits of Macadamia oil in food preparation, and skincare, keep scrolling.
Macadamia Oil for cooking
When people talk about cooking oils, the conversation often begins and ends with olive oil. But a host of other oils can be used to create wonderful dishes, and even challenge olive oil for flavour in traditional Italian dishes! One of the most versatile is Australian macadamia oil, remembering, this nut is native to Australia and therefore deserves special status in our kitchens! Native foods are local foods that are more sustainable for us to grow and consume.
Versatility
Plenty Macadamia oil can be used for salad dressings, frying and deep frying, as a substitute for butter in baking cakes, as a drizzle for potatoes and other vegetables, in marinades and pesto, with dukkha, and just about anything you can think of. You’ll find fabulous stacks of recipes that have been created specially for Plenty Macadamia oil HERE.
The Australian Macadamia Society also publishes fabulous recipes for Macadamia Oil. Try Sticky Beef Ribs with Macadamia Bulgolgi Sauce today!
Healthy fats
A key feature of Plenty macadamia oil is its high proportion of monounsaturated fats – around 80% of the total (versus 70% in olive oil). Monounsaturated fats are recommended for good health. Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats like those in macadamia oil helps maintain ideal blood cholesterol levels and a healthy heart. [i]
The Heart Foundation Australia recommends healthy fat choices including nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking.[ii]
Macadamia oil is also a source of vitamin which is a natural antioxidant that helps protect cells.
- Low proportion of saturated fats
- no harmful trans-fats
- naturally cholesterol
- naturally sugar-free
- naturally low in sodium.
- Pure and plant-based (no animal ingredients)
Long shelf life
Premium macadamia nut oil has a shelf life of up to five years. It should still be stored in dark glass bottles in a cool dark place. To relish the full, unadulterated flavour and quality of this rich golden oil, look for macadamia nut oil that is minimally processed, pressed in chilled expellers and filtered without the use of heat or chemicals – like Plenty Macadamia Oil!
Compare macadamia to other oils
[i] Australian Dietary Guidelines 1-5; guideline 3. https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-dietary-guidelines-1-5 accessed 8.9.22
[ii] Heart Foundation Australia https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/getmedia/f1d22267-7381-4513-834b-df317bed9a40/Nutrition_Position_Statement_-_DIETARY_FAT_FINAL-4.pdf accessed 8.9.22
Australian Macadamia Oil in Skincare and Cosmetics
While other plant-based oils have been studied and used in cosmetics for hundreds to thousands of years, macadamia oil has only recently been given the spotlight for its incredible cosmetic benefits and versatility. These benefits have not been a mystery to Indigenous Australian tribes in the subtropics – for thousands of years, macadamia nuts have held special significance for these tribes, both as a food source and used in pulp-form for skincare.
However, even though macadamias were exported commercially from the mid 19th century, it wasn’t until the 1990s that researchers began to thoroughly explore the cosmetic possibilities and benefits of macadamia oil. As more previously popular nut oils in cosmetic production like walnut oil became environmentally unsustainable and harder to source, cosmetic research started to look further for alternatives. Throughout these studies, one of these nut oils consistently stood out for its exceptional cosmetic properties and benefits – the outstanding Australian macadamia.
So what makes macadamia oil so special in cosmetic use?
Macadamia oil is not only non-toxic, non-allergenic and non-inflammatory, but it has demonstrated uniquely effective anti-ageing and antioxidant properties. It is extremely versatile for safe and effective use on hair and skin, and macadamia oil maintains its benefits regardless of whether it’s used as a component in the creation of other cosmetic products, or if it’s applied without any additives. These unique cosmetic properties include:
- An unusually high concentration of Palmitoleic acid (a moisturising fatty acid that young skin produces naturally) and other fatty acids that build skin health, elasticity and smoothness.
- Manganese, which helps re-built collagen and connective tissue in the skin
- Vitamin E and squalene – natural antioxidants that gently remove external pollutants
- Naturally rapid absorption into skin and hair – effective moisturising without any oiliness
- Maintains its benefits whether applied without additives, or when combined with other ingredients in the creation of cosmetic products.
- Easy to work with – flexible consistency which can be adjusted without further additives
In essence, macadamia oil has shown itself to have unique properties that make it an extremely versatile, effective, and environmentally friendly cosmetic choice!
To see our bulk options, click here.
To buy Macadamia Oil in bottles for use in your kitchen, go to Coles or Woolies, or buy from our Shop here. Or, if you’re wild about it and sharing with family and friends, you can buy a 20 litre drum! With a very long shelf life, that is an economic option.
