Rowan & Thistle

PLATE No. 048

Ingredient Collection

Olive Oil

Olea europaea

Botanical plate of Olive (Olea europaea): a branch of narrow silver-green leaves heavy with green and glossy black olives, beside a spray of small cream flowers, an unripe green olive, a ripe black olive, an olive cut lengthwise, the pit, and a golden drop of oil.

Figure Key

  • Fig. 1 Mature branch
  • Fig. 2 Flower cluster
  • Fig. 3 Immature fruit
  • Fig. 4 Mature fruit
  • Fig. 5 Longitudinal fruit section
  • Fig. 6 Olive pit (stone)
  • Fig. 7 Olive oil

The Ingredient

Olive oil is unusual among many of the oils in our Herbarium because it comes from the fleshy fruit rather than the seed or kernel. As olives mature, oil accumulates within the pulp surrounding the hard central pit. Naturally rich in oleic acid, the resulting oil provides substantial conditioning and helps leave skin feeling soft and supple.

From Plant to Ingredient

  1. Olive Oil, step 1 — Mature Olive: a single ripe dark purple olive on its stalk.

    1. Mature Olive

    The mature fruit holds most of its oil within the fleshy pulp.

  2. Olive Oil, step 2 — Inside the Olive: an olive cut lengthwise showing the pit set in its flesh.

    2. Inside the Olive

    A hard central pit sits inside the oil-rich flesh.

  3. Olive Oil, step 3 — Olive Pit: an olive cut across showing the hard central pit.

    3. Olive Pit

    Unlike many kernel oils, the pit isn't the primary source of olive oil.

  4. Olive Oil, step 4 — Olive Oil: a single golden drop of oil.

    4. Olive Oil

    The fleshy fruit yields the rich oil used in our formulas.

Why We Chose It

Olive oil has been used for centuries, and its usefulness is remarkably straightforward. It provides rich, substantial conditioning and helps soften dry-feeling skin. Its versatility also makes it particularly valuable in traditional soapmaking and other oil-based formulas.

What You'll Notice

  • Rich Conditioning — Helps dry-feeling skin feel softer and more supple.
  • Lasting Softness — Leaves skin feeling comfortably conditioned.
  • Substantial Feel — Provides a richer character than many lightweight oils.
  • Gentle Cleansing Support — In soap, contributes to a mild, conditioning finished bar.

Botanical Profile

Scientific Name
Olea europaea
INCI Name
Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil
Plant Part Used
Fruit
Final Ingredient
Oil
Origin
Multiple growing regions

A Closer Look

Olives may look like they should work like other stone fruits—the pit is in the middle, so it seems logical that the oil would come from there. But most olive oil is actually stored in the fleshy pulp surrounding the pit. That makes olive oil fundamentally different from kernel oils like apricot or plum, where the valuable oil is found inside the stone.

Products Featuring Olive Oil Featured In

An illustrated guide to the botanicals, ingredients, and materials that shape Rowan & Thistle

© Rowan & Thistle 2026