Rowan & Thistle

PLATE No. 050

Ingredient Collection

Palm Oil

Elaeis guineensis

Botanical plate of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis): a tall oil palm with a crown of arching fronds and red fruit bunches, a dense bunch of red fruit, a fruit cut open to show orange flesh around the dark kernel, pieces of orange fruit pulp, and a golden pool of palm oil.

Figure Key

  • Fig. 1 Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)
  • Fig. 2 Oil Palm Fruit Bunch
  • Fig. 3 Oil Palm Fruit, Sectioned
  • Fig. 4 Oil Palm Fruit Pulp
  • Fig. 5 Palm Oil

The Ingredient

Palm oil comes from the orange-red fruit of the African oil palm. Naturally rich in skin-softening fatty acids, it helps condition skin while contributing to the firmness, longevity, and creamy lather of cleansing bars. At Rowan & Thistle, we use RSPO-certified palm oil, recognizing that responsible sourcing is an important part of choosing this ingredient.

From Plant to Ingredient

  1. Palm Oil: a tall oil palm with a crown of arching fronds and clusters of red fruit.

    1. The Oil Palm

    The oil palm grows clusters of orange-red fruits beneath its sweeping green leaves. Each fruit contains oil-rich flesh surrounding a hard shell and an inner seed.

  2. Palm Oil, step 2 — Inside the Fruit: an oil palm fruit cut open to show orange flesh around a dark shell and pale kernel.

    2. Inside the Fruit

    The fruit's orange flesh contains the oil used to produce palm oil. The seed inside its hard shell is used to produce palm kernel oil, a separate ingredient with different properties.

  3. Palm Oil, step 3 — From Fruit to Oil: pieces of fibrous orange-red fruit pulp.

    3. From Fruit to Oil

    The fleshy portion of the fruit is separated and pressed to release its oil. Unrefined palm oil has a naturally reddish-orange color, while refining produces the pale oil commonly used in personal care products.

Why We Chose It

Palm oil helps create cleansing bars with a creamy lather, satisfying firmness, and lasting structure. But its sourcing is equally important to us. Palm oil production has been associated with deforestation, habitat destruction, and labor concerns, which is why we specifically purchase RSPO-certified palm oil. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil establishes standards intended to reduce environmental harm, protect biodiversity, and support more responsible working conditions. We believe these considerations belong alongside ingredient performance when deciding what goes into our products.

What You'll Notice

  • Creamy Lather — Contributes to a rich, creamy feel during cleansing.
  • Longer-Lasting Bars — Helps cleansing bars maintain their firmness through repeated use.
  • Soft, Comfortable Skin — Helps leave skin feeling conditioned after cleansing.

Botanical Profile

Scientific Name
Elaeis guineensis
INCI Name
Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil
Plant Part Used
Fruit Flesh (Mesocarp)
Final Ingredient
Oil
Origin
Native to West Africa; cultivated in tropical regions worldwide.

A Closer Look

One oil palm fruit produces two distinctly different oils. Palm oil comes from the orange flesh surrounding the seed, while palm kernel oil comes from the kernel protected by the fruit's hard inner shell. Although they originate from the same tree, their different natural fat compositions give them different characteristics. This distinction is visible in Fig. 3, where the fruit's orange flesh surrounds the dark shell and pale kernel.

Products Featuring Palm Oil Featured In

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