Rowan & Thistle

PLATE No. 052

Ingredient Collection

Pumpkin Seed Oil

Cucurbita pepo

Botanical plate of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo): a trailing vine with large lobed leaves, curling tendrils and big yellow-orange flowers, a green unripe pumpkin and a ribbed orange pumpkin, one cut open on its seed-filled cavity, beside a flower bud, a hulled green seed, a whole seed in its pale hull and loose seeds.

Figure Key

  • Fig. 1 Male flower (open)
  • Fig. 2 Female flower with immature ovary
  • Fig. 3 Flower bud
  • Fig. 4 Immature green pumpkin
  • Fig. 5 Mature pumpkin
  • Fig. 6 Fruit in section, seeds in the cavity
  • Fig. 7 Hulled pumpkin seed (pepita)
  • Fig. 8 Whole pumpkin seed with hull
  • Fig. 9 Loose pumpkin seeds

The Ingredient

There’s more hiding inside a pumpkin seed than its small size suggests. The seeds yield a richly colored oil naturally abundant in linoleic and oleic fatty acids—components that help soften and condition while supporting the skin’s protective barrier. Its deep color comes from naturally occurring plant compounds carried from seed to oil.

From Plant to Ingredient

  1. Pumpkin Seed Oil, step 1 — Pumpkin Fruit: a whole ribbed orange pumpkin with a curved stalk.

    1. Pumpkin Fruit

    The mature fruit develops around a seed-filled center.

  2. Pumpkin Seed Oil, step 2 — Inside the Pumpkin: a pumpkin cut in half showing stringy orange fibers and pale seeds in the cavity.

    2. Inside the Pumpkin

    Inside, a network of fibers holds the developing seeds.

  3. Pumpkin Seed Oil, step 3 — Pumpkin Seed: a single flat, cream-colored pumpkin seed.

    3. Pumpkin Seed

    The mature seeds contain the botanical oil we use.

  4. Pumpkin Seed Oil, step 4 — Pumpkin Seed Oil: a small pool of dark green-gold oil.

    4. Pumpkin Seed Oil

    The seeds yield a richly colored botanical oil.

Why We Chose It

Pumpkin seed oil gives us rich conditioning without relying on a heavy-feeling oil. Its fatty acids help soften skin, reduce moisture loss, and condition dry hair, while naturally occurring antioxidants help defend against everyday environmental stress. That combination makes it useful well beyond a single type of product.

What You'll Notice

  • Softer Skin — Helps condition dry, rough-feeling skin.
  • Moisture Support — Helps reduce moisture loss and maintain a comfortable, conditioned feel.
  • Hair Conditioning — Helps soften and condition dry-feeling hair.
  • Antioxidant Support — Helps defend against everyday environmental stress.

Botanical Profile

Scientific Name
Cucurbita pepo
INCI Name
Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil
Plant Part Used
Seed
Final Ingredient
Oil
Origin
USA and China

A Closer Look

Pumpkin seed oil doesn’t necessarily look the way you might expect. Its natural color can range from deep orange to olive green, depending on the seeds and how the oil is viewed—a visible reminder that the familiar pale seed contains much more than meets the eye.

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

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