Ingredient Library
Pumpkin Seed Oil
Cucurbita pepo
Pumpkin seed oil is a nutrient-dense oil rich in zinc and fatty acids that nourish skin and support the scalp. Conditioning, it suits dry skin and thinning hair.
A natural history
Pumpkins and their seeds are among the oldest foods of the Americas, farmed for as long as ten thousand years, and Indigenous nations valued the seeds, the pepitas, as both nourishment and medicine. There was good instinct in that, for the seed is unusually rich in zinc and in the fatty acids and vitamin E that skin and scalp depend on, a little multivitamin pressed into an oil.
In the Styria region of Austria a natural quirk left the seed with no hard hull, so its deep green, nutrient dense flesh could be pressed straight into a dark, prized oil. That same richness is why pumpkin seed oil has become a favorite for hair and scalp care, and why researchers have begun testing it for thinning hair. From kitchen garden to scalp serum, it is a seed that earns its keep.
What it does for your skin
Pumpkin seed oil is rich in skin conditioning linoleic acid, antioxidant vitamin E, carotenoids, and the mineral zinc. Analysis of cold pressed pumpkin seed oil confirms its high content of these antioxidants and protective fats.[1] The seed's oil has also drawn attention for hair: in one trial, taken by mouth, it was linked to increased hair count in men, though that was an oral study rather than a topical one.[2] In a formula the oil works as a nourishing, antioxidant rich conditioner for dull, dry skin.
References
[1] Ordonez Lozada MI, et al. Physicochemical characterization and nano-emulsification of three species of pumpkin seed oils with focus on their physical stability. Food Chem. 2020;343:128512. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128512
[2] Cho YH, et al. Effect of pumpkin seed oil on hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:549721. doi:10.1155/2014/549721
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
It is a nourishing oil rich in linoleic acid, vitamin E, carotenoids, and zinc, used to condition and help defend dull, dry-looking skin.
One trial linked oral pumpkin seed oil to more hair in men, but that was taken by mouth, not applied to skin, so it is not a topical claim.