Plum Oil

What is it?

The oil pressed from the seed of the plum fruit, Prunus domestica L.

Fatty acid wise, it is primarily oleic acid (~69%), and linoleic acid (~20%).
INCI

Prunus Domestica Seed Oil
Appearance

Warm yellow liquid.
Texture

Velvety, smooth, rich.
Scent

Wonderful scent reminiscent of marzipan and dried fruit.
Absorbency Speed

Medium, but on the faster side of medium. Stunning, satiny skin feel.
Solubility

Oil
Why do we use it in formulations?

The incredible scent carries through in final products at 10%, contributing a very luxurious scent that is hard to get without the use of fragrance oils.

It’s a lovely emollient and contributes a soft off-white colour to emulsions.
Do you need it?

No, but it’s a nice luxury oil. If you love the scent of marzipan I highly recommend it!

If you don’t have it, you can easily use apricot kernel oil or sweet almond oil instead.
Refined or unrefined?

I recommend purchasing unrefined plum kernel oil that has not been deodorized.
Strengths

Stunning scent, beautiful skin feel.
Weaknesses

It does tend to be fairly expensive, but we don’t need to use it at high concentrations for the scent to come through.
Alternatives & Substitutions

If you don’t have the plum oil, the oils with the closest fatty acid compositions are apricot kernel oil (approximately 66% oliec/29% linoleic), sweet almond oil (approximately 75% oliec/20% linoleic), or peach kernel oil (approximately 67% oliec/24% linoleic). All three are pressed from the kernels of similar stone fruits, too!

You will lose the marzipan note, and I haven’t found that scent in any other oils. If your formulation contains a fragrance oil or essential oil you can rely on that entirely for the scent. If you have fragrance that boasts a marzipan (or even cherry) sort of scent, you could try including that at about 0.1% to try to replace/mimic the scent of the plum oil. You could also try using a preservative powered by benzyl alcohol in your formulation if it requires a preservative, as benzyl alcohol also has a bit of a marzipanny scent. Of the options I’ve tried, I think TRIstat® ECO is the most marzipanny, but Geogard® ECT and Euxyl™ k 903 are also options.
How to Work with It

Use it at 10–30% of the oil phase to contribute a stunning marzipan-y scent to the end product; I find it pairs beautifully with vanilla-y, fruity, and/or spiced scents.
Storage & Shelf Life

Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, plum oil should last at least two years.

I keep my plum kernel oil in the fridge; as of 2025 it is about 7 years old and still smells fresh and wonderful!
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks

The fatty acid composition is very similar to apricot kernel oil, sweet almond oil, and peach kernel oil.

Kakadu Plum (Terminalia Ferdinandiana) Seed Oil also exists, but it has a very different fatty acid composition.
Recommended starter amount

50mL (2fl oz) or less
Where to Buy it

As of 2025, the only plum oil I’ve used is what was sold by Essential Labs (formerly Essential Wholesale + Labs) in the USA. Alas, as of 2025, Essential Wholesale has been purchased by NourishUs Naturals, and they do not sell plum oil anymore.

I’ve also found it for sale at these shops:

You could always try a different online DIY ingredient supplier, too!

Some Formulations that Use Plum Oil

Originally published on November 16, 2018