Babassu Oil: Evidence and Safety

Quick safety points

• We found no human trial of babassu oil on skin, hair, mouth or anywhere else in the sources we read. What exists is lab and animal work. [5][6][7]
• The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) panel concluded in 2017 that 244 plant-derived fatty acid oils are safe as used in cosmetics. We could read only the abstract, so we cannot confirm from it that babassu is one of the 244. [4]
• We found no source on skin allergy to babassu oil, or on whether people with coconut allergy react to it. Do a patch test first (see patch testing natural oils and butters).
• Babassu oil is not coconut oil. It comes from a different palm. The FDA says coconut is no longer on its tree nut allergen list, but that statement is about coconut, not babassu. [12]
• No source we read supports swallowing babassu oil as a remedy. A hamster study gave it by mouth, but that is not a safety test for people. [7]

What babassu oil is

Babassu (also spelled babaçu) is a large palm of Brazil. Research papers use two Latin names for the oil's source: Attalea speciosa and the older Orbignya phalerata. [1][5][6] A related study used a third species, Attalea glassmanii, so results from one babassu species may not apply to another. [7]

The fruit is hard and woody. The oil comes from the small kernels (the "almonds") inside. In one Brazilian study the kernels were pressed mechanically, by a hydraulic press and by a screw-type expeller, and the oil was then filtered. [2] Breaking open the fruit is usually done by hand by "babassu breakers" (quebradeiras de coco), who collect the fruit and carry it to the place where it is cracked. [2]

What is in it. Like coconut oil, it is mostly saturated fat, and the main fatty acid is lauric acid. Two Brazilian studies found it at about 55% in one sample and 43 to 45% in others, with myristic acid next at roughly 12 to 14%. [1][2] A review of Brazilian palm oils lists lauric, myristic, capric and caprylic acids as the main saturated fatty acids in these palm oils. [3] Numbers differ with the species, the sample and the lab, so treat these as ranges.

How it feels. The oil is described as melting at about 23 to 24 degrees Celsius (about 73 to 75 Fahrenheit) in one study, so it is right around room temperature. [2] That means it may be a soft solid in a cool room and a clear liquid in a warm one. The study did not describe how it feels on skin, and we found no source that did.

How it is used

Babassu oil is sold as a skin-care ingredient and is listed in cosmetic research papers as a base for creams and lotions. One lab study built a moisturizing sunscreen cream with babassu oil and measured it in the lab, not on people. [8] We found no study of babassu oil on hair, in massage or in lip balms, and no source describing how it is used in everyday products. For cooking oils as food, see the dietary pages, for example coconut oil as a food, which is a different oil.

Traditional use (not proof)

Researchers describe a folk use of babassu oil for skin wounds in Brazil. [5] Communities of babassu breakers in Northeast Brazil have long depended on the palm for work; one 2026 study interviewed 58 of them about environmental change. [9] A review of by-products of babassu oil production describes the fruit's other parts (such as the starchy layer under the shell) and says it also covers toxicology. [10] Traditional use is not evidence that the oil works. It is a reason scientists tested it, which is what the next section covers.

What research shows

Human studies: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read. We searched Europe PMC for babassu together with trial, volunteer, patient, patch test and dermatitis terms. Everything that came back was animal, lab, farm-animal feed, materials science or community research.

The authors of the wound paper say their findings support the folk use, but the results are from cells and animals. [5] They do not show what happens on human skin.

Claims checked

• "Babassu oil is a lighter alternative to coconut oil." Both are rich in lauric acid, and both are solid around room temperature. [1][2] We found no study that compares how the two feel on skin or how well they work, so we make no claim either way. For coconut oil, see coconut oil as a carrier oil.
• "Babassu oil heals wounds." In animals and cells, it sped wound healing. [5] No human trial was found.
• "Babassu oil fights inflammation." In mice, it reduced ear swelling. [6] This does not show that it calms inflamed skin in people.
• "It will not clog pores." We found no source testing babassu oil on pores or acne. Published "comedogenic rating" tables are weak predictors anyway; see comedogenic ratings checked.
• "Natural means safe." One review of botanical skin oils notes that active compounds in oils can build up in the blood after use on skin or by mouth, so safety needs checking. It does not discuss babassu. [11]

Forms, grades and why they matter

Babassu oil is sold as an unrefined (virgin) or refined oil, as pressed kernel oil, and as an ingredient inside creams and soaps. The study that pressed the kernels reported the oils' properties for cold-pressed and expeller-pressed samples; it did not compare how they work on skin. [2] Cosmetic and food grades may differ in testing and labeling; see cosmetic grade vs food grade. We did not find a source on grades or label names for babassu oil, so look for the plant's Latin name on the label.

Safety and cautions

• Skin allergy and the patch test: no babassu-specific report was found in the sources we read. As with any new oil, test a small spot first. See the patch test guide.
• Coconut and tree nut allergy: we found no source on cross-reaction between babassu and coconut or nuts. The FDA says coconut is not on its tree nut list (March 2025) and must still be listed as an ingredient. [12] That does not tell us anything about babassu. If you have a serious allergy, ask an allergy clinician.
• Swallowing: not studied in people in the sources we read. We do not suggest it as a remedy.
• Babies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, pets, medicines: not described in the sources we read. See natural oils for baby skin and massage and natural oils and pets.
• Cosmetic safety review: the CIR panel found plant-derived fatty acid oils safe as used in cosmetics (2017). The abstract does not list babassu, and the conclusion covers products as used, not every use. [4]

Quality and storage

Babassu oil is low in polyunsaturated fat (linoleic acid under 1% in one analysis), and the fresh oil in that study had no detectable peroxide, a marker of spoilage. [1] That is one sample, not a shelf-life test. We found no shelf-life study of babassu oil on shop shelves. General advice on keeping oils cool, dark and closed is on the rancidity and storage page. Because the oil melts near 23 to 24 C, a warm room can melt it and a cool room can set it; that changes the texture, not the oil itself. [2]

Related pages

• Carrier oils explained
• Coconut oil as a carrier oil
• Murumuru butter
• Check before you use natural oils and butters
• Patch testing natural oils and butters
• Rancidity, shelf life and storage of natural oils