Olea Europaea
Many natural soap bars contain olive oil as a base ingredient. Olive oil has been a
soap ingredient for thousands of years. Its antioxidant rich properties are well
known for nourishing, cleansing, moisturizing and protecting skin against
environmental and free-radical damage. Olive oil contains polyphenols and oleic
acid which are naturally anti-aging and olive oil is hypoallergenic, so it is suitable
for all skin types. A 100% pure olive oil soap is also called “Castile”. Olive oil is
derived from crushed olives which are grown in the Mediterranean where the
climate is optimal with hot summers and cool winters.
There are several grades of olive oil. The differences in the grades of oil
correspond to when, in the extraction and refining process, the oil is bottled. The
olives are first crushed and ground into a paste, then, the oil is separated from
the paste by various methods. The first oil that comes from the very first crush is
the “virgin” olive oil. The paste that is left behind after the first extraction is called
“pomace”. The pomace contains the ground skins, pits, flesh, and a little bit of
oil. Chemical extraction is used to get the last bit of oil out of the pomace.
For olive oil to qualify as “extra virgin”, the olive oil must meet four criteria:
1. It must be produced only my mechanical extraction (no hot water or
chemicals applied to extract the oil from the olives)
2. It must come from the first pressing of the olives.
3. It must have a free oleic acidity level of less than one percent.
4. It must have perfect taste.
NOTE: The “free acidity” level should not be confused with the overall fatty acid
makeup of the oil. Olive oil generally contains between 60% and 80% oleic acid-
what qualifies and olive oil as “extra virgin” is the low amount of “free fatty
acids”.
Virgin Olive Oil: Virgin olive oil also comes from the first pressing of the olives
and must be extracted without chemicals like extra virgin olive oil. Virgin olive oil
can have a free acidity level of up to 3.3%.
Pure Olive Oil: Sometimes also called “Grade A” olive oil, this grade of oil is a
blend of virgin olive oil and refined oils. The refining process takes away some of
the vitamins, nutrients, and flavor of the oil, but the blending provides a more
stable, consistent oil. Grade A oil is the most used olive oil for soap making.
Pomace Olive Oil: Pomace olive oil comes from the dregs of the olive paste as the
last drops of oil (between 5-8% of the total amount of oil in the olives) are
extracted from the skins, pits and ground flesh of the olives. It generally has a
much greener color and is not as clear as virgin olive oil. It does not have the
flavor that virgin olive oils have, so it is mostly relegated to industrial and soap
making uses. Pomace still has largely the same fatty acid makeup of virgin olive
oil, so other than the greenish color, it makes similar soap.
At Ella Organics, we use only the highest quality Grade A (refined A) pure olive
oil. Our artisan soaps contain 40%-60% olive oil.
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