INCI: Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil - Also known as: American Cranberry Seed Oil

QUICK FACTS

What is Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil?

Cranberry seed oil is cold-pressed from the seeds of Vaccinium macrocarpon - a zero-waste by-product of the cranberry juice and sauce industry. Its defining characteristic is its fatty acid profile: cranberry seed oil contains approximately 33-36% alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) and 36-40% linoleic acid (omega-6), giving it an omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of approximately 1:1. This balanced ratio is considered nutritionally optimal for skin barrier fatty acid composition in the research literature, distinguishing cranberry seed oil from most other commonly used seed oils that are significantly skewed toward one or the other essential fatty acid.

Beyond its omega balance, cranberry seed oil contains a notable concentration of oleic acid (omega-9, approximately 18-22%) for emollient richness, naturally occurring tocopherols (vitamin E), phytosterols, and phospholipids - giving it a broader active profile than its essential fatty acid content alone would suggest. The tocopherol content provides an intrinsic antioxidant layer that helps protect the oil's highly polyunsaturated fatty acids from oxidative degradation within the formula and on the skin.

At Sweet Chemistry, organic cranberry seed oil is used above 1% in the Elasticity Reinforcing Lipid-Cream and at greater than 5% in the Barrier Repairing Oil-Serum - complementing the cranberry fruit extract used in the three water-based formulas. Together, the fruit extract and seed oil give cranberry the same dual-form presence as raspberry and elderberry across the Sweet Chemistry lineup.

What does it do for skin?

Cranberry seed oil's primary contribution is its balanced 1:1 omega-3 to omega-6 essential fatty acid profile. Both fatty acids are essential for skin function: linoleic acid (omega-6) is a key component of Ceramide EOP's lamellar barrier architecture and is studied in connection with barrier lipid integrity; alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) is studied in connection with the eicosanoid pathways associated with a more comfortable skin surface. Delivering them in approximately equal proportions - as cranberry seed oil naturally does - is studied in connection with a more balanced skin fatty acid environment than omega-6-dominant or omega-3-dominant oils provide independently.

The phytosterol content of cranberry seed oil - including campesterol, stigmasterol, and beta-sitosterol - contributes an additional skin-conditioning and barrier-associated dimension. Phytosterols are structurally analogous to cholesterol (which Sweet Chemistry independently formulates at 1% across all four products) and are studied in connection with supporting the skin's surface lipid environment and a more comfortable skin surface.

In the Oil-Serum at greater than 5%, cranberry seed oil is one of the more balanced essential fatty acid contributors in the organic botanical panel - complementing the higher omega-3 character of rosehip, raspberry, and sea buckthorn with a more equal omega ratio that rounds out the collective fatty acid profile of the eleven organic botanicals.

FOUND IN

In 2 Formulas

Cranberry seed oil is present above 1% in the Lipid-Cream and at greater than 5% in the Oil-Serum - the seed oil complement to the cranberry fruit extract used in all three water-based formulas.

Hydration - Dry to Dehydrated

Elasticity Reinforcing Lipid-Cream Vaccinium Macrocarpon Seed Oil (above 1%) - 1.7 oz / 50 ml

The Lipid-Cream delivers cranberry seed oil alongside shea butter, sea buckthorn, jojoba, pomegranate, rosehip, raspberry, and kakadu plum seed oils - contributing its balanced omega-3/6 profile to the most comprehensive botanical lipid system in the Sweet Chemistry lineup.

Nourishment - Dry to Combination

Barrier Repairing Oil-Serum Vaccinium Macrocarpon Seed Oil (Organic, >5%) - 1.0 oz / 30 ml

In the Oil-Serum, organic cranberry seed oil is one of eleven organic botanicals each present at greater than 5% - contributing its distinctive 1:1 omega-3/omega-6 balance to the most concentrated essential fatty acid botanical panel in the Sweet Chemistry system.

WORKS TOGETHER WITH

Essential Fatty Acid Linoleic Acid

INCI: Linoleic Acid.

Present as a free fatty acid in the Oil-Serum alongside cranberry seed oil's linoleic content. Synergy Note: Cranberry seed oil and free linoleic acid together reinforce the omega-6 essential fatty acid environment of the Oil-Serum - whole botanical delivery of a balanced omega pair alongside isolated free fatty acid supplementation of the same essential fatty acid.

Botanical Seed Oil Rosehip Seed Oil

INCI: Rosa Rubiginosa (Rosehip) Seed Oil.

Present in both formulas where cranberry seed oil appears. Synergy Note: Rosehip is high in omega-3 and omega-6 but slightly skewed toward omega-3; cranberry's near-equal 1:1 ratio helps balance the collective fatty acid profile of the botanical oil panel. Together they contribute essential fatty acid breadth and balance across the two-seed-oil pairing.

Cranberry Fruit Cranberry (Vaccinium Macrocarpon) Fruit Extract

INCI: Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Fruit Extract.

Present above 1% in all three water-based formulas. Synergy Note: The cranberry fruit extract delivers proanthocyanidin polyphenol antioxidants; the seed oil delivers the balanced essential fatty acid and phytosterol nutrition of the same plant. Together they represent a whole-botanical approach to Vaccinium macrocarpon across both the water-based and lipid-based formula architectures.

ECM Peptide Complex Matrikynes® Bone Peptides

INCI: Hydrolyzed Cow Bone Extract.

At 3% in all four formulas. Synergy Note: Cranberry seed oil's balanced essential fatty acid support for the skin's barrier lipid environment creates surface conditions associated with better context for the dermal-targeting activity of Matrikynes® peptides.