Jojoba Oil, Colorful Past-Bright Future

What is Jojoba?

When most people hear “jojoba” or “jojoba oil”, they instantly associate it with cosmetics. And it's no wonder since the “oil”, actually a liquid wax (wax ester), of the jojoba seed is used in various forms in thousands of cosmetic products from moisturizers to shampoos and conditioners to anti-aging and sun care products. Beyond that, if you look online and in some retail outlets, you can find it in it's most available form-simple, pure pressed jojoba oil-for sale from a growing number of suppliers direct to you, the consumer, to be mixed with various essential oils for any number of herbal remedies, natural healing, and alternative applications.

But this limited traditional view of a very versatile product may be on the verge of an epiphany.  In truth, the future of jojoba shows great potential. There are applications beyond cosmetics from pharmaceuticals to natural pesticides to an alterative, renewable fuel source that just may help the Earth and the global economy.

A Plant Like No Other

The unassuming jojoba plant (Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneider), a perennial woody shrub native to the semiarid Sonoran Desert region of northwestern Mexico and the neighboring southwestern United States, grows in dense stands in the wild. It is well suited to this type of environment for many reasons not the least of which are its deep root system and dark, thick, bluish-green leaves which are tilted upright at an angle to minimize sunlight exposure and have a waxy cuticle that reduces water loss and prevents wilting. The plants grow to about 6 feet (2m) tall and can live between 100 and 200 years.

Jojoba shrubs are dioecious; that is, female plants produce flowers in the spring that are pollinated when wind carries pollen produced by male plants. The pollinated flowers then harden into capsules containing 1-3 peanut sized seeds rich in a unique liquid wax commonly called “jojoba oil.” This oil is different from other plant seed oils known as triglycerides in that its chemical structure makes it a polyunsaturated liquid wax that closely resembles both sperm whale oil and the sebum oil produced naturally by human skin.

A Little History

It is generally accepted that jojoba was first officially documented by in 1822 by German botanist Johann Link as Buxus chinensis. Though multiple conflicting stories exist as to how jojoba actually ended up with its scientific name, the name given by Link was changed to Simmondsia californica by Thomas Nuttall in 1844. But due to rules of priority governing the scientific naming of species, it was finally renamed Simmondsia chinensis by Austrian botanist, Camillo Karl Schneider, in 1912.

Jojoba oil was well known to early Native Americans and Mexican peoples. Their uses for the seeds included roasting to make a coffee-like beverage, chewing them as a diet supplement and appetite suppressant, a medicine for cancer treatment and kidney disorders, and using the oil for soothing skin irritations and treating sores, cuts, bruises, and burns. Because of its unique properties, jojoba came into popular use in cosmetics following the 1971 U.S. ban on the import of sperm whale oil.

Media hype and generous federal aid offered to farmers by the U.S. government in the 70's lead to a boom in commercial cultivation. But successful farming of the slow-growing shrubs takes patience and planning. It can take between 3 and 5 years for a female plant to begin producing seeds and, according to a 1998 Purdue University report, 6 to 7 years for plants in cultivation to yield oil.

Looking Ahead

According to the International Jojoba Export Council (IJEC), current jojoba commercial plantations exist in the desert regions of countries worldwide including Argentina, Australia, Chile, Egypt, Israel, Mexico, Peru, and the USA. Aside from cosmetics including skin and hair care products jojoba is used as a carrier for medicines that are applied topically to penetrate the skin. It's also useful in the treatment of skin conditions including acne, psoriasis, and eczema and was shown in tests at Michigan University to be effective in fighting five of the most common skin bacteria as well as certain skin fungi.

Jojoba oil can also be used as a pesticide to control white flies on all crops and powdery mildew on grapes and ornamental plants and, due to its ability to remain stable at high temperatures, it also has industrial uses as a lubricant. Probably most remarkable, though, is a discovery by a team of Indian scientists reported in New Scientist in 2003. The team made an alternative to regular diesel fuel by mixing methanol and a catalyst with raw jojoba oil. They then successfully ran an engine on the fuel and found not only did it match the efficiency of diesel; it produced lower carbon emissions and was completely free of sulfur emissions.

This bright future is not without problems, however. While in 2000 the IJEC predicted a 15% increase in production of jojoba oil over 5 years, growing enough jojoba for all its possible applications is a challenge. Many of the early university studies reported problems with frost, insect pest control, and various diseases. But with farmers in Egypt reportedly planting the shrubs specifically to use the oil as fuel and more commercial farmers using patience and innovative farming techniques to get bigger yields, it can be certain jojoba is more than just a pretty face to the global market.