Amaranth Seed Oil

Overview

Amaranth seed oil is cold-pressed from the tiny seeds of Amaranthus caudatus (and related Amaranthus species — A. cruentus and A. hypochondriacus). It is an unusual cosmetic oil for two reasons.

First, it contains 6-8% natural squalene — by a wide margin the highest squalene content of any plant oil. Olive oil, the next-best plant source, carries 0.4-0.7%. The cosmetic squalane that emulates skin sebum is usually derived from olive squalene or sugar fermentation, but amaranth provides a meaningful squalene fraction directly in a carrier oil.

Second, despite a high linoleic content (around 45-50%), amaranth has better oxidative stability than the fatty-acid profile would suggest, thanks to the squalene and a high natural tocotrienol content (a relative of vitamin E).

The oil is pale gold with a light nutty scent. Shelf life is around 12 months stored cool and dark, and it holds up better than most other linoleic-rich oils.

What it does in a formula

The fatty-acid profile is roughly 45-50% linoleic, 22-28% oleic, 15-22% palmitic, with the squalene and tocotrienol fractions on top. That combination delivers barrier support (linoleic), emollience (oleic), and biomimetic skin-feel (squalene).

On skin, the squalene is the differentiator. It absorbs without residue, behaves like the skin’s own sebum, and is well tolerated by all skin types including acne-prone. The tocotrienol fraction has antioxidant interest beyond just stabilising the oil.

In premium formulas, amaranth is sometimes positioned as a “natural squalane alternative.” That is not quite accurate — squalene (oil) and squalane (saturated, hydrogenated) behave differently — but the marketing framing has stuck.

How to use

Add to the oil phase. Heat-and-hold to 75 C is fine. Cool-down addition is preferred for tocotrienol preservation in premium products.

Usage rates by product type:

• Face oils and serums: 5-15%
• Face creams (anti-aging): 3-10%
• Eye creams: 2-8%
• Acne-prone and combination skin emulsions: 3-10%
• Lip balms: 3-8%
• Hair serums: 3-10%

Amaranth at 5-10% in a face oil contributes a meaningful squalene load without the cost of a full squalane formula.

Best for / Worst for

Best for: anti-aging face oils and creams, eye-area products, acne-prone and combination skin, premium serums where biomimetic feel matters, hair-fragility serums.

Worst for: heavy body butters (too light to be the star), formulas where cost is the primary constraint (amaranth is expensive for its volume), customers with a confirmed amaranth or pseudo-cereal allergy.

Common pitfalls

Confusing amaranth seed oil with amaranth flour or starch. Different ingredients, different INCI, very different cosmetic roles. The seed oil is the cold-pressed lipid; amaranth starch is used as a powder/exfoliant/dry-finish ingredient.

Treating squalene as squalane. Squalene (the natural form in amaranth) is unsaturated and less oxidatively stable than squalane (the saturated commercial cosmetic ingredient). Don’t expect amaranth’s squalene fraction to have squalane’s 5-year shelf life.

Heat damage. Tocotrienols and squalene both tolerate moderate heat but degrade at extended high temperatures. Don’t repeatedly re-heat batches.

Overpaying. Amaranth is genuinely expensive compared to the workhorse PUFA oils (sunflower, rosehip). Use it where the squalene content actually contributes to a marketed benefit.

Substitutes

• Squalane (olive or sugarcane-derived) — purer squalene-mimic, more stable, very different chemistry.
• Olive oil (cold-pressed) — much lower squalene, similar use case, much cheaper.
• Rice bran oil — fellow tocotrienol-rich oil, very different fatty-acid profile.
• Wheat germ oil — high natural tocopherol, similar antioxidant positioning, heavier feel.
• Camellia oil — light feel, fast-absorbing, very different chemistry, similar premium positioning.