Hazelnut Oil

Overview

Hazelnut oil is cold-pressed from the nuts of the common hazel tree (Corylus avellana), grown across Europe and Turkey. It is a clear-to-pale-yellow oil with a mild nutty scent — pleasant in face and body products, often deodorized for fragrance-clean formulas.

The fatty-acid profile is heavy in oleic acid (around 70-80%), with smaller amounts of linoleic and palmitic. That oleic-rich profile gives hazelnut oil a light feel and unusually fast absorption for a high-oleic oil — most high-oleic oils feel heavier. Hazelnut also has a small but real astringent quality on the skin, slightly tightening pores after application.

It is a beloved face oil for oily, combination, and acne-prone skin. The fast absorption and slight astringency feel cleaner than heavier oils like olive or avocado, and the comedogenic rating is low (around 2 on the 0-5 scale).

Shelf life is 6-12 months stored cool and dark — relatively short for an oleic-rich oil, because the fresh nutty flavour fades over time.

What it does in a formula

The high-oleic profile gives hazelnut oil:

• Light, fast-absorbing feel despite being mostly oleic acid
• Mild astringent quality — useful for oily and pore-conscious skin
• Skin softening — moderate, not heavy
• Slight skin-tone evening — small effect from the natural vitamin E

In a formula, hazelnut works as the main or secondary oil in face oils targeted at oily and combination skin, in cleansing oils (it dissolves makeup well), and in body lotions for normal-to-oily skin.

It pairs well with squalane (for a lighter feel), with jojoba (for stability), and with rosehip or seabuckthorn (for actives).

How to use

Add to the oil phase. Tolerates heat-and-hold to 75 C.

Usage rates by product type:

• Face oils (oily / combination skin): 20-100%
• Cleansing oils: 30-70%
• Face serums (emulsions): 3-10%
• Body lotions: 3-10%
• Hair scalp oils (oily scalp): 30-70%
• Lip balms: 5-15%

Best for / Worst for

Best for: oily and combination skin face oils, cleansing oils, acne-prone face formulas, men’s grooming (lighter feel), beard oils for oily skin, summer body products.

Worst for: very dry skin (too light), tree-nut-allergic customers (real concern — Corylus is a major tree nut), formulas where you want a rich heavy oil, long shelf-life formulas without strong antioxidant protection.

Common pitfalls

Tree nut allergy. Hazelnut is a major tree nut allergen. Label clearly. Patch testing is essential for customers who haven’t used hazelnut topically before.

Short shelf life. The fresh nutty character fades faster than most oils. Buy small quantities and rotate stock. Add vitamin E (0.5%) for stability.

Confusing refined and unrefined. Refined hazelnut oil is almost odourless and almost colourless. Unrefined retains the nutty scent and yellowish colour. Choose based on whether the scent fits your fragrance plan.

Wrong skin type match. Hazelnut on very dry skin feels like nothing. Match it to combination or oily skin.

Allergen-cautious labelling. Some markets require allergen highlighting on cosmetic labels for tree nut oils. Check current rules.

Substitutes

• Jojoba oil — light, very stable, similar role.
• Camellia oil — light, fast-absorbing, allergen-friendly.
• Apricot kernel oil — slightly heavier, also oleic-rich.
• Macadamia oil — similar feel, also a tree nut.
• Sweet almond oil — heavier, also a tree nut.
• Squalane — light, fast-absorbing, allergen-friendly.