Meadowfoam Provides a High Value Oil

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

Meadowfoam, a rotational crop for cool-season grass seed grown in the Willamette Valley, is used almost exclusively as an oil in high-end cosmetics around the globe.

Farmer Cooperative OMG Chief Executive Officer Mike Martinez shares more about Meadowfoam.

Martinez: “Meadowfoam oil in the cosmetic marketplace does trade at a premium to the more commodity oils. There is a lot of soybean used in cosmetics as well. There is a lot of almond oil that is used in cosmetics. Those are pretty low-priced commodities. Meadowfoam trades at a premium anywhere from maybe 500 to 1000 percent of the low priced commodity oils. So it is a nice fit for us. Where there are characteristics of meadowfoam that make it a high cost oil. The cosmetic industry is one those segments in the U.S. marketplace that can actually bear the cost of the high-cost oils.”

Martinez says meadowfoam oil is highly desirable cosmetic oil due to its distinctive molecular structure that provides a resistance to oxidation and off-odors as well as a long-lasting shelf-life in comparison to other vegetable oils.

He shares some well-known brands that use Oregon-grown meadowfoam oil.

Martinez: “Aveda is a very large salon brand is one of our major customers. We are included in a lot of Amway’s products, which is an access-business group properly out of Michigan. Carma Labs which makes Carmex features meadowfoam. Neutrogena has a haircare line built around meadowfoam, olive oil and sweet almond oil, so that is another familiar brand.”

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.