Pink Oil and the Patience of Pomegranates

The first time anyone opens a bottle of Granate, they say two things, almost always in this order: "It's pink!" and then "It smells like candy." Both are true, and both are clues to how it is made.

Go deeper. The chemistry, step-by-step rituals, storage and pro tips are in the Pomegranate Seed Oil Deep Dive in our Ingredient Library. Ready to try it? Shop Granate.

A fruit with a long memory

Pomegranates have grown along the Nile for thousands of years. They show up in ancient Egyptian art, and all around the Mediterranean they have long stood for abundance and renewal. Our pomegranates still come from small farms in the Nile Delta, where the river's sediment keeps the soil rich.

Why it is pink

Most pomegranate seed oil is pressed from cleaned seeds and comes out pale yellow. Our makers dry the whole kernel first, then cold-press it. The fruit's natural pigments come through, and the oil turns a soft pink. The shade changes from harvest to harvest, just like the fruit does. It takes much more fruit to make a bottle this way, but you get more of what makes a pomegranate a pomegranate.

The rare omega-5

Here is the part that makes chemists happy. Most of pomegranate seed oil is punicic acid, an omega-5 fatty acid found in very few other plants. It is why Granate feels rich and nourishing yet sinks in within a few minutes, and why it is a favorite for skin that looks dull, tired or weather-beaten.

About that candy smell, and the tingle

The sweet scent is strongest in the bottle and fades from your skin within minutes. And an honest note: a few people with very sensitive or sun-exposed skin feel a brief tingle from the oil's natural compounds. It fades on its own. If you don't love it, blend Granate with Hoba, half and half.

How I use it

Evenings are Granate time for me. After I mist Géran, I warm three drops in my palms and massage them in with slow upward strokes from my jaw to my cheekbones. It is the most relaxing two minutes of my day. Whatever is left on my hands goes through the ends of my hair.

One tip: keep the bottle out of the sun. Light fades that beautiful pink.

Go deeper. The chemistry, step-by-step rituals, storage and pro tips are in the Pomegranate Seed Oil Deep Dive in our Ingredient Library. Ready to try it? Shop Granate.

~ Kate