Ingredient Spotlight: Sacha Inchi Oil

Ingredient Spotlight · Plant Active

Sacha Inchi Oil

The seed of the Incas. Record-breaking in omega-3 and omega-6 among plant oils, organic sacha inchi oil nourishes, repairs and protects dry or weakened skin.

The portrait of a light Amazonian oil that behaves like a serum.

NourishingRepairingProtectiveOmegas 3-6-9Organic
Shop our sacha inchi treatments
Common name
Sacha inchi oil, inca inchi, Inca peanut.
INCI name
Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil (from organic farming in our formulas).
Family, type
Virgin plant oil (Euphorbiaceae); emollient rich in essential fatty acids.
Found in nature
The Peruvian Amazon, where the Plukenetia volubilis vine grows at the forest edge and bears star-shaped fruits with four to six points.
How it's obtained
First cold pressing of the shelled seeds, followed by filtration; no heating, to preserve the fragile omegas.
Typical concentration
1% to 5% in a cream, up to 20–30% in an oil or booster.
Organoleptic properties
Appearance: fluid, light yellow oil; Scent: green, slightly herbaceous; Feel: dry, fast-absorbing.
Physical characteristics
Fat-soluble; nearly 85% polyunsaturated fatty acids, including about 45% omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) and 35% omega-6 (linoleic acid); rich in vitamin E1,2; sensitive to oxidation.
Benefits
Nourishing, repairing, protective, soothing, anti-dehydration, softening.
Cosmetic indications
Dry, dehydrated, sensitized or exposed skin; mature skin lacking comfort; men's beard and facial skin.

Did you know?A little history

Pre-Columbian pottery dating back three thousand years already depicts the star-shaped fruits of sacha inchi.

The peoples of the Amazon ate its roasted seeds and used its oil to protect their skin and hair. Long overlooked outside Peru, it was rediscovered in the 2000s when analyses revealed its exceptional omega-3 content, higher than that of flax or canola1.

Grown through agroforestry, it now offers many Peruvian communities a sustainable alternative to deforestation.

General useOmegas and the skin

Essential fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6, can't be made by the body: they must come from diet, or from topical application. In the skin, they are the building blocks of the ceramides and cell membranes that form the skin barrier.

Skin lacking omegas becomes dry, rough and reactive. Applying them topically restores the barrier and reduces inflammation2.

Why it absorbs so quickly: the polyunsaturated fatty acids in sacha inchi are structurally close to the skin's own. The result is a dry touch with no greasy film, suitable even for combination skin.

Cosmetic useIts properties on skin

  • NourishingIts omegas 3, 6 and 9 make up for lipid deficiencies and restore suppleness and comfort2.
  • RepairingIt supports rebuilding the skin barrier of damaged, chapped or irritated skin.
  • ProtectiveIts natural vitamin E protects both the skin and the oil itself from oxidative stress.
  • SoothingOmega-3s help calm redness and inflammation in sensitized skin2.
  • Anti-dehydrationBy reinforcing the lipid cement, it limits transepidermal water loss.
  • LightweightDry touch and fast absorption: a rich oil that leaves no greasy film.

FormulationSacha inchi at Yon-Ka

A single form, certified organic virgin oil, always paired with vitamin E to protect its omegas from oxidation.

Organic virgin oil

Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil*

The nourishing, repairing active in our defense, night and men's treatments; the oil base of our serums and oils.

Key active in: Nutri Defense Creme · Booster Defense + · Time Resist Nuit · Beard Oil · Serum CBD (available exclusively in spas)

Serum Omega takes the idea further with the Lipo-Restore complex, a blend of plant oils concentrated to over 60% omegas 3, 6 and 9.

In cosmeticsUses

  • Nourishing, protective creams;
  • Antioxidant boosters and oil serums;
  • Repairing night creams;
  • Beard oils and men's care;
  • Soothing omega-rich care.

The Yon-Ka approach

Sacha inchi is our repair oil. In Nutri Defense, it joins shea butter and probiotics to rebuild the barrier of dry skin; in Booster Defense +, it carries pine bark polyphenols and pomegranate oil; in Serum CBD, available exclusively in spas, it soothes alongside hemp. Always organic, always cold-pressed.

The science of the active, the sensoriality of the plant.

How to useAdding it to your ritual

  1. Dry skin, morning and evening
    Nutri Defense after Lotion Yon-Ka PS, in a generous layer.
  2. As an antioxidant cure
    A few drops of Booster Defense + mixed into your cream, morning and evening, for one month.
  3. For him
    Beard Oil every morning on clean beard and skin, massaged in down to the roots.

Good to knowStorage and precautions

Rich in fragile omegas, sacha inchi oil is sensitive to oxidation: our formulas protect it with vitamin E. Store your products away from light and heat, and respect the period-after-opening.

Very well tolerated and non-comedogenic, with no known contraindications for topical use, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As with any seed oil, individual sensitivity is still possible: if you're allergy-prone, patch test behind the ear first.

Go furtherSources

  1. Fanali C. et al. Chemical characterization of Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) oil. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2011; 59(24): 13043-13049. PubMed
  2. Lin T.K., Zhong L., Santiago J.L. Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2018; 19(1): 70. PubMed
  3. COSMILE Europe (Cosmetics Europe), cosmetic ingredient database, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil. cosmileeurope.eu
Selection

Our sacha inchi treatments

The Yon-Ka formulas where organic sacha inchi oil is a key ingredient.

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