Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil

Sesamum Indicum (sesame) seed oil is primarily an emollient/occlusive lipid typically used at a few percent up to high levels in balms and oils, and it is not intrinsically caustic. However, sesame is a well-recognized allergen and sesame-derived ingredients can trigger allergic contact reactions in a susceptible minority (including eczema patients with impaired barriers), so sensitivity is plausible even when the base oil feels “gentle.” Given the real sensitization risk despite generally good tolerability, I rate it as mild rather than universally gentle for highly reactive skin. Safety Notes: In mass-market and prestige skincare, sesame seed oil is often used at very low levels (~0.05–0.5%) as a minor emollient/solvent within complex blends (e.g., lotions, creams, cleansers) where it appears mid-to-late in the INCI list. Dedicated face/body oils, oil cleansers, and bath oils commonly use it as a primary carrier at ~10–80%, and consumer-available single-ingredient “100% sesame oil” products (sold as skin/hair oil or multipurpose oil) represent the top end at 100%. There is no specific EU/FDA concentration cap for sesame seed oil in cosmetics, so the upper bound is primarily driven by product format and sensory/oxidative stability rather than regulation.