The Opuntia ficus indica plant is a member of the cactus family, Cactaceae, and is commonly known as Prickly Pear (aka India Fig Opuntia or Barbary Fig). This plant was native to Mexico, but it can now be found in various arid and semi-arid areas of the world such as Morocco. Prickly Pear cactus is known as the miracle plant for its ability to survive during long droughts and still produce healthy fruits. The Prickly Pear fruit contains numerous small black seeds from which the precious Prickly Pear Seed Oil is extracted.

Prickly Pear Seed Oil has a high concentration of Tocopherol (Vitamin E) and essential fatty acids (Linoleic Acid or Omega 6). This oil contains more tocopherol than any other oil available in the beauty care market (almost 150% more tocopherol than Argan oil). Tocopherols have strong antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties.

Prickly Pear Seed Oil (also known as Barbary Fig Seed Oil, or Cactus Seed Oil) is the best natural moisturizer on earth, up to 10 times more powerful than Argan oil.

Production Process of Prickly Pear Seed Oil: How We Make the Prickly Pear Seed Oil

Prickly pear seed oil is extracted during a very time-consuming and laborious procedure. Each seed contains only 5% of oil, so the production of 1-liter prickly pear seed oil takes about one ton (1,000 kg) of fruits to extract 25 kg of seeds (1 million prickly pear seeds).

1- Where do we get the raw material – seeds:

The Prickly Pear Seed Oil production begins with a careful selection of where the seeds come from. It is crucial that we get it from places that comply with our values.
The Prickly Pear seeds are separated from the pulp. Then they are washed carefully, air-dried under sunbeams and afterwards stored in a cool and dry place.

2- Our production method:

After our careful seed selection, we prepare them for the extraction process. This means they are dried and cleaned from any pulp residue, this way our oil will be 100% pure.
The extraction method is completely mechanic; we do not use any chemical solvents. The oil is like an extra virgin oil, no chemical treatment and first cold pressed in a very careful way.

ARGATLAS Prickly Pear Seed Oil is extracted from the seeds within the Barbary Fig fruit, and is not to be confused with lower-quality macerated extracts of prickly pear.