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What Type of Oil Has No Preservatives?

When using oils for cooking, skin care products or for salad dressings and other uncooked culinary uses, the best way to be sure that the product is free of chemical ingredients is to purchase organic or pure products that have not been adulterated with preservatives or any other chemical additives. It is also a good idea to purchase oils from companies or individuals that only use one source for the oil, as many commercial oil products combine oils from different producers, making it hard to guarantee the ingredients of the oil.

  1. Cooking Oils

    • Quality cooking oils have limited shelf lives, making it very tempting for manufacturers to add preservatives to their product. High-quality organic virgin olive oil contains no preservatives and will last for months if you keep it in a cool, dry place and out of direct sunlight. This is because the naturally occurring antioxidants, which also give it its health benefits, help to keep it from degenerating. Other organic cooking oils, such as coconut, canola and safflower oil have shorter shelf lives but should be preservative-free as well.

    Body Oils

    • Many natural oils have moisturizing and other beneficial properties for the human skin and are used alone or blended with other products in skin care. Once again, because of the relatively short shelf life of natural oils, many body care manufactures add preservative to oils and other skin products. Organic body oils, if they are unrefined, should be able to keep from spoiling if used within a couple of months of purchase. The best natural and preservative-free oils for the body include almond, coconut and hemp, all of which contain natural antioxidants, helping them to resist degeneration.

    Essential Oils

    • Essential oils are highly concentrated oils that are steam distilled from aromatic plants and flowers and are used in cooking and perfumery. Buying organic essential oils from quality manufacturers ensures that they are free of preservatives. In fact, many essential oils have extremely long shelf lives because of the fact that the highly aromatic substance they contain are full of antioxidants and keep the oil fresh. You can even add essential oils to body care products to give them more scent, add medicinal qualities and extend their shelf life without preservatives. Essential oils like rosemary, clove, oregano and cinnamon can even be added to food items to add flavor and act as a natural preservative.

    Raw Oils

    • Raw oils, like those used in salads, are often delicate, light oils and have short shelf lives. Once again, a high-quality virgin organic olive oil will work well as a salad dressing or dipping oil and will stay fresh without chemical preservatives for months if kept cool and out of the light. Other oils, like hazelnut, walnut and sunflower, need to be used relatively quickly if they do not contain chemical preservatives.

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