Its seeds popularly called sesame yield a pale yellow oil upon expression. Sesame oil and sesame seeds have been consumed by humans for thousands of years. Crude expressed sesame oil can be used as a food item with little or no refining. Sesame oil is consumed primarily as a cooking and salad oil and is an important flavour in Asian food. Asian sesame oil is made from roasted seeds and is amber in colour.

Cosmetic use

This highly nourishing oil has immense healing properties. Its use has been extensively mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic text for over thousands of years. It is considered a hair nourisher, natural sunscreen and has hair-darkening properties thus preventing premature greying of hair.

Excellent for dry scalp and hair growth treatment, regular warm oil massage is the traditional prescription for controlling dryness and flakiness which also increases penetration of oil in the scalp, resulting in enhanced blood circulation, thereby promoting hair growth.

Classified as hair and skin conditioning agent, binder, surfactant, emulsion stabilizer and viscosity builder, it is extensively used in cosmetics and personal care products.

Sesame oil and derived ingredients such as hydrogenated sesame seed oil, sesame oil unsaponifiables and sodium salt of sesame oil-derived fatty acids are components of several cosmetic formulations. They are included in the composition of hair care and make-up products, sunscreen lotions, skin cleansers, moisturizers and lipsticks among others.