What marula oil is
Marula oil is pressed from the kernels of the marula fruit (Sclerocarya birrea), a tree that grows wild across southern Africa. The oil is unusually rich in oleic acid, which makes it light on the skin and remarkably stable — it resists oxidation far longer than most plant oils, so it needs fewer preservatives in a finished formula. Alongside its fatty acid profile, marula carries high levels of vitamin E, vitamin C, phenolic antioxidants and amino acids, which is why it appears in both skincare and nutritional products. In cosmetic use it behaves as an emollient that reinforces the skin barrier and reduces trans-epidermal water loss, and in supplement form it contributes antioxidant capacity that has been measured against common reference fruits.
How MarulaLab extracts it
MarulaLab uses two complementary processes. Cold pressing yields the base oil while keeping heat-sensitive vitamins intact. Supercritical CO₂ extraction then pulls higher-value fractions — polyphenols, sterols and aroma compounds — from the same raw material without solvents, leaving no chemical residue behind. A proprietary kernel-cracking technology raises kernel recovery from the notoriously hard marula nut, which is what makes commercial-scale production viable at all. Each stage is designed so the output of one step becomes the input of the next: press cake becomes protein flour, shells become biomass fuel, and fruit pulp becomes juice and powder.
Sustainability and Loop Zero
Loop Zero is MarulaLab's zero-waste production philosophy: every part of the harvested fruit is routed to a use, and water and energy are recirculated through the facility. The company sources through UEBT (Union for Ethical BioTrade) principles, meaning wild-harvest collectors are paid fairly, biodiversity is monitored, and the supply chain is traceable from tree to batch. Because marula trees grow without irrigation or replanting, the crop has a far smaller land and water footprint than cultivated oil crops.
Where the research points
Clinical and laboratory work on MarulaLab extracts has looked at procollagen synthesis, antioxidant capacity and skin-comfort outcomes in irritated skin, alongside nutritional applications in the PD Balance food-first line. Read more on our research page, explore the extraction technology, or contact our team for specifications and samples.