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Gac fruit facial oil OEM/ODM manufacturing
Gac Fruit Facial Oil · OEM/ODM
Gac is a fruit Vietnamese people know from xoi gac, a red sticky-rice dish; the red membrane around the seed (the aril) yields a deep red-orange oil colored by carotenoids, mainly lycopene and beta-carotene (Ishida 2004; Vuong and King 2003). The sticky-rice story is food culture, not evidence of a skin benefit. A gac facial oil brings that story into a water-free product: gac aril oil at a low level in a stable oil base such as squalane, MCT oil and jojoba, which softens the skin and leaves a thin oil film on the surface. Evidence for applying gac oil to the skin is limited: no published trial has tested gac aril oil on its own on human skin, and most human data on gac are dietary. The product is therefore positioned at softening and conditioning, and its quality depends on three technical points: color control (gac oil can leave color on skin and fabric), antioxidant protection for the carotenoids and the base oils, and light-protective packaging. Butter-C offers turnkey OEM/ODM manufacturing, from formula development and testing to labeled finished goods and the notification dossier.
Formula base
Gac oil at a low level in a stable oil base
A gac facial oil is an anhydrous (water-free) blend, so no emulsifier system is needed; anhydrous formulas usually contain no preservative (formulation practice), and a conclusion of low microbiological risk must be backed by a written assessment under ISO 29621 in the safety file. Gac oil is the named ingredient; most of the formula is base oil, chosen for oxidative stability and skin feel.
Gac aril oil
INCI Momordica Cochinchinensis Seed Aril Oil: oil expressed from the aril (the red membrane around the seed), not gac seed extract. Aril fatty acids are about 32% oleic, 29% palmitic and 28% linoleic (Ishida 2004). No use level has been established from verified sources (there is no CIR or SCCS report for this ingredient): the level is set by color and stability testing, starting low.
Stable base oils
Squalane (a saturated hydrocarbon that resists oxidation), caprylic/capric triglyceride (MCT oil, very few unsaturated components), jojoba oil (a liquid wax ester that was more oxidation-stable than olive, sunflower and rosehip oils in an accelerated oxidation test at 100 °C; Fagoaga et al., 2026). A stable base both dilutes the color and lowers the share of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the whole formula.
Esters for skin feel
Coco-caprylate/caprate makes the oil set quickly with less shine, suited to hot, humid climates and to users new to facial oils; the level is set by sensory testing (formulation experience).
Antioxidant and fragrance
Tocopherol is added as soon as the oil phase is combined; its level follows the supplier's technical data and stability testing. Fragrance-free is the recommended choice for a leave-on facial oil.
Key technical points
Color, oxidation and raw material: four factors that decide gac oil quality
Gac oil differs from a base oil because it carries a group of pigments that change over time. The four items below are settled together on the sample, not afterward.
Color control
Carotenoids give a yellow-orange to red-orange color depending on the amount used; the color can transfer to skin, pillowcases, towels, collars and clear plastic packaging (practical note). The gac oil level is set by stain testing on skin and fabric with the actual formula, and the label should carry a note about color.
Carotenoids decline over time
Beta-carotene in gac oil declines gradually without a preservative or suitable storage, although it stays high after three months (Vuong and King 2003); lycopene is heat-sensitive: oil-free lycopene tested in hexane shifted from the all-trans to the cis form faster at 80 °C than at 50 °C (Phan-Thi 2014); this is isomerization, and the study did not measure carotenoid loss. Fading color in stability testing usually signals carotenoid breakdown, so a color criterion is set when the sample is approved.
Base oil oxidation
Linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, makes up 28% of aril fatty acids (Ishida 2004); hand-pressed gac oil contains 69% unsaturated fat, 35% of it polyunsaturated (Vuong and King 2003). Measures: tocopherol, limiting metal ions, adding gac oil at as low a temperature as the process allows with short heating times, light-protective bottles with little headspace; nitrogen flushing at filling is an option (formulation practice).
The right plant part
The certificate of analysis for each lot states the aril as the plant part, the pressing or extraction method, refined or not, carotenoid content, acid value, peroxide value and added antioxidants. Gac seed extract is a different raw material with toxicity data in zebrafish embryos (Du 2021) and is never used as a substitute for aril oil.
Three formulation directions
Three gac facial oil formats
Squalane dropper oil
Squalane, MCT oil and a low level of gac oil; light, low base odor, pale orange. The common format: a few drops in the evening after moisturizer.
Dry-touch oil
Adds a dry ester and reduces heavier oils; absorbs quickly with little shine, aimed at combination skin and hot, humid climates. A "non-comedogenic" claim is only made after testing the finished product.
Gac balm
Gac oil in a base of shea butter, beeswax and MCT oil; a soft balm for dry areas, used in the evening. Melting and controlled cooling prevent graininess, and gac oil goes in at the end to limit time at temperature.
Packaging designed with the formula
Dark glass or opaque light-protective bottles, a dropper or metered pump, little headspace. Dropper bulbs and gaskets need immersion testing with the oil; clear plastic absorbs the orange color easily.
Parameters we monitor
What our R&D lab measures on every sample
These are the parameters Butter-C monitors while developing the formula and scaling it up to production. Specific limits are agreed with you on the approved sample and then written into the product's in-house specification.
- Color & appearance
- Color compared with the reference sample at room temperature, 40 °C and under light; fading color signals carotenoid breakdown. Rancid odor and clarity are tracked.
- Peroxide value, acid value
- Measured on gac oil at receipt and on the finished product across stability time points; finished-product limits are set from the formula's own stability data.
- Carotenoid content
- Per the certificate of analysis for each raw material lot; tracked over time in the finished product if the label mentions carotenoids.
- Color transfer to skin and fabric
- The actual use amount is applied, pressed onto white cotton and washed; the degree of staining is recorded to set the gac oil level and the label note.
- Stability
- Accelerated aging at 40 °C, freeze–thaw cycling and light exposure in the final pack; monitored for color, odor, haze and separation.
- Clarity at low temperature
- Jojoba and some other oils may cloud in the cold; balms are checked for graininess and hardness.
- Packaging compatibility
- Immersion with the actual bottle, dropper, bulb and gasket; monitored for swelling, color absorption and leakage.
- Microbiology
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; written microbiological risk assessment of the anhydrous system under ISO 29621.
- Skin evaluation
- Spreadability, set time, shine; irritation testing on volunteers before sign-off, since human tolerance data for gac oil are very limited.
Claims
Claims at the level of softening and conditioning
CosIng lists antioxidant, emollient, skin protecting and UV absorber functions for gac oil, but a function list is not permission to make a claim. Evidence for gac oil on skin is limited, so claims stay at basic cosmetic level. Butter-C reviews the wording on the label and marketing materials as soon as the notification dossier is prepared.
Softens and conditions the skin
Instead of: anti-aging, rejuvenating, wrinkle-erasing.
Contains carotenoid-rich gac oil, with a natural orange color from gac oil
Instead of: comparisons such as "many times more than tomatoes or carrots", vitamin A benefits from eating gac.
A facial oil: daytime still needs sunscreen
Instead of: sunscreen, UV protection, SPF. Gac oil is not on the list of UV filters (ASEAN Annex VII).
Vietnamese gac
Stated only when the certificate of analysis and supplier documents prove the origin; the sticky-rice story is cultural, not evidence of a benefit.
Label notes
May leave an orange color on skin and fabric; test on a small area of skin first; avoid the eye area; stop use if redness or itching occurs. These are practical suggestions, not mandatory warnings under the ASEAN annexes; label content is agreed with you.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Data on topical gac oil are insufficient; the product is not marketed to this group, and advice is to ask a doctor.
Manufacturing specifications
Current capabilities
- Texture
- Dropper oil, dry-touch oil or soft balm; yellow-orange to deep orange depending on the gac oil level.
- Pack formats
- Dark glass bottles with a dropper, light-protective pump bottles, or jars for balms. Volume agreed when packaging is selected.
- Minimum order quantity
- Agreed per order, depending on the formula direction and pack format chosen.
- Testing
- Performed at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; certificate of analysis delivered with every batch.
- Documentation
- Product Information File (PIF) and notification dossier prepared by Butter-C, with a raw material certificate of analysis stating the aril as the plant part.
- Packaging
- Label design, printing and packing run in parallel with formula development.
Suggested product concept
Gac squalane facial oil for evening use
A product concept to help you picture the possibilities, not a ready-made product for sale. The actual formula is developed to match your brand positioning and price range.
Gac aril oil
At a low level set by color testing: enough for a pale orange tint and the gac story, while limiting stains on pillowcases.
Squalane and MCT oil
A light, oxidation-stable, low-odor base; softens the skin.
Tocopherol, fragrance-free
Antioxidant for the oil phase; no fragrance.
30 ml dark glass dropper bottle
Light-protective with little headspace; the label carries a color note and directions to use a few drops in the evening.
Customization options
What you can specify
The same product type can serve very different customer groups depending on the brand. Tell us your requirements in the areas below and our team of pharmacists will develop a matching formula.
Gac oil level and color depth
Pale or deep orange; this determines staining and the label note.
Skin feel
Dry-touch with little shine or richer for dry skin; oil or balm.
Base oils
Squalane, MCT oil, jojoba, dry esters; any other plant oil added is rechecked for oxidative stability.
Scent
Fragrance-free (recommended) or a very light fragrance version, with fragrance allergens declared as required.
Packaging
Dropper or pump; dark glass or opaque light-protective bottle.
Ingredient direction
Vegan (no beeswax in the balm), silicone-free, fragrance-free; please state these from the start so suitable raw materials can be selected.
Further reading
Related topics
Gac oil (Momordica) in cosmetics
Carotenoids, level of evidence on skin, color, oxidation and ASEAN regulation of gac aril oil (in Vietnamese).
Choosing oils in formulation
Oxidative stability of each oil group, peroxide value, acid value (in Vietnamese).
Vitamin E (tocopherol) in cosmetics
Antioxidant for the oil phase and points to note (in Vietnamese).
Squalane in cosmetics
A saturated base oil, unlike squalene in oxidative stability (in Vietnamese).
Night cream OEM/ODM manufacturing
An evening cream step, used in the same routine as a facial oil.
How we work
From idea to finished batch
Eight steps and three milestones signed off by both sides: approved sample, notification number, finished batch. Step-by-step details (in Vietnamese) →
Get started
Tell us about the product you plan to launch
Send us your product direction and expected volume. Our team will get back to you during business hours (Vietnam time, GMT+7).
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