Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is an evergreen, drought resistant shrub, with an original geographic range from the Southwestern United States to Northern Mexico.
The indigenous tribes of the Sonoran Desert traditionally used grinded seeds to boost the healing process of open wounds. They further used the seeds as an appetite suppressant during their long walks.
Around 1930, scientists analyzed the composition of Jojoba. The Chemists were surprised to find that in contrast to all naturally occurring liquid oils and solid fats, which are triglyceride molecules, Jojoba is mainly composed of an array of long-chained, unsaturated liquid wax esters. Thus Jojoba Seed Oil is in fact the only known wax, which is liquid at room temperature. This aufbau is responsible for the unique qualities of Jojoba.
In the 1970’s with increasing awareness for environmental and animal protection, research on Jojoba increased, as it was the only substitute for spermaceti from the endangered Sperm Whale, which formerly was frequently applied in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. Beyond that several research studies have proven the superior quality of Jojoba compared to spermaceti. Consequently the use of Jojoba considerably helped in whale protection.
The growing demand for Jojoba in cosmetics and special industrial applications led to the enlargement and setup of new plantations in the appropriate climatic zones worldwide.