Yes. Gujarat grows most of India's castor seed, and alongside the large industrial crushers there are plants that press seed at low temperature and filter or lightly refine the oil for cosmetic use.
Cold-pressed oil is a small part of the castor trade. Most castor oil is expeller-pressed with heat and the remaining oil is solvent-extracted from the cake. So you need to check that the oil you are offered really is what the label says.
What cold-pressed should mean
There is no single legal definition that every buyer and supplier shares. In the trade, cold-pressed usually means mechanical pressing without added heat, no solvent, and only filtering or gentle refining afterwards. Write your definition into the spec, including whether any bleaching or deodorising is allowed and whether the oil must be hexane-free.
The ideas behind cold pressing are similar for edible oils. Our article on kachi ghani or cold-pressed oil explains the process and the claims that go with it.
What cosmetic buyers usually specify
Limits below are examples of what buyers ask about. The right numbers depend on your product, your formulator and your market.
- Colour: pale and clear, often measured on the Gardner or Lovibond scale.
- Odour: mild and characteristic, with no burnt or rancid note.
- Acid value and peroxide value: low, because both affect odour, stability and skin feel.
- Moisture and insoluble impurities: low, with no haze or sediment in the drum.
- Residual solvent: none detected, if you claim cold-pressed or hexane-free.
- Identity: fatty acid profile showing ricinoleic acid as the main fatty acid, to rule out blending.
Regulatory and certification points
- INCI name: castor oil is usually listed as Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil. Confirm the name your market uses.
- EU and UK: cosmetics fall under the EU Cosmetics Regulation and the UK's retained version. The person responsible for the product needs supplier data for the safety assessment.
- US: cosmetics are regulated by the FDA, and the ingredient supplier's documents support your own compliance.
- Organic: if you need organic oil, the seed and the plant must be certified under a scheme your market accepts. See how to source certified organic products from India.
- Cosmetic GMP: some plants are certified to ISO 22716. It is helpful but not universal for ingredient suppliers.
Packing and order size
Cosmetic castor oil usually ships in new HDPE or lined steel drums, or in IBCs, rather than flexitanks. Smaller packs such as cans or jerrycans are possible. Order sizes are often well below a full container, but expect a higher cost per kilo for small, specially pressed lots. Ask for a pre-shipment sample from the actual batch before the drums are sealed.
How we help
We visit Gujarat plants that press castor seed cold, see the presses and filters running, and check whether any solvent plant shares the site. Samples go to an NABL-accredited lab for acid value, peroxide value, colour and residual solvent before you commit. Ask for a free sourcing review to begin.