Jojoba bush

The jojoba bush, also known as jojoba for short, is an evergreen shrub native to Mexico, California and Arizona in the Sonora Desert region.

The "nut-like" seeds are harvested. These contain a wax, the so-called"jojoba oil", which is liquid at room temperature, and viscous or solid at low temperatures. This wax is mainly used for cosmetic, caring purposes.

Jojoba oil contains provitamin A and vitamin E and intensively cares for the skin due to its favourable fatty acid composition. "Jojoba oil" has only a slight inherent odour; it does not leave an oily film on the skin when applied, obviously has a slight anti-inflammatory effect and is often used as massage oil. Jojoba oil has a natural sun protection factor of about 3 and is therefore also used as base oil for essential oils and sun oils.

• The name Jojoba is probably derived from the Indian name Jojowi.
• The Latin name "Simmondsia chinensis" goes back to an error of a botanist who, during the initial identification, confused the jojoba seeds with seeds of other plants from China.