Botanical Ingredient

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olea europaea

Responsibly sourced

Organic extra virgin olive oil has been the base of topical preparations for thousands of years. Pressed from the fruit of Olea europaea without heat or solvents, it is composed primarily of oleic acid — an omega-9 fatty acid — alongside naturally occurring polyphenols such as hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein that survive only in cold-pressed, unrefined oil. In an herbal balm it does double duty: it is the solvent that draws fat-soluble compounds out of the herbs over weeks of slow infusion, and a deeply emollient, conditioning ingredient in its own right.

Rich in oleic acid (omega-9)Contains polyphenols (hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein)Deeply emollientNaturally antioxidantSkin-conditioning

Infused into 2 InVine formulas

Green and ripe black olives on an olive branch with silvery leaves

Traditional Uses

Traditionally used as a skin emollient for thousands of years
Historically valued in Mediterranean skin and hair care
Traditional base for herbal infusions and salves
Historically used to soften and condition the skin
Traditional carrier for botanical preparations

Key Properties

Rich in oleic acid (omega-9)Contains polyphenols (hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein)Deeply emollientNaturally antioxidantSkin-conditioning

Did You Know

Olive oil has been used on skin for at least 5,000 years. Mediterranean athletes coated themselves in it before competition and scraped it off afterward with a curved bronze tool called a strigil — one of the oldest cleansing rituals on record.

Our Sourcing

Olive oil is one of the ingredients we don't grow — our Florida garden isn't suited to olive groves. We source certified organic, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil from trusted producers and use it as the primary infusion base, where its broad solvent profile draws a rich spectrum of compounds out of our garden herbs over six to eight weeks. We don't economize here: by volume the carrier oil is the majority of the formula, and a refined or oxidized oil would extract less and deliver less.

Why We Use It

A balm is mostly its oils, so this is the ingredient we spend the most on. Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is rich enough to stand alone as skincare — deeply emollient, naturally antioxidant from its own polyphenols, and small-moleculed enough to carry our garden herbs further than a cheap refined base ever could. Most balms hide an inexpensive, refined oil at the bottom of the label; we lead with a real one, because the herbs are only as good as what carries them.