What’s the Difference between Carrot Oil and Carrot Seed Oil?

Okay, so what exactly is the difference between carrot oil and carrot seed oil?! Let’s find out here!

Before you purchase any oil saying ‘carrot’ on it, you must find out what type of carrot oil it is! In this article, I breakdown the many types of carrot oil and their differences to help you get to know them better! You’ll finally learn the difference between carrot oil and carrot seed oil!

The Many Types of Carrot Oil

There are four types of carrot oil:

• carrot seed essential oil – a concentrated essential oil got through steam distillation of carrot seeds from the plant Daucus carota (Queen Anne’s Lace).
• carrot seed carrier oil – a carrier oil (or vegetable oil) got through cold pressing of carrot seeds of Daucus carota (Queen Anne’s Lace).
• wild carrot carrier oil or carrot root oil – infusing wild carrot root from the plant Daucus carota (Queen Anne’s Lace) in vegetable oil for a number of weeks, then strained to get the infused oil.
• ‘domestic’ carrot oil – produced at home by infusing domestic carrot (the orange one we all know) from the plant Daucus carota subsp. sativus. It’s just called carrot oil but I’m calling it domestic carrot oil for differentiation to help you understand better. I’ve not seen this oil being sold commercially but it is a popular DIY infused oil to make at home!

1. Carrot seed essential oil

When I found out about carrot seed oil, I was hooked! I mean it protects skin from sun damage, rejuvenates sun damaged skin, renews skin cells, nourishes mature skin and helps lighten skin! What’s not to love! It contains carotenoids, that give it a slight orange color.

Now let’s get to know more about carrot seed essential oil:

♥ Scientific name: Daucus carota

♥ Part of plant extracted from: Dried seeds of the Daucus carota (wild carrot) plant

♥ Extraction: steam distillation of wild carrot seeds

♥ Color: Yellow to amber

♥ Smell: Warm earthy woody aroma

♥ Quick facts:

• It is an essential oil, meaning it is highly concentrated and must be diluted before use. Dilute 1-2 drops of carrot seed essential oil in 1 tsp of carrier oil.
• Do not use during pregnancy or lactation.

♥ Benefits:

• Carrot seed essential oil has a lot of therapeutic properties: from healing and revitalizing skin to treating gout, indigestion, arthritic and menstrual problems.
• To know beauty benefits of carrot seed oil, go here: 9 Beauty Benefits of Carrot Seed Essential Oil

When buying carrot essential oil, it must contain the word ‘essential oil’. You can buy pure carrot seed essential oil from Plant Therapy, Eden’s Garden or Rocky Mountain Oils. My favorite is 100% Pure Carrot Seed Essential Oil from Plant Therapy. It comes in a 10ml bottle. Dilute it in your favorite natural skin care oil, such as argan oil, before applying it on your skin.

2. Carrot seed carrier oil

There are two types of carrot seed oil: one is an essential oil and the other is a carrier oil. Carrot seed carrier oil is extracted by cold pressing carrot seeds to get a carrier oil or vegetable oil. It also contains carotenoids, just like the essential oil, which gives it a slight orange color. Carotenoids protect skin from UV damage, heal sun damaged skin, promote cell renewal, tone skin and help lighten dark marks.

My favorite carrot seed carrier oil is Leven Rose 100% Pure Organic Carrot Seed Oil. I can apply 4 drops of it directly onto skin at night time for rejuvenation. It can also be added to your face cream or used as a base for essential oils to promote youthful skin.

3. Wild carrot carrier oil or carrot root oil

Carrot carrier oil is normally just called ‘carrot oil’. It is a carrier oil, meaning it ‘carries’ essential oil safely onto your skin. You can also call it a vegetable oil. It is produced through maceration. The wild carrot is chopped into tiny pieces and infused into a vegetable oil. The oil is then filtered after a number of weeks and sold as carrot oil.

Check out its profile below:

♥ Scientific name: Daucus carota

♥ Part of plant extracted from: Wild carrots

♥ Extraction: maceration of wild carrots

♥ Color: Clear orange

♥ Smell: Warm earthy woody aroma

♥ Quick facts:

• It is a carrier oil.
• It can be safely used directly onto the skin.

♥ Benefits:

• Carrot carrier oil is a tonic for the skin. It helps relieve itchy skin and treats eczema and psoriasis. It possesses similar properties as carrot seed essential oil but much milder.

You can buy Macerated Carrot Root Carrier Oil from Telia Oils. It comes in a 1.7 Oz bottle.

4. ‘Domestic’ Carrot-Infused Oil

Now this type of carrot oil can be produced right at home. It involves infusing domestic orange carrots we all know, in vegetable oil.

You can infuse carrots by chopping them up in tiny pieces and immersing them in vegetable oil for 3-4 weeks. Get the recipe here:

• How to Make Carrot Oil without Heat

You can also, heat up carrots/carrot juice in oil. I have a DIY carrot-infused oil recipe on the blog!

I use the method of heating carrot juice into the oil:

• DIY Carrot Lime Oil for Hair Growth
• How to Make Carrot Oil for Hair Growth, Softness & Shine

This carrot-infused oil is orange in color, smells like carrots and has skin and hair benefits! It makes skin glow, and rejuvenates it. It promotes hair growth and makes hair soft and silky.

So I hope you’ve learned the difference between carrot oil and carrot seed oil from the info above!