Where to Buy Sesame Oil

As the name suggests, sesame oil is derived from sesame seeds. It is used as an ingredient for cooking in some Asian countries including Japan, China, Korea, South India, and Southeast Asian countries. Besides for cooking, sesame oil is also an effective skin, lips, and hair moisturizer. This vegetable oil is available in many places as follows.

Click here If you would like to see the brands of sesame oil that I have selected.

1. Amazon

The easiest and fastest way to see a long list of sesame oil products is through online stores, such as Amazon. In this online store, sesame oil is listed under three different categories including Grocery & Gourmet Food, Beauty, and Health & Personal Care. As previously stated, sesame oil is used for both cooking and cosmetic purposes, so it is easier to search based on the aforementioned categories in Amazon.

2. Alibaba

If you intend to bulk order sesame oil products, Alibaba is an excellent online store for your need. Similar to Amazon, there are some available categories such as Agriculture and Beauty & Personal Care. Furthermore, Alibaba also provides sorting option based on price, packaging, and processing type. There is also an option to sort sesame oil products based on cultivation type (organic and non-organic). Options to choose certain region and country of suppliers are also provided.

3. The Vitamin Shoppe

This store specifically provides vitamin and minerals including nutritional supplements, herbs, and homeopathic remedies. The Vitamin Shoppe is available both online and offline, so you can make a purchase directly from the offline store or place order online. Store locator function is provided in the online store also. In fact, it has more than 500 stores nationwide currently. In the online stores, you can sort sesame oil products based price, brand, and form (liquid, oil, serum, and soft gels).

4. eBay

In eBay, sesame oil is categorized under Health & Beauty and Home & Garden. Some items are even available for auction, so you are welcome to make bids. There are numerous sellers offering their products through eBay. The good thing is that each seller is rated based on many things. For the best purchasing experience and to avoid disappointment, it is always wise to purchase from top-rated sellers.

5. Grocery Stores

Besides in online stores, sesame oil is available in most grocery stores or supermarket. In most cases, sesame oil is in Indian or Asian section of the store. The good thing about such offline stores is that you can always ask for help from the store manager if you have difficulties finding sesame products.

5 Types of Sesame Oil

Based on functions, there are two major divisions of sesame oil including cosmetic-grade and cooking-grade. However, these divisions can be broken down into more specific types based on extraction process and types of sesame seeds extracted. Before you purchase any sesame oil products, please pay attention to the label attached to the bottle/container.

1. Chili Sesame Oil

As the name suggests, this particular type of sesame oil is flavored with chili seasoning. It is available to purchase as a ready-to-use product, so you will not need to add the seasoning after purchasing. It is used for cooking purpose, not for cosmetic. You can use this oil to add spicy flavor to salads, meats, soups, vegetables, sauces, and more.

2. Dark Sesame Oil

Dark sesame oil has coffee-like hue. It is darker in terms of color compared to other types. The oil is extracted from toasted sesame seeds instead of raw. It has very strong sesame flavor which will overpower all other seasonings used in food. Therefore, it is mainly used as flavoring or condiment that is added to foods before serving. The most common uses are in salad dressings and sauce.

3. Light Sesame Oil

Light sesame oil is extracted by applying pressures to sesame seeds until they produce oil. Unlike dark sesame oil, it is extracted from raw sesame seeds, not the toasted ones. Compared to its darker counterpart, light sesame oil is best used for cooking. In fact, it has high smoke-point, which is an important property for any oil used for cooking purpose. The color is pale yellow and is often used in Asian cuisines.

4. Cold-Pressed Sesame Oil

Cold-pressed means the extraction process only applies low-temperature pressure to sesame seeds. It is known that cold-pressed extraction is able to preserve most nutrients contained in the oil. Such method allows the oil to bring more amount of antioxidant compound called sesamol. Cold-pressed extraction usually takes more time compared to other methods, but it produces better oil.

5. Organic Sesame Oil

Organic sesame oil is extracted from organic sesame seeds. Organic plants are grown without using any chemical-based fertilizers or pesticides. In other words, the plants are never exposed to any chemical substance, so it is the most natural method to produce sesame seeds. You may find that the price of organic oil is commonly more expensive since the plants will generally grow slower and require a larger area of land to yield equal amount of crops to non-organic types.

Recommended Brands of Sesame Oil

Some of the brands of sesame oil that are recommended:

There are many locations to buy sesame oil: your local drug store, an online pharmacy, a high-end grocery store, etc.

But Amazon has proven itself to be a very reliable online retailer of many physical products. If you find a better price elsewhere, that’s great. But do yourself a favour and at least research the product there and compare prices.

Below are some of the brands of sesame oil that I recommend:

Life Flow Pure Sesame Oil

Widely used for Ayurvedic Skin Care, this sesame oil has warming properties that make this a great choice for massages.

Also popular for aromatherapy, this food grade oil is organic and cold pressed.

The link below is for the 16oz bottle.

Ingredients: Organic sesame seed oil (99.5%), Vitamin E (tocopherol – used as an antioxidant to preserve freshness)

Directions: For skin care, apply to face and body as desired. Use this sesame oil to moisturize and soften the skin. It can also be used for dry feet, knees, and elbows.

Neutrogena Body Oil – Light Sesame Formula

This is a lighter, fast absorbing formula than the one above.

One recommended use of this sesame oil is to add some to your bath water. This keeps your skin from drying out after a hot bath, especially during the winter.

The link below is also for the 16oz size. Note that this oil is not as ‘pure’ as the brand above. This may make for a more effective skin moisturizer, but it certainly is not food grade or as healthy as pure sesame oil.

Ingredients: Isopropyl Myristate, Sesame Oil, PEG-40, Sorbitan Peroleate, Pripylparaben, BHT, Fragrance

Directions: Apply after your shower or your bath. This can help to keep in skin moisture if you apply directly after bathing. Alternatively you could just add the drops to your bath water.

Bayan Botanicals Sesame Oil

Another great offering that I found for you. This sesame oil from Bayan Botanicals is pure, unrefined, and certified organic. The bottles are BPA-free, as you would expect from an organic product.

The reviews are very positive for this oil. Many of them have the consumer using it for Ayurvedic medicine and oil pulling.

You can see from the ingredients that this is the purest possible source of sesame oil.

Available in a small 16oz or medium 36oz bottle for you to try, this brand also has the super-economy size 128oz jug. If you’re a fan of using sesame oil on your skin, like I am, this is the best deal going.

Ingredients: Pure certified organic Sesame Oil

Directions: For skin health and moisturizing use alone or mixed in with your favorite moisturizer.
For oral oil pulling, swish inside your mouth, between the teeth, and along the gums for 10-20 minutes.

Do you have a favorite brand that you use? Please let me know in the comments below. I would love to try a new brand myself too.