Grapeseed oil is a versatile kitchen and skincare oil prized for its high smoke point (420°F), mild flavor, and unusually high concentration of linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat that makes up 66 to 75% of the oil. It’s extracted from the seeds left over after winemaking, and it pulls double duty as a reliable cooking fat and a lightweight moisturizer.
Cooking at High Temperatures
With a smoke point of 420°F, grapeseed oil handles searing, stir-frying, and roasting without breaking down and filling your kitchen with smoke. That puts it in the same range as canola and peanut oil, and well above extra virgin olive oil. Its flavor is neutral, almost imperceptible, which makes it useful when you want the ingredients in a dish to speak for themselves. It works well in salad dressings and homemade mayonnaise for the same reason.
One tablespoon delivers 3.9 mg of vitamin E, covering about 26% of the daily recommended intake. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that protects cells from damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals. That said, how much of that vitamin E survives in the bottle depends heavily on how the oil was produced.
Cold-Pressed vs. Refined
Most grapeseed oil on grocery store shelves is refined using high heat and a chemical solvent called hexane, which maximizes the amount of oil extracted from each batch of seeds. The tradeoff is significant: high heat destroys most of the antioxidants and vitamins that make the oil nutritionally interesting in the first place. Refined oil still has its high smoke point and neutral flavor, but it’s essentially stripped of the extras.
Cold-pressed grapeseed oil retains far more of its antioxidant content and vitamin E because the extraction happens at lower temperatures without chemical solvents. It costs more and yields less oil per batch, but it’s the better choice if you’re buying grapeseed oil specifically for its nutritional or skincare benefits. Look for “cold-pressed” or “expeller-pressed” on the label. If the label doesn’t specify, assume it’s solvent-extracted.
Skin and Hair Care
Grapeseed oil has become a popular ingredient in skincare, and the reason comes down to its fatty acid profile. Linoleic acid, which dominates the oil at 66 to 75%, plays a direct role in maintaining the skin’s protective barrier. That barrier is what keeps moisture in and irritants out. People with acne-prone or oily skin tend to have lower levels of linoleic acid in their sebum, so applying it topically can help restore balance without clogging pores.
The oil is noncomedogenic, meaning it’s unlikely to block pores, and it has both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. That combination makes it useful for calming redness and fighting the bacteria involved in breakouts. The vitamin E content adds another layer, helping skin retain moisture and recover from minor damage. It absorbs quickly compared to heavier oils like coconut or castor oil, leaving a light, non-greasy finish.
For hair, grapeseed oil works as a lightweight sealant. A few drops smoothed through damp ends can reduce frizz and add shine without weighing hair down. People with fine or thin hair often prefer it over thicker oils for this reason.
The Omega-6 Question
Grapeseed oil has the highest omega-6 content of any common cooking oil. A single tablespoon contains roughly 9,470 mg of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, with almost no omega-3s to balance them out. This matters because omega-6 fats, when consumed in large excess relative to omega-3s, can promote inflammation in the body. The typical Western diet already skews heavily toward omega-6 from processed foods, vegetable oils, and grain-fed meat.
This doesn’t make grapeseed oil dangerous, but it does mean you probably shouldn’t use it as your only cooking oil. Rotating it with oils that have a better omega-6 to omega-3 balance, like extra virgin olive oil (rich in monounsaturated fat) or using omega-3 sources like fatty fish and flaxseed elsewhere in your diet, helps keep things in proportion. Used occasionally for high-heat cooking or in dressings, grapeseed oil fits comfortably into a balanced diet. Used as your default oil for everything, it could contribute to an already lopsided fat intake.
How to Store It
Grapeseed oil is less oxidatively stable than many other cooking oils. In lab comparisons, it ranked near the bottom for resistance to oxidation, only slightly better than walnut oil and well behind options like rice bran, avocado, and macadamia nut oil. Oxidation is what makes oil go rancid, producing off flavors and potentially harmful compounds.
Store grapeseed oil in a cool, dark place, ideally in a dark glass bottle. If you don’t use it frequently, keeping it in the refrigerator extends its life. Cold-pressed versions are especially vulnerable to going rancid because the same antioxidants that make them nutritionally superior also make them less shelf-stable once opened. Smell the oil before using it. Rancid oil has a sharp, paint-like odor that’s unmistakable once you know what to look for. If you buy grapeseed oil in large bottles and use it slowly, consider downsizing to a smaller container.
Nutritional Breakdown
The fat composition of grapeseed oil varies slightly by grape variety, but the general profile looks like this:
- Linoleic acid (omega-6): 66 to 75%, the dominant fat by a wide margin
- Oleic acid (omega-9): 14 to 22%, the same monounsaturated fat found in olive oil
- Palmitic acid: roughly 7%, a common saturated fat
- Stearic acid: 2 to 4%, another saturated fat
Compared to olive oil, which is about 73% monounsaturated fat, grapeseed oil leans much more heavily on polyunsaturated fat. That gives it different properties in both cooking and nutrition. Polyunsaturated fats are more chemically reactive, which is why grapeseed oil oxidizes faster but also why it absorbs into skin so readily.