Coconut oil shows up in a lot of skincare, but not all coconut oil is the same product once it's actually formulated. Ours is 92° coconut oil — a specific melting-point grade, and the number isn't marketing, it's a real formulation spec that changes how the oil behaves and what it retains.
What "92°" Actually Means
Coconut oil graded by melting point tells you how it was processed. Fractionated coconut oil has its long-chain fatty acids — including lauric acid — stripped out entirely, leaving a permanently liquid oil that's lighter but loses coconut oil's antimicrobial properties along with it. 92° coconut oil is different: it's processed to a higher, more stable melting point while retaining lauric acid, the fatty acid responsible for most of coconut oil's antimicrobial activity.
Why Lauric Acid Matters
A randomized clinical trial on coconut oil's antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity found lauric acid interacts directly with the cell wall structure of gram-positive bacteria, contributing to measurable antimicrobial effects and reduced inflammatory response in a clinical setting. That's the same mechanism relevant to skin — lauric acid retained in 92° coconut oil carries real antimicrobial support that fractionated versions simply don't have anymore.
Why We Chose This Grade Specifically
Fractionated coconut oil is popular in skincare because it's odorless, permanently liquid, and easy to formulate with. We chose 92° instead because keeping the lauric acid intact matters more to us than convenience — the same tradeoff that runs through this entire formula. A more processed ingredient is usually a more predictable one and a less active one.
Coconut Oil's Role in the Formula
92° coconut oil contributes to Stage 3's botanical butter lattice alongside shea, mango, and cocoa butter — adding barrier-supportive fatty acids and lauric acid's antimicrobial properties to the structural mix that carries the formula's fruit actives into skin.
Keep reading: Shea Butter in Skincare · Mango Butter in Skincare · Our Cream: The Full Ingredient Breakdown