Jojoba oil (pronounced "ho-HO-bah") is the liquid wax produced in the seed of the jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) plant, a shrub native to southern Arizona, southern California and north western Mexico. The oil makes up approximately 50% of the jojoba seed by weight. Jojoba oil is the oil closest to Human sebum. As such it is a great oil to use in lotion and skin products without blocking oil ducts, absorbing well.
Unrefined jojoba oil appears as a clear golden liquid at room temperature with a slightly fatty odor. Refined jojoba oil is colorless and odorless. Jojoba oil is also used as are placement for whale oil and its derivatives, such as cetyl alcohol. The ban on importing whale oil to the US in 1971 led to the discovery that jojoba oil is "in many regards superior to sperm oil for applications in the cosmetics and other industries.
Jojoba oil is a fungicide,and can be used for controlling mildew. Like olestra, jojoba oil is edible but non-caloric and non-digestible, meaning the oil will pass through the intestines unchanged.