Quick answer: "Zero hexane" means the oil was not extracted using hexane, a petroleum-based solvent common in seed-oil production. Our avocado oil is separated mechanically, by pressing and centrifuging the fruit paste. Essential is then naturally refined: physical steps only (filtration, washing and steam deodorisation), again without any chemical solvent.
Extraction and refining are two different steps
When I first read oil labels closely, I assumed "refined" and "chemical" meant the same thing. They don't. It helps to separate the two steps.
- Extraction gets the oil out of the seed or fruit.
- Refining cleans that oil up: removing impurities, odour and colour so it tastes neutral and handles heat.
An oil can be mechanically extracted and then refined. An oil can also be solvent-extracted and then refined. The word "refined" alone doesn't tell you which. The extraction method does.
Why "refined" got a bad name
The more we read, the clearer it became why so many people distrust refined oil. Most seed oils hold their oil so tightly that large-scale producers use hexane to pull it out, then process the oil heavily afterwards. "Refined" came to stand for that whole industrial chain.
Avocado oil is different at the root. It's a fruit oil, pressed from soft pulp, so mechanical or cold extraction is all it needs. Once we understood that, the decision for TAC was simple: no hexane, not at any step. If the fruit gives up its oil to a press and a centrifuge, there's no reason to bring a solvent anywhere near it.
What hexane is used for
Many oilseeds (soybean, sunflower, rice bran and others) hold their oil tightly. Pressing alone leaves a lot behind. So large-scale producers often soak the seed material in hexane, which dissolves the oil out. The solvent is then evaporated off and recovered, and the crude oil is refined.
It's an efficient, widely used and regulated industrial process, and it's a big part of why everyday seed oils are affordable. But many families, us included, would rather cook every day with an oil that never met a petroleum solvent in the first place.
How avocado oil is different
Avocado oil comes from the fruit's flesh, not a hard seed. The flesh is soft and oil-rich, so it can be ground to a paste and the oil separated mechanically, by spinning it in centrifuges. That's how both our oils start.
| Step | Typical solvent-extracted seed oil | Our avocado oil |
|---|---|---|
| Raw material | Seeds, flaked | Hass avocado flesh, as paste |
| Extraction | Hexane solvent, then evaporated off | Mechanical: centrifuging, no solvent |
| Refining | Often includes chemical neutralising steps | Naturally refined (Essential): filtration, hot-water wash, steam and vacuum deodorisation |
| Unrefined option | Rare for these oils | Yes: Drizzle, cold-pressed under 27°C |
Why refine avocado oil at all?
Refining turns a green, flavourful oil into a pale, neutral one with a smoke point around 270°C. For Indian cooking, where spices lead and pans run hot, that's useful. The trade-off is that some aroma and minor compounds are reduced. That's a choice, not a flaw, and it's why we also make Drizzle, unrefined. We explain the trade-off fully in Cold-Pressed vs Naturally Refined.
What "naturally refined" means on our tin
When we call Essential naturally refined, we mean something specific: the oil is mechanically extracted, then refined using only physical steps (filtration, centrifuging, a hot-water wash, steam and vacuum deodorisation, controlled cooling). No solvents and no chemical neutralising. That's the whole process; nothing hidden.
Five questions to ask any oil brand
- Was the oil pressed, or extracted with a solvent?
- If it's refined, was that physical or chemical refining?
- Where was the raw material grown, and is it one origin or a blend?
- Which laboratory tests it, and how often?
- Can I see the report for the batch in my hand?
We answer all five on every tin. The last one lives on Know Your Batch.
Frequently asked questions
Is refined the same as chemically extracted?
No. Extraction and refining are separate steps. Our oil is mechanically extracted and naturally refined.
Is naturally refined the same as cold-pressed?
No. Cold-pressed (Drizzle) is left unrefined. Naturally refined (Essential) goes through extra physical steps for neutral taste and higher heat.
How do I know an oil is hexane-free?
Look for "pressed" or "mechanically extracted" on the label, and ask the brand directly. A brand that knows will tell you.
Is hexane-extracted oil unsafe?
It's a regulated, approved process. Our choice is about how we want our own oil made and what we can show you, not about scaring anyone off their current oil.
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— Gayatri, co-founder and design lead, The Avo Company