Olive oil is a key ingredient in many of our Kiss Natural products. As it is a carrier oil, meaning that it dilutes any essential oils and absolutes used in products before they are applied to the skin. Today, we’ve created a list of fun and maybe not well-known facts about the great oil, known as olive oil.

*** Disclosure: The statements below have not been evaluated by the FDA. They are not intended to diagnose, treat cure or prevent any sickness or disease. Please reach out to a medical professional for any medical advice.***

• Olive trees can outlive humans! A healthy olive tree can live between 300 and 600 years. But, what is the oldest olive tree?
• The oldest known living olive tree is found in Istria, which is a peninsula in Europe. The tree is over 1,600 years old, and, amazingly, it still produces olives! That’s an old mama!
• All olives start out green, but as they ripen they turn black or dark purple. How cool!
• 2.25 million tons of olive oil are consumed worldwide every year. Whoa, what is all that olive oil used for?
• Olive oil protects against heart disease! Isn’t that amazing? It has been proven to lower inflammation, improve the functioning of the lining of blood vessels, protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, and olive oil may even reduce blood clotting!
• Olive oil has many uses. Aside from cooking, olive oil is used in many beauty products, as a makeup brush cleaner, and as massage oil. It can also be used as an ingredient in scented candles, to shine shoes, and even to silence squeaky doors.
• Did you know that there are over 1,000 varieties of olives that are used to create olive oil?! The most popular olives to use are from Istria, home of the oldest living olive tree.
• Perhaps you’ve heard the term “extra virgin olive oil”? What exactly does that mean? Extra virgin olive oil is a less acidic olive oil that has no chemical additions, making it the highest-quality olive oil available for purchase.
• Olive oil is made differently depending on where it is being made! Sometimes the olives are squeezed or pressed to make oil, and other times the olives are spun in a centrifuge, which is a cylindrical machine that rotates really fast.
• 99% of the olive oil produced in the United States is made in California. How interesting!
• Any bakers out there? Baked goods have a longer shelf life when they are made with olive oil instead of butter.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil contains many beneficial antioxidants and vitamins, like vitamin K and vitamin A!
• Olive oil can help fight Alzheimer’s disease! One study conducted with mice shows that olive oil helps break down beta amyloid plaques in brain cells that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
• Crops from olive trees can vary in size each year. If one year an olive tree produces a large crop of olives, the next year the harvest will likely be dramatically smaller.

Comment down below and let us know which fun facts you didn’t know or even add to this list by commenting another fun fact about olive oil!

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