While most plant oils are not able to penetrate the skin completely or at all, due to their molecular structure, many leave a light to heavy film/barrier or waxy layer on skin,  Camellia oil has an impressive skin absorption and penetration ability, absorbing nearly completely. Its absorption ability is due in part to its unique components, making it one of the most absorbing and penetrative skin oils of all plant oils. Camellia oleifera oil is more absorbing then Argan oil and Olive oil.

A study of Camellia oleifera was completed by Chia-Pu Lee and Gow-Chin Yen, from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, in Taiwan, Republic of China. The results were published in 2006, the study was to find the Antioxidant Activity and Bio-active Compounds of Tea Seed (Camellia oleifera Abel.) Oil. The objectives of the study were to investigate the antioxidant activity of tea seed (Camellia oleifera) oil and its active compounds.

The results indicated that both compounds isolated from tea seed oil exhibit remarkable antioxidant activity. Apart from the traditional pharmacological effects of Camellia oleifera, the oil of tea seed may also act as a prophylactic agent to prevent free radical related diseases. (source)

The triterpenoid saponin from camellia has been shown to improve immune function, enhance antibacterial and antiviral activities, and to have anti-mutation and anti-oxidation properties in humans and animals (Zhan 1999).

The oil from Camellia oleifera consists mainly of olein. and due to the high content of oleic acid it is not subject to polymerize or oxidize quickly, giving it a long shelf life. When pure and not mixed with other oils or ingredients, it is always liquid and does not turn into a solid at low temperatures.

Camellia Oleifera oil, aka White Flower Tea-Oil Camellia, is so-named because the plants are cultivated in their native homeland of China specifically for the seeds, which are cold pressed into skin and hair oil and cooking oil. Camellia oil is a kind of food, a natural beauty product, and is also used as a lubricate for hand tools and wood.

Oleic Acid

Studies of Oleic Acid and other fatty acids have proven they are excellent emollients for the skin, and remarkable natural agents for the retention and enhancement of skin moisture. Oleic Acid is also known to promote skin restructuring and moisturizing virtues and nail strengthening ability.

Organic Camellia oil is low in saturated fat, and about 85% of the fatty acid
composition in Camellia oil is in the form of monounsaturated oleic acid.

Fatty acid composition of our Organic Camellia oleifera oil (%)

Saturated fatty acids			Camellia oleifera oil has more than 80% unsaturated fatty acid, 79-87% oleic acid, 5-14% linoleic acid, and is rich in protein and Vitamin A, B, D,and E. Especially rich in linolenic acid, which can not be produced by the body, it has been proven that Camellia oil has higher Oleic acid and Linoleic acid than olive oil.
Palmitic acid C16:0	6.1-14%
Stearic acid C18:0	0.8-2%
Monounsaturated fatty acids
Oleic Acid C 18 : 1  Omega 9	79-87 %
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Linoleic Acid 18:2 Omega 6	5.3-14.3 %
Iodine value （gl/100g）	80-94%

Camellia oleifera is commonly known as the Oil-seed Camellia, Tea Oil Camellia, or Lu Shan Snow Camellia, though to a lesser extent other species of Camellia's are used in oil production also.  Tea seed oil is the name given to the oil created by cold pressing the seeds of Camellia oleifera.  The seed oil is also highly beneficial when used as a cooking oil. It can be found in supermarkets throughout Australia, New Zealand, and scarcely throughout the United States.

An evergreen Shrub growing to 13ft by 5ft. It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in flower from Oct to April, and the seeds ripen in September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by bees.

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This camellia plant has been cultivated so widely and for so long that the location of its wild origin is uncertain. It occurs in two forms: the "China tea" (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis), probably native to western Yunnan province; and the "Assam tea" (Camellia sinensis var. assamica), native to Assam, Burma, Indochina, and southeastern China. The first yields the beverage; the second is pickled as a vegetable or chewed as a stimulant.

An essential oil is distilled from the fermented and dried leaves. It is used in perfumery and in commercial food flavoring. A non-drying oil is obtained from the seeds. Refined oil, made by removing the free fatty acids with caustic soda, then bleaching the oil with Fuller's earth and a sprinkling of bone black, makes an oil suitable for use in manufacture of sanctuary or signal oil for burning purposes, and in all respects is considered a favorable substitute for rapeseed, olive, or lard oils. The oil is different from cottonseed, corn, or sesame oils in that it is a non-drying oil and is not subject to oxidation changes, thus making it very suitable for use in the textile industry; it remains liquid below -18 deg.C. The leaves contain 13 - 18% tannin. The leaves also contain quercetin, a dyestuff that, when found in other plants, is much used as a dye. The quantity of quercetin is not given. It is very good for walking sticks.

Legends about the origin of tea drinking abound. One says that it was started by Confucius (c. 551-479 B.C.) in order to get his followers to boil their water. Tea was introduced to Japan at an early date, but the custom of preparing it as a drink did not reach other parts of the Far East until spread by Westerners in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The British introduced tea cultivation to India in 1780. Oriental green and black teas are derived from the same plants. The character of the beverage is determined by the timing of harvest, the duration of elaborate drying and oxidation, and by the addition of other aromatic herbs, flowers, or spices. Tea is a stimulant, containing theine, a substance virtually identical to caffeine. It is also rich in tannin, making it a useful astringent. (Several specimens of Camellia sinensis are located near the waterfall, bottom of stairs in North Canyon.)

Edible Parts: Leaves
The leaves are infused in hot water and used as the drink that is commonly known as tea. It is widely drunk in many areas of the world. Green tea is made from the steamed and dried leaves, whilst black tea (the form most commonly drunk in the west) is made from leaves that have been fermented and then dried. Tea contains polyphenols, these are antioxidants that help to protect the body against heart diseases, stroke and cancer. It also contains the stimulant caffeine which, when taken in excess, can cause sleeplessness and irritability and also, through its action as a diuretic, act to remove nutrients from the body.

One report says that the leaves are used as a boiled vegetable. The leaves contain about 25.7% protein, 6.5% fat, 40.8% carbohydrate, 5% ash, 3.3% caffeine, 12.9% tannin. Terminal sprouts with 2-3 leaves are usually hand-plucked, 10 kg of green shoots (75-80% water) produce about 2.5 kg dried tea. The bushes are plucked every 7-15 days, depending on the development of the tender shoots. Leaves that are slow in development always make a better flavored product].

Various techniques are used to produce black teas, usually during July and August when solar heat is most intense. Freshly picked leaves are spread very thinly and evenly on trays and placed in the sun until the leaves become very flaccid, requiring 13 hours or more, depending on heat and humidity. Other types of black teas are made by withering the leaves, rolling them into a ball and allowing to ferment in a damp place for 3-6 hours, at which time the ball turns a yellowish copper color, with an agreeable fruity one. If this stage goes too far, the leaves become sour and unfit for tea. After fermenting, the ball is broken up and the leaves spread out on trays and dried in oven until leaves are brittle and have slight odor of tea. Tea is then stored in air-tight tin boxes or cans. As soon as harvested, leaves are steamed or heated to dry the natural sap and prevent oxidation to produce green tea. Still soft and pliable after the initial treatment, the leaves are then rolled and subjected to further firing. Thus dried, the leaves are sorted into various grades of green tea.

The flowers are made into 'tempura' using the edible oil that is obtained from the seed. A clear golden-yellow edible oil resembling sasanqua oil is obtained from the seed. The oil needs to be refined before it is eaten. An essential oil distilled from the fermented dried leaves is used as a commercial food flavoring. Tea extract is used as a flavor in alcoholic beverages, frozen dairy desserts, candy, baked goods, gelatine's, and puddings. Tea is a potential source of food colors (black, green, orange, yellow, etc.).

The camellia was first brought to the West in 1692 by Engelbert Kaempfer, Chief Surgeon to the Dutch East India Company. He brought details of over 30 varieties back from Asia. Camellias were introduced into Europe during the 18th century and had already been cultivated in the Orient for thousands of years. Robert James of Essex, England, is thought to have brought back the first live Camellia to England in 1739. Camellias were first sold in 1807 in an American nursery as greenhouse plants, but were soon sold to be grown outdoors in the south.