Milk Thistle Seed Oil
Milk Thistle Seed Oil is a cold-pressed or refined vegetable oil obtained from the seeds (achenes) of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., the same plant that supplies the silymarin flavonolignan complex used in liver-support supplements.
The oil itself does not carry meaningful silymarin (that fraction stays in the press cake), but it is rich in linoleic acid, oleic acid, vitamin E tocopherols, and phytosterols.
Cold-pressed material is a clear yellow to light amber liquid with a mild nutty aroma. Refined material is pale and nearly odourless.
We source bulk Milk Thistle Seed Oil from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Shandong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Packaging
- 190 kg steel drum or 25 kg jerrican
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear yellow to light amber oily liquid, free from sediment |
| Odour | Mild, characteristic nutty odour |
| Linoleic Acid (C18:2) | 45.0-60.0% |
| Oleic Acid (C18:1) | 20.0-30.0% |
| Acid Value | ≤ 4.0 mg KOH/g |
| Peroxide Value | ≤ 10.0 meq/kg |
| Iodine Value | 120-140 g I2/100 g |
| Saponification Value | 185-195 mg KOH/g |
| Unsaponifiable Matter | ≤ 2.0% |
| Moisture and Volatiles | ≤ 0.2% |
| Total Tocopherols | ≥ 300 mg/kg |
| Refractive Index (20°C) | 1.470-1.478 |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Lead | ≤ 0.1 mg/kg |
Common Markets Grades
There are three principal grades of Milk Thistle Seed Oil.
Cold-pressed virgin oil is produced at temperatures below 50 degrees Celsius and filtered without further treatment. This grade preserves the full tocopherol and minor polyphenol content and is the format used in food, supplement, and natural cosmetic markets.
Refined, bleached, and deodorised oil is processed through standard edible-oil refining to deliver a neutral sensory profile and extended shelf life. This grade serves industrial cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulation where odour and colour must be controlled.
Organic-certified cold-pressed oil is produced from contracted growers in Germany, Austria, Hungary, China, and Argentina. Conventional and organic streams are typically kept on separate press lines.
Packaging ranges from 1 L amber glass for retail to 190 kg lined steel drums and 1000 L IBCs for bulk use. Nitrogen blanketing is standard to slow oxidation of the linoleic-rich profile.
Applications
- Dietary supplements in softgel and liquid format combining the oil with silymarin extract
- Liver-support and detox positioning supplement blends
- Specialty culinary oil for dressings, drizzles, and finishing applications
- Functional and clean-label baked goods at modest replacement levels
- Skincare serums and facial oils targeting barrier repair and antioxidant claims
- Anti-aging creams and lotions leveraging tocopherol and phytosterol content
- Hair-care oils, masks, and scalp serums
- Lip balms and stick formulations as an emollient base
- Massage and body-oil blends in natural personal-care lines
- Pharmaceutical excipient in soft-capsule fills and topical preparations
- Pet supplement liquids for canine and feline hepatic support
- Carrier oil in aromatherapy and essential-oil dilutions
Brands Using Milk Thistle Seed Oil
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Milk Thistle Seed Oil on the ingredient label.
- ErbologyOrganic Milk Thistle Oil (cold-pressed) ↗A cold-pressed organic milk thistle seed oil (Silybum marianum) from European farms, taken neat or used in food.Label verified 2026-05-24
- Ostro OrganicsOrganic Milk Thistle Seed Oil ↗An unrefined organic milk thistle seed oil, cold-pressed at low temperature and bottled in glass.Label verified 2026-05-24
- NOW FoodsExtra Strength Silymarin Milk Thistle Extract 450 mg Softgels ↗NOW Foods' Extra Strength Silymarin softgel product page delivers a milk thistle seed extract in a softgel oil-suspension format (sunflower oil base) for liver health support.Label verified 2026-05-24
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Milk Thistle Seed Oil
Top Milk Thistle Seed Oil manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source Milk Thistle Seed Oil
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Milk Thistle Seed Oil out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Milk Thistle Seed Oil together with other ingredients such as Astaxanthin, Dehydrated Garlic and Lutein into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Milk Thistle Seed Oil has a long history of food and traditional medicinal use across Europe and is recognised as a food ingredient in major jurisdictions.
In the European Union the oil is sold as a food ingredient and as a cosmetic ingredient under the INCI name Silybum marianum seed oil. The European Food Safety Authority compendium of botanicals lists the plant itself.
In the United States the oil is marketed under DSHEA as a dietary ingredient and as a conventional food. The cosmetic INCI is recognised in the Personal Care Products Council ingredient dictionary.
The European Pharmacopoeia carries a monograph for Cardui mariae fructus (milk thistle fruit), and the silymarin extract has its own monograph. The oil itself is typically made to in-house or trade-association specifications rather than a pharmacopoeial monograph.
Organic certification under EU 2018/848, USDA NOP, and JAS is widely available. Halal and Kosher certification is routine.
Manufacturing Process
Mature milk thistle achenes are harvested in late summer from contracted fields, threshed, cleaned, and dried to below 9 percent moisture. The hard outer pericarp is partly removed in some operations to lift oil yield and reduce wear on press screws.
For cold-pressed oil, cleaned seeds are passed through a screw press at controlled feed rate and barrel temperature. Yields run 18 to 25 percent on seed weight. The expressed oil is settled, then filtered through plate-and-frame or bag filters with diatomaceous earth.
For refined oil, the press cake is solvent-extracted with food-grade hexane to recover residual oil, then the combined oil is degummed, neutralised, bleached on activated earth, and deodorised under vacuum steam.
The defatted press cake is the starting material for silymarin extract production, so the two product streams are typically managed as a coupled operation.
Finished oil is analysed for fatty-acid profile (linoleic acid 45 to 60 percent, oleic acid 20 to 30 percent), peroxide value, free fatty acids, and tocopherol content.
