Jojoba Industry Joins Fight To End Trade In Whaling Products

WDCS has joined the International Jojoba Export Council (IJEC) in signing an agreement reflecting their commitment to end the commercial hunting of whales and trade in whale oil by minimising economic incentives for these products.

Commercial demand for whale oil once drove an industrial-scale slaughter of whales that pushed many species to the brink of extinction. Before commercial whaling and international trade in whale products were banned in 1986, spermaceti, a solid white wax found in the blubber of whales, and the head cavity of sperm whales, was widely used as an emollient in cosmetics, mostly in very fine creams and lotions, and in topical pharmaceuticals.

As the whaling ban took effect, cosmetic firms found jojoba esters, a solid white wax derived from jojoba oil, to be a virtual match to spermaceti. In fact, the two compounds share basically identical chemical structures. Both compounds are highly desirable as top-end skin emollients. However, the production of spermaceti requires the killing of whales, while production of jojoba esters requires harvesting seeds from a desert shrub.

While whales are still being hunted in defiance of the international ban, WDCS fears that imprecise cosmetic labelling laws could allow spermaceti to be hidden in international trade.

WDCS recently opposed a tariff on imports of jojoba esters into the EU, the hub of the cosmetics industry. Sue Fisher, a Policy Director of WDCS said: “Any tariff on jojoba imports to Europe essentially subsidizes whaling; giving whaling nations a greater financial incentive not only to hunt, but also to lobby for the ban on commercial whaling to be lifted. Whales are under enough pressure. Renewed commercial interest in one of their products is the last thing they need. WDCS is, therefore, delighted to sign an agreement with the IJEC, acknowledging our mutual interest in protecting whales.”

Steve Brown, Secretary of the IJEC added: “We deeply support the goal of preventing the resurgence of commercial whaling and especially trade in spermaceti. The whaling ban was instrumental to jojoba’s birth over thirty years ago. Since then we have grown and learned, and because jojoba esters share the exact same chemistry as whale oil and its derivatives, we believe we can now give something meaningful back to whale conservation.

“Jojoba esters are found in some of the most exclusive brands in the world. Unfortunately these are the prime targets of counterfeiters who will subsidise any available material, such as spermaceti. Naturally, the IJEC and WDCS want to prevent that.”

The IJEC and WDCS will continue to cooperate to prevent whale oil and its derivatives from re-entering international trade.

Click here to read the press release.