Persea gratissima, commonly known as avocado or alligator pear, is native to Mexico, growing well in humid, tropical weather. Mexico is the biggest producer followed by Dominican Republic, Peru, Indonesia, and Colombia. It is known for its fruit, which is botanically a large berry with a greenish rugged skin and a fleshy body containing a single large seed. The avocado is commercially valuable, picked while hard and green and ripened artificially. The fruit is mostly eaten raw as sliced avocado or added to salad. Because the avocado body has a high fat content of mostly monounsaturated fat, it is an important diet staple. The oil has a high smoke point, and is regarded as an expensive oil compared to common cooking oils, and as such it is mostly used for salads or dips. The cold pressed oil is also used for skin care, and various products claim the combination of vitamins and fatty acids help to nourish dry skin.

There have been several studies looking at the improvement of atopic disease symptoms by application of avocado oil. After applying the avocado oil twice daily, patients with atopic disease showed significant improvement in skin condition. Many studies have demonstrated that avocado oil has skin barrier function and wound healing effect.