The Growing Popularity of Coconut Oil as a Leave-On Cosmetic Coconut oil has taken the beauty industry by storm, and it has become one of the most popular ingredients in skin and hair care products. One of the reasons it has gained so much popularity is because it is an all-natural, organic ingredient that is gentle on the skin and does not have any harsh chemicals that can cause irritation. Coconut oil is extracted from the kernel or meat of mature coconuts harvested from the coconut palm, which make it an ideal ingredient for leave-on cosmetics due to its moisturizing properties.