No, Simmondsia chinensis is not a nut. In contrast to the popular opinion that Simmondsia chinensis is a seed, after a solo probe both online and offline, it was discovered that Simmondsia chinensis is not a nut. This is because the extracts we make use of today for our skincare are from the seed, not the nut. However, the plant got its other series of names such as goat nut, deer nut, and pignut quinine nut from its nut-like shell.