Argan Oil
- Type
- Plant oil
- Botanical name
- Argania spinosa
- INCI name
- Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
The tree
The argan tree is a slow-growing, thorny tree adapted to the drylands of south-western Morocco and reaching as far as south-western Algeria; it is the only member of its family (Sapotaceae) that grows outside the tropics. Its deep roots protect the soil from erosion.[1]
The argan forest shrank from about 1.5 million hectares to about 800,000 hectares by 2000, through human use and drought; UNESCO declared it a biosphere reserve in 1998.[1]
How the oil is made
Today argan oil is mostly produced by women's cooperatives in Morocco with semi-industrial mechanical pressing; earlier, food argan oil was made only by women in a laborious traditional process.[1]
- Food oil: the kernels are roasted for a few minutes and then pressed; the oil is golden with a hazelnut-like taste and is eaten with bread, over salads, fish, tajine and couscous and in amlou, a spread of roasted almonds, honey and argan oil.[1]
- Cosmetic oil: cold-pressed from unroasted kernels.[1]
Composition
About 80% of argan oil's fatty acids are unsaturated, mainly oleic acid (43 to 49 g per 100 g) and linoleic acid (29 to 37 g); linolenic acid stays below about 0.3 g, which helps to detect adulteration with other oils.[1] Like other plant oils it consists mainly of triglycerides, with small amounts of tocopherols, sterols and other compounds.[2]
Use in cosmetics and safety
A safety review reports US data from the Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In these data, argan kernel oil was reported in 100 cosmetic products, at 0.001 to 10%. In skin tests, products with 5 to 10% argan oil were not irritating or sensitising. People with a food allergy to a plant rarely react to the refined oil of the same plant.[2]
A cream or oil that causes a rash is best stopped; if the rash then clears, that product was probably the cause.[3]
Products containing it
- Body Cream, Argana (I 337)
- Face Cream, Argana (I 897)
- Hand And Nail Cream, Argana (I 340)
- Skin Function Oil, Argana (I 338)
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 S. Gharby, Z. Charrouf, Argan Oil: Chemical Composition, Extraction Process, and Quality Control. Frontiers in Nutrition 8 (2022), 804587.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 W. F. Burnett et al., Safety Assessment of Plant-Derived Fatty Acid Oils. International Journal of Toxicology.
- ↑ American Academy of Dermatology, Itchy rash could be contact dermatitis. Retrieved 14 October 2026.