Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil
Argania spinosa · INCI Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Argan oil is pressed from the kernel inside the fruit of the argan tree, which grows only in southwestern Morocco. It is a good conditioning oil, rich in vitamin E.
It absorbs well, softens the skin and is well tolerated by most people.
What it is
Argan is an organic, cold-pressed kernel oil, made up mostly of oleic and linoleic acids, with a notably high level of vitamin E, largely in the gamma-tocopherol form, and some uncommon plant sterols. That is a good, useful profile for the skin: it absorbs well, softens, and helps the skin hold moisture, with an antioxidant character from the vitamin E.
There is some clinical work behind it too, mostly small studies in postmenopausal women, linking regular use to better skin hydration and elasticity. The best-known of those studies combined taking argan by mouth with applying it to the skin, so the effect cannot be pinned on the topical oil alone.
What it does in our formulas
It conditions the skin and carries antioxidants.
It conditions and softens
Argan is rich in oleic and linoleic acids, with an unusually high level of vitamin E and some uncommon plant sterols. On the skin it absorbs well and works as a conditioning oil that softens and helps hold moisture.
Well characterisedIt carries antioxidants
Its vitamin E, largely the gamma-tocopherol form, along with sterols and polyphenols, gives it a real antioxidant character. Small studies, mostly in postmenopausal women, have linked regular use to better hydration and elasticity, though some of them combined taking argan by mouth with applying it.
Emerging evidenceWhat the research does not show
Few oils carry as much marketing as argan, "liquid gold" and the rest.
Marketed as An anti-ageing oil
Marketed as Guaranteed non-comedogenic
On the label and in the range
Argan appears in the Oily and Oily Sensitive blends, at a modest level in the ingredient list. On the label it reads by its INCI name, shown with its common name, and marked with a star for organic, a caret for cold-pressed and a hash for upcycled. The exact percentage is published on each product page.
Is it suitable for me?
Argan suits a vegan routine and carries no restrictions under UK or EU cosmetic law. There are a small number of published reports of people reacting to argan on the skin. The most serious was in a person with several food allergies, and the researchers tested for cross-reaction with peanut, walnut and sesame and found none. Against an ingredient used worldwide for decades, the reported cases are few. If you have several food allergies, or your skin reacts easily, patch test on the inner forearm before first use, and keep it away from the eye area.
Argan is pressed from the kernel of a tree fruit. Reactions to argan itself are uncommon, with a small number of published reports. If you have several food allergies, or you have ever reacted to argan, patch test on the inner forearm first and keep it away from the eye area.
The research behind this page
We review the published literature. We do not conduct the studies below.
- Boucetta KQ, Charrouf Z, Aguenaou H, Derouiche A, Bensouda Y. The effect of dietary and/or cosmetic argan oil on postmenopausal skin elasticity. Clin Interv Aging 2015;10:339-349. →
- Boucetta KQ, Charrouf Z, Aguenaou H, Derouiche A, Bensouda Y. Skin hydration in postmenopausal women: argan oil benefit with oral and/or topical use. Prz Menopauzalny 2014;13(5):280-288. →
- Mechqoq H, El Yaagoubi M, El Hamdaoui A, et al. The Importance of Argan Oil in Medicine and Cosmetology. Nutrients 2024;16(20):3573. →
- de las Marinas Alvarez MD, Martorell Calatayud C, Castillo Fernandez M, et al. Anaphylaxis after cutaneous application of argan oil. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2021;31(4):332-334. →