6 Ways to Tell if Your Argan Oil isn’t Authentic

Argan oil became popular over the last few years and is now a key oil in hair and beauty care all over the world.

With the advent of this trend, a lot of websites claiming they are selling pure argan oil have sprung up. This isn’t always the case.

Because argan oil is so time-consuming to produce, a lot of sellers tend to dilute or engage other methods to get it to the market faster.

Fortunately, there are 6 obvious signs to look out for, which immediately let you know the argan oil you bought isn’t the right quality:-

How to Spot Fake Argan Oil

1. Price Point

A liter of argan oil can take as long as 15 hours to produce. This means it will not be cheap when it gets to the market.

Authentic argan oil is expensive. A 2 oz bottle retails for the average price of $15 – $25 depending on the source.

If it’s from unroasted argan fruits, the price will be on the high side.

2. Ingredient Listing

Authentic argan oil has only one ingredient which is 100% argan oil. Anything else on the ingredient listing means it has been adulterated.

This adulteration could be with other oils or synthetic ingredients that alter its efficacy.

3. Smell

Original argan oil has a strong earthy and nutty smell. It should not smell fruity or delicious.

The earthy and nutty smell varies across the board. It could be strong in some oils and not as strong in others but the distinct scent is unmistakable.

4. Packaging

Most oils should be sold in dark, cobalt blue or amber colored glass bottles to promote freshness and longer shelf life.

Storage in any other type of container that isn’t specifically designated as UV filtered material should give you cause for concern.

5. Texture

Argan oil is light and easily absorbed. It is smooth, silky and non-sticky, and should melt into the skin with minimal effort.

6. Colour

Pure argan oil has a light golden yellow color. The cosmetic grade type comes in a golden brown color.

This golden brown color is from the nuts being lightly roasted before the oil was extracted.

Any other shade apart from these two means something isn’t right with the oil.

Argan oil cooperative in Morocco

With the above in mind, it should be easy to make an informed decision when it comes to purchasing argan oil in the future.

Always purchase fair trade, ethically sourced argan oil as this ensures the local women benefit from it. I have also made my favorite recommendations below: