Argan oil is obtained from Argania spinosa L., a tree native to Morocco and belonging to the Sapotaceae family, by cold-pressing the fruit.

The fruits are oval and about the size of a walnut, brown on the outside and green or bright yellow on the inside, and are used for feeding cattle, sheep and goats.

Commercially there are two types of Argan oil: the one that is used in cosmetics is obtained from raw Argan nuts by cold pressing or by transesterification if other chemical compounds are added to the oil, while the one that is used for culinary edibles is obtained from raw Argan nuts, but after roasting. The end product is slightly different: the cosmetic oil has no smell and is yellow in colour, the edible oil has a strong smell and is red in colour.

Argan oil is composed of 80% fatty acids and lipid compounds derived from fatty acids, carotenoids, polyphenols. It is an excellent source of vitamin E  (which has protective properties on the skin), has a high nutritional value, contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, therefore beneficial to health, with 30% linoleic acid with anti-inflammatory properties.

Typical composition of Argan oil

What it is used for and where

Cosmetics

It is used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics for many therapeutic, nutritional and cosmetic properties due to unsaturated fatty acids and bioactive substances such as tocopherols and phytosterols (1) and for its moisturising properties. This oil is easily absorbed and is used to repair damaged hair and smooth frizzy hair.

Food

Analysis of the constituents of this oil reveals interesting physico-chemical properties that allow Argan oil to be classified as a nutraceutical compound (2).

The most relevant studies on the subject have been selected with a summary of their contents:

Argan oil studies

Optimal typical characteristics of the commercial product Argan oil for cosmetics

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Physicochemical characteristics, nutritional properties, and health benefits of argan oil: a review.  El Abbassi A, Khalid N, Zbakh H, Ahmad A.  Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2014;54(11):1401-14. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.638424. Review.

(2) Nutraceutical potentialities of Tunisian Argan oil based on its physicochemical properties and fatty acid content as assessed through Bayesian network analyses.  Hanana M, Mezghenni H, Ben Ayed R, Ben Dhiab A, Jarradi S, Jamoussi B, Hamrouni L.  Lipids Health Dis. 2018 Jun 15;17(1):138. doi: 10.1186/s12944-018-0782-9.

(3) The Effects of Argan Oil in Second-degree Burn Wound Healing in Rats.  Avsar U, Halici Z, Akpinar E, Yayla M, Avsar U, Harun U, Harun U, Hasan Tarik A, Bayraktutan Z.  Ostomy Wound Manage. 2016 Mar;62(3):26-34.