Khallouki, F., Younos, C., Soulimani, R., et al. (2003). Consumption of argan oil (Morocco) with its unique profile of fatty acids, tocopherols, squalene, sterols and phenolic compounds should confer valuable cancer chemopreventive effects. European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 12, 67–75.

Kondratowicz-Pietruszka, E., & Ostasz, L. (2017). Oxidation changes in argan oil caused by heating and UV irradiation. Polish Journal of Commodity Science, 1, 103–115. a b c d L. Siegle (February 12, 2012). "The trees of life. Should hairdressers be promoting argan oil?". The Observer.

Publisher's Note

Although these results are encouraging, more research is needed to understand how argan oil can be used medicinally in humans to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Summary Chimi, H., Cillard, J., & Cillard, P. (1994). Autoxidation of argan oil Argania spinosa L. from Morocco. Sciences des Aliments, 14, 117–124. Charrouf, Z., Fkih-Tetouani, S., Charrouf, M., et al. (1991). Triterpenes and sterols extracted from the pulp of Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels, Sapotaceae. Plant Medicine Phytotherapy, 25, 112–117. Lopez, L. C., Cabrera-Vique, C., Venegas, C., et al. (2013). Argan oil-contained antioxidants for human mitochondria. Natural Product Communications, 8, 47–50.

Lybbert, T. J., Barrett, C. B., & Nar, H. (2002). Market-based conservation and local benefits: The case of argan oil in Morocco. Ecological Economics, 41, 125–144.

Conflict of Interest

Chernane, H., Hafidi, A., El Hadrami, I., et al. (1999). Composition phénolique de la pulpe des fruits d’Arganier ( Argania spinosa L. Skeels) et relation avec leurs caractéristiques morphologiques. Agrochimica, 43, 137–150. Argan oil is full of fatty acids and powerful antioxidants, such as vitamin E, that have been shown to have benefits for your scalp and hair. Afia, L., Salghi, R., Bammou, L., et al. (2014). Anti-corrosive properties of argan oil on C38 steel in molar HCl solution. Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 18, 19–25. Harhar, H., Gharby, S., Kartah, B., et al. (2014). Effect of harvest date of Argania spinosa fruits on argan oil quality. Industrial Crops and Products, 56, 156–159. Derouiche, A., Jafri, A., Driouch, I., et al. (2013). Effets of argan oil and olive oil consumption on the hormonal profile of androgen among healthy adult Moroccan men. Natural Product Communications, 8, 51–53.

Matthäus, B., & Brühl, L. (2015). Quality parameters for the evaluation of cold-pressed edible argan oil. Journal fur Verbraucherschutz und Lebelnsmittelsicherheit, 10, 143–154. Huang, P. (2017). Liquid gold: Berber women and the argan oil co-operatives in Morocco. International Journal of Intangible Heritage, 12, 140–155. Lin T-K, et al. (2018). Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19010070 If you’re interested in using argan oil with food, look for varieties specifically marketed for cooking, or make sure you’re buying 100% pure argan oil.Bellamy, N., & Buchanan, W. W. (1986). A preliminary evaluation of the dimensionality and clinical importance of pain and disability in osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Clinical Rheumatology, 5, 231–241. Botanically, the argan tree is the only species of the Sapotaceae family to live above the tropics ( 9). It is a slow growing and thorny tree, well-adapted to the drylands of south-western Morocco ( 9). In its biotope, it plays an important ecological role including a deep root system that protects the soil from water and wind erosion, while its shade maintains soil fertility by preserving moisture ( 10, 11). In addition, the argan tree has multiple uses. Its leaves, fruits, and oil are a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds with nutritional, cosmetic, and economic benefits ( 12, 13). In this chapter, the chemical composition of argan oil along with its nutritional and cosmetic benefits will be discussed. We will detail different processes used to process argan oil, quality control, and assessment of oxidative stability. Importance of Argan Oil as a Food and Cosmetic Product Since the early 2000s argan oil has been increasingly used in cosmetics and hair care preparations. [10] As of 2020 [update], the main cosmetics products containing argan oil are face creams, lip glosses, shampoos, moisturizers, and soaps. [8] Extraction edit The production of argan oil by traditional methods Lightly apply to your clean, dry hair without massaging it into the scalp — a light coating on your hair’s surface is what you want. Manca, M. L., Matricardi, P., Cencetti, C., et al. (2016). Combination of argan oil and phospholipids for the development of an effective liposome-like formulation able to improve skin hydration and allantoin dermal delivery. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 505, 204–211.

Aabd, N. A., Msanda, F., & Mousadik, A. (2014). Evaluation of variability in argan oil content through different environments and preselection of elite genotypes. Euphytica, 195, 157–167. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Khallouki, F; Younos, C; Soulimani, R; Oster, T; Charrouf, Z; Spiegelhalder, B; Bartsch, H; Owen, RW (2003). "Consumption of argan oil (Morocco) with its unique profile of fatty acids, tocopherols, squalene, sterols and phenolic compounds should confer valuable cancer chemopreventive effects". European Journal of Cancer Prevention. 12 (1): 67–75. doi: 10.1097/00008469-200302000-00011. PMID 12548113. S2CID 12350686.

Importance of Argan Oil as a Food and Cosmetic Product

Faria PM, Camargo lN, Haddad Carvalho RS, et al. Hair Protective Effect of Argan Oil (Argania spinosa Kernel Oil) and Cupuassu Butter (Theobroma grandiflorum Seed Butter) Post Treatment with Hair Dye. J Cosm Dermatol Sci Appl. 2013;3:40-44. doi:10.4236/jcdsa.2013.33A1006. Argania spinosa kernel oil is more commonly known as argan oil which over the years has a collected a strong following of fans, especially when the oil is formulated into popular skin and hair care products. The harvest of Argania spinosa kernel oil is a long and painstaking due to the fact the trees are slow growing and extracting the oil from the nuts is very time consuming, this is probably why it has been dubbed “liquid gold of Morocco.” It contains high levels of fatty acids, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties to name a few leaving your skin feeling hydrated and healthy with help at combating collagen-damaging free radicals caused from exposure to UV rays, pollution and central heating. Scars and pigmentation are also treated using Argania spinosa kernel oil not to mention the marked improvement in skin elasticity. Side effects of Argania spinosa kernel oil