Argan Oil Tests Find Zero Argan in 11 Retail Samples

By Amara Osei

The Soapery detected zero argan oil in every sample across two test rounds comprising 11 tests, according to the company’s findings.

The testing covered two buying rounds:

• 2023: The Soapery tested six samples of argan oil from leading online retailers. None contained argan oil. Each sample combined sunflower, palm and soybean oils, or consisted entirely of sunflower oil.
• Two years later: The Soapery tested five samples from leading retailers. All five again contained no argan oil.

What did the testing establish?

Within the tested set, the result is unambiguous: none of the samples contained argan oil. The published account does not identify individual retailers, sampling dates, the analytical method, the laboratory or underlying reports, so the results cannot establish the adulteration rate across the wider market.

They do establish a purchasing risk at the point where a buyer expects a premium, named oil to match its identity and price. Eleven failed samples do not prove that every argan-oil supplier substitutes or misrepresents material, but they make composition verification a material question for procurement and compliance teams.

Why does substitution matter?

Genuine argan oil is very expensive, and Andy Knowles, The Soapery’s director, identifies that cost as the prime reason for adulteration. To reduce costs and increase profit, some producers make blends that resemble argan oil without disclosing ingredient lists to buyers, according to his account.

He said: “We’ve seen some people selling argan oil for a price you can’t even buy argan nuts for in Morocco.”

The comparison does not set a purity threshold or establish a quality benchmark. It does expose the pricing anomaly behind the concern: a retail price can undercut the price of argan nuts in Morocco while failing to deliver the named oil. Knowles’ allegation also leaves a commercial question with retailers: are they checking the material they sell, or relying on suppliers to provide assurance?

What does this change for cosmetic buyers?

Knowles frames supplier due diligence as two checks:

• Traceability: Is the argan oil fully traceable? Knowles argues that without full traceability, the supplier does not know where the oil came from or what it consists of.
• Supplier analysis: Has the supplier analyzed the oil itself? If not, its assurance depends on producers who may be deceiving it.

The company applies the 100% failure rate to that chain of responsibility: when every sample fails, a buyer needs evidence that its own supplier would pass the same scrutiny.

For formulation and compliance teams, the finding reaches beyond the oil itself. If the purchased material contains sunflower, palm or soybean oil rather than argan, purchasing records and formulation assumptions no longer match the ingredient. Any argan-specific benefit carried into product claims then lacks a verified material basis.

The Soapery also warns that adulterated oils may not deliver the benefits advertised in finished products and may increase the risk of adverse reactions for people with sensitive skin. Those claims require careful wording: the testing establishes absence of argan oil in the samples, not the frequency or mechanism of skin reactions.

The result supports verification before purchase, not a market-wide reformulation response. It places traceability and supplier analysis ahead of price or product naming as evidence of composition.

Are retailers asking the right questions?

The Soapery places part of the accountability with retailers, asking whether they question their suppliers or simply look the other way. Its formulation is blunt: “You expect honesty. You pay for purity. But are you getting either?”

For retail buyers, the practical response is to require both traceability and supplier analysis before accepting oil at a premium price. If a buyer pays for pure argan oil, the material should match that description. Retail branding and price cannot resolve a question about composition.

That work reaches three teams. Procurement verifies the supplier and material; formulation confirms that the delivered oil matches the specification; compliance retains evidence for any purity or argan-related claim. This sequence increases document work at the purchasing stage, but it prevents an unverified oil from creating a claim problem after launch.

The company also directs readers to a separate blog post, What is Argan Oil Made From? The Shocking Truth, for a longer discussion of argan oil composition and purity.

The next meaningful data point will be a repeat analysis that discloses retailer names, sample identifiers, test dates and analytical method, together with supplier and retailer responses. Until then, the two failed rounds support immediate supplier scrutiny, not a market-wide adulteration rate.