Ingredient glossary
Argan Oil
On your shelf ✓What Argan Oil does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
In short: Argan Oil delivers softening and barrier support, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is moderate.
- What it does
- Softening, barrier support
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Evidence
- Moderate
- How long
- 8–12 weeks
The Glow take
One of the ingredients I trust most.
When your goal is repairing a stressed moisture barrier, Argan Oil delivers, with a solid amount of evidence behind it. Gentle enough that most skin types can reach for it.
— Maya
What it does
- softening
- barrier support
- antioxidant support
moderate evidenceClinical and cosmetic data highlight argan oil’s ability to improve skin hydration, elasticity and roughness when used regularly.
On a label: usually effective at 2-20%.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- dry
- normal
- mature
Approach with care
- acne prone if heavy
- Irritation riskLow
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveSuits
Often chosen for mature. Take extra care if any of these apply to you: acne prone (in heavy layers).
Where it fits in your routine
Give it eight to twelve weeks — that is when the change first became measurable.
What was measured, and in whom
Measured on: Cutometer skin elasticity (R2, R5, R7 and resonance running time) on the topically treated volar forearm against the untreated opposite forearm.
60 postmenopausal Moroccan women applied about 2 mg/cm2 of cosmetic argan oil nightly to the left volar forearm; the right forearm was left untreated as a within-subject control, and Cutometer readings were taken at day 0, day 30 and day 60. On the treated arm the improvement reached significance only in the D0-to-D60 and D30-to-D60 comparisons - day 30 did not differ from baseline - so day 60 is the first visit that separated rather than a ceiling, and there is no reason to expect an earlier result. The clean topical comparison sits inside the dietary-control subgroup: among the 30 women eating olive oil, the treated forearm separated significantly from the untreated forearm at day 60 while the untreated forearm did not change at all. Among the 30 eating argan oil the untreated forearm also improved, which is the dietary effect the randomisation was built to detect. Real limits: volar forearm rather than face, one centre, postmenopausal women only, 30 women per subgroup, and this KB row cites no sources of its own for the claim.
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;10:339-49, PMID:25673976 - verified against PubMed and read in full text for the visit schedule and the treated-versus-untreated comparison. The same group's companion 60-day skin-hydration paper reports corneometer and TEWL improvement on the treated forearm (journal not asserted).
Plays well with
- humectants
- ceramides
Argan Oil, answered
Is Argan Oil safe during pregnancy?
Yes. Argan Oil is considered safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As with anything, if you are unsure it is worth a quick word with your doctor or midwife.
Who should avoid Argan Oil?
Approach Argan Oil with care if any of these apply to you: acne prone (in heavy layers).
What concentration of Argan Oil actually works?
Argan Oil tends to do its job in the 2 to 20% range. Much lower and it is likely underdosed.
Does it clog pores?
Widely rated as non-comedogenic.
- This rating comes from old lab tests on the isolated ingredient, not the finished product.
- The full formula, how much is used, and your own skin all matter more than one number.
- If you are acne-prone it is worth noticing, not a reason to avoid it on sight.
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