A Moroccan Oil for Cardiovascular Health and Skin

How argan oil's unusual fatty acid balance, gamma-tocopherol concentration, and rare phytosterols translate into measurable benefits for cholesterol, oxidative stress, and skin elasticity

Argan oil is pressed from the kernels of Argania spinosa, a thorny tree that grows almost exclusively in southwestern Morocco. Used for centuries by Berber women both as a food and a skin treatment, it has accumulated a respectable body of clinical research showing it lowers LDL cholesterol, improves antioxidant status, and modestly improves skin elasticity in older adults [1][3]. Its distinctive feature is an unusually high concentration of gamma-tocopherol — a form of vitamin E with stronger anti-inflammatory effects than the alpha-tocopherol that dominates most other oils [2].

What Makes Argan Oil Different

Cold-pressed culinary argan oil — traditionally made from kernels lightly toasted before pressing — has a deep amber color, a nutty flavor, and a chemical profile unlike any other common cooking oil [2]. About 43–49% of its fat is oleic acid (the same monounsaturated fat that dominates olive and avocado oil), and another 29–36% is linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid. Saturated fat sits around 12–20%. This dual oleic-linoleic balance is what most distinguishes it from olive oil, where oleic acid alone makes up the bulk of the fat.

The fraction of the oil that gets the most research attention, though, is the small but unusual unsaponifiable portion — roughly 1% of the oil — which contains:

Tocopherols at twice the level of olive oil [1][2]. Most plant oils are dominated by alpha-tocopherol; argan oil is dominated by gamma-tocopherol, which has stronger nitrogen-radical scavenging activity and a documented chemopreventive and anti-inflammatory profile.

Two rare phytosterols — schottenol and spinasterol [1]. These are not found in significant amounts in any other commonly consumed plant oil. Both have been studied for anti-inflammatory and possible chemopreventive effects.

Polyphenols including ferulic, syringic, and vanillic acids, plus carotenoids, squalene, and triterpene alcohols. The polyphenol content is higher in culinary (toasted) argan oil than in cosmetic (unroasted) argan oil [2].

What the Clinical Trials Show

Multiple randomized human trials, most conducted in Morocco where argan oil consumption is part of the traditional diet, have tested daily intakes of 15–25 mL (roughly 1–2 tablespoons) over 3–4 weeks. A 2018 meta-analysis pooling five of these trials in 292 participants found that argan oil consumption significantly reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides while raising HDL cholesterol [3].

Notable individual studies:

In type 2 diabetics with dyslipidemia, 25 mL/day of argan oil for 3 weeks reduced triglycerides by about 12%, total cholesterol by 9%, and LDL by 12% — and reduced LDL susceptibility to oxidation, which is one of the early steps in atherosclerotic plaque formation [4].

In dyslipidemic patients near Rabat, the same dose for 3 weeks raised HDL by 26% and reduced platelet aggregation, an effect relevant to clot formation [5].

In healthy men, replacing butter with 25 g/day of argan oil for 3 weeks improved paraoxonase activity — an HDL-bound enzyme that protects LDL from oxidation — and lowered markers of oxidative stress [7].

The effects are not large enough to replace medical therapy in someone with high cardiovascular risk, but the direction of every major endpoint is consistent and biologically coherent. The mechanism appears to be a combination of the oleic-acid-driven LDL reduction (similar to olive oil), the gamma-tocopherol antioxidant effect, the phytosterol cholesterol-absorption competition, and a polyphenol contribution to antioxidant status [3][6][7].

Skin Application: What the One Good Trial Found

Topical argan oil is widely sold as an "anti-aging" cosmetic, but only one well-controlled trial has actually tested this claim. Sixty postmenopausal Moroccan women were randomized to dietary argan oil or olive oil for 60 days, with both groups also applying cosmetic argan oil to one volar forearm [8]. After two months, both groups showed improved skin elasticity in the topically treated forearm, with the dietary argan oil group also showing improved elasticity at distant skin sites — suggesting that internal consumption supports systemic skin function, while topical use produces localized benefits.

The mechanism is plausible: argan oil's oleic and linoleic acids are the same fatty acids that make up healthy skin barrier lipids, vitamin E protects skin lipids from oxidative damage, and squalene is structurally similar to the squalene already present in human sebum. Beyond this single trial, the cosmetic literature is mostly observational or in vitro.

Two Different Products: Culinary vs. Cosmetic

When buying argan oil, the most important distinction is whether the kernels were toasted before pressing:

Culinary argan oil is amber-colored, nutty in flavor, and made from lightly toasted kernels. It contains the highest concentrations of polyphenols and roasting-derived flavor compounds. It is used in Morocco as a dipping oil, drizzled over couscous, blended into amlou (a paste with almonds and honey), or added to salads. It is not generally suitable for high-heat cooking — its smoke point sits around 180–200°C and its delicate compounds degrade with heat.

Cosmetic argan oil is paler, virtually odorless, and pressed from unroasted kernels. It is intended for topical use on skin and hair.

Look for: dark glass bottles, "first cold-pressed" or "100% pure" labeling, country of origin (Morocco), and ideally a press date. Pale, odorless oil sold as culinary is usually heavily refined and has lost most of its bioactive compounds. Genuine argan oil is moderately expensive — kernels must be hand-cracked, and a single tree yields a small amount of oil — so unusually cheap "argan oil" is a quality flag.

How to use it: treat it like a finishing oil. A teaspoon drizzled over warm vegetables, soup, or fish at the table preserves its bioactive content. For topical use, a few drops massaged into damp skin or hair ends.

See our Olive Oil page for the most studied monounsaturated cooking oil, our Avocado Oil page for a higher-smoke-point alternative, and our Vitamin E page for more on tocopherols and gamma-tocopherol specifically.

Evidence Review

Composition and Mechanistic Foundations (El Monfalouti et al., 2010; Gharby & Charrouf, 2022)

Two reviews provide the analytical foundation for understanding argan oil's bioactive profile. El Monfalouti and colleagues, working with the Charrouf research group that has driven most of the laboratory and clinical literature on argan oil, summarized the therapeutic potential including effects on cardiovascular risk markers, antioxidant status, and skin parameters, while attributing the observed benefits primarily to tocopherols, phytosterols (particularly schottenol and spinasterol), and polyphenols [1].

Gharby and Charrouf (2022) published in Frontiers in Nutrition surveyed the chemical composition, extraction methods, and quality control standards for argan oil, documenting fatty acid composition (43–49% oleic, 29–36% linoleic, 12% palmitic, 5–7% stearic), tocopherol concentrations roughly twice those of olive oil with gamma-tocopherol predominating, sterol content of 130–230 mg per 100 g, and the substantial differences in polyphenol content between toasted (culinary) and unroasted (cosmetic) preparations [2]. The review also documents how cold-pressing, mechanical pressing, and solvent extraction affect bioactive retention, with cold mechanical pressing preserving the highest levels of minor compounds. Limitations: composition data are well-replicated, but the analytical reviews do not themselves test clinical endpoints.

Meta-Analysis of Lipid Effects (Ursoniu et al., 2018)

The most rigorous synthesis of the human lipid evidence to date pooled five randomized controlled trials totaling 292 participants in a meta-analysis published in Phytotherapy Research [3]. The authors evaluated the effect of argan oil supplementation on total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Argan oil supplementation produced statistically significant reductions in total cholesterol (weighted mean difference roughly −16 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (roughly −12 mg/dL), and triglycerides, alongside a significant increase in HDL cholesterol. Effects were consistent across studies despite differences in patient populations (healthy, dyslipidemic, type 2 diabetic) and comparator interventions. Strengths: pooled effect estimates increase precision, the direction of effect was consistent across all included trials, and the magnitude is comparable to the lipid effects of other monounsaturated-rich oils. Limitations: most included studies were short (3–4 weeks), all trials were conducted in Morocco where dietary background may modify the effect, and total participant numbers remain modest by cardiovascular trial standards.

Type 2 Diabetes Trial (Ould Mohamedou et al., 2011)

This intervention in 86 type 2 diabetic patients with dyslipidemia tested 25 mL/day of virgin argan oil for 3 weeks against a control diet without argan oil, with measurements of fasting lipids and LDL oxidation susceptibility before and after intervention [4]. Triglycerides fell by 11.84%, total cholesterol by 9.13%, and LDL cholesterol by 11.81% in the argan oil group. Crucially, LDL susceptibility to copper-mediated oxidation — a measure of how readily LDL particles take on the modified form that drives plaque formation — was significantly reduced after argan oil intake, with corresponding increases in serum vitamin E and reductions in markers of lipid peroxidation. Published in International Journal of Endocrinology, the study provides one of the strongest single-trial demonstrations that argan oil affects both quantitative lipid measures and qualitative LDL particle behavior. Limitations: short duration, no placebo arm, single-center design.

Dyslipidemic Patients Trial (Haimeur et al., 2013)

This trial in 39 dyslipidemic patients from the Rabat area randomized participants to 25 mL/day of argan oil at breakfast or to butter as the comparator over 3 weeks [5]. The argan oil group showed a 26% increase in HDL cholesterol from baseline, reductions in total cholesterol and LDL, and significantly reduced thrombin-induced platelet aggregation — a measure of clot formation tendency. The platelet finding is notable because it offers a mechanism beyond lipid changes through which argan oil could lower acute cardiovascular event risk. Published in Lipids in Health and Disease, this trial extends the evidence to a thrombotic endpoint not captured by lipid panels alone. Limitations: butter is a poor comparator (it adds confounding from increased saturated fat), small sample size, short duration.

Foundational Hypolipidemic Trial (Drissi et al., 2004)

This early trial published in Clinical Nutrition was among the first rigorous human studies of argan oil [6]. It documented hypolipemiant and antioxidant effects of regular consumption, with reductions in LDL cholesterol and improvements in plasma antioxidant capacity in healthy participants. The Drissi study established the proof of concept that has been progressively confirmed in dyslipidemic, diabetic, and meta-analytic samples since. Strengths: the first systematic human evidence; published in a respected nutrition journal. Limitations: small sample, short duration, observational of a single intervention without head-to-head comparison.

Antioxidant and Paraoxonase Effects (Cherki et al., 2005)

This intervention in 96 healthy men compared 3 weeks of consuming 25 g/day of argan oil to consuming butter, measuring paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity — an HDL-associated enzyme that hydrolyzes oxidized lipids and is considered a key mechanistic marker for HDL's antiatherogenic function [7]. Argan oil consumption increased PON1 arylesterase and paraoxonase activities, increased serum vitamin E, and reduced markers of lipid peroxidation. Published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, the study is one of the few human trials directly probing the mechanism by which argan oil might confer antiatherogenic protection beyond lipid lowering. The PON1 enzyme is genetically variable, and individual responses may differ accordingly. Limitations: butter comparator, short duration, healthy population (so cardiovascular endpoints not assessed).

Skin Elasticity Trial (Boucetta et al., 2015)

The strongest direct evidence for cosmetic argan oil comes from this trial of 60 postmenopausal Moroccan women, randomized to dietary argan oil or olive oil consumption for 60 days, with both groups also applying cosmetic argan oil to the left volar forearm [8]. Skin elasticity was measured by a Cutometer at multiple sites pre- and post-intervention. The researchers reported significant increases in R2, R5, and R7 elasticity parameters and decreases in viscoelastic-to-elastic ratio (RRT), indicating improved skin firmness and recovery after deformation. Topical application improved elasticity at the application site in both groups; the dietary argan oil group additionally showed improvement at non-treated skin sites, suggesting a systemic effect beyond local fatty acid replenishment. Published in Clinical Interventions in Aging, this is the only published RCT examining argan oil for skin elasticity in a controlled setting. Limitations: short duration, single-center, postmenopausal-only sample, no placebo for the topical arm, and the dietary comparator was olive oil rather than a non-active control — meaning the trial measures a relative rather than absolute effect.

Evidence Strength Summary

The case for daily argan oil consumption in dyslipidemic adults rests on a meta-analysis of small-to-moderate-quality trials, all conducted in Morocco, with consistent direction of effect on lipids and supportive mechanistic evidence on oxidative status, paraoxonase activity, and platelet aggregation. The effect size is meaningful but modest — roughly comparable to what is achieved by replacing butter or other saturated-fat-rich foods with extra-virgin olive oil. The evidence for skin elasticity rests primarily on a single well-designed trial in postmenopausal women showing measurable improvements with both dietary and topical application. Larger, longer trials in non-Moroccan populations would strengthen the evidence base, particularly studies that compare argan oil head-to-head with high-quality extra-virgin olive oil rather than with butter or no-oil controls — because the most relevant clinical question is whether argan oil offers anything that olive oil does not. The unusually high gamma-tocopherol concentration and the rare schottenol/spinasterol phytosterols are the most plausible candidates for a unique contribution beyond a generic monounsaturated-fat effect, and they are the most promising direction for future research. For practical purposes, argan oil is a reasonable, though pricier, addition to a Mediterranean-pattern diet and a credible topical skin treatment for older skin.

References

Therapeutic potential of argan oil: a reviewEl Monfalouti H, Guillaume D, Denhez C, Charrouf Z. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2010. PubMed 21054392 →
Argan Oil: Chemical Composition, Extraction Process, and Quality ControlGharby S, Charrouf Z. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022. PubMed 35187023 →
The impact of argan oil on plasma lipids in humans: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsUrsoniu S, Sahebkar A, Serban MC, Banach M. Phytotherapy Research, 2018. PubMed 29130532 →
Argan Oil Exerts an Antiatherogenic Effect by Improving Lipids and Susceptibility of LDL to Oxidation in Type 2 Diabetes PatientsOuld Mohamedou MM, Zouirech K, El Messal M, El Kebbaj MS, Chraibi A, Adlouni A. International Journal of Endocrinology, 2011. PubMed 22114593 →
Argan oil prevents prothrombotic complications by lowering lipid levels and platelet aggregation, enhancing oxidative status in dyslipidemic patients from the area of Rabat (Morocco)Haimeur A, Messaouri H, Ulmann L, Mimouni V, Masrar A, Chraibi A, Tremblin G, Meskini N. Lipids in Health and Disease, 2013. PubMed 23870174 →
Evidence of hypolipemiant and antioxidant properties of argan oil derived from the argan tree (Argania spinosa)Drissi A, Girona J, Cherki M, Godàs G, Derouiche A, El Messal M, Saile R, Kettani A, Solà R, Masana L, Adlouni A. Clinical Nutrition, 2004. PubMed 15380909 →
Consumption of argan oil may have an antiatherogenic effect by improving paraoxonase activities and antioxidant status: Intervention study in healthy menCherki M, Derouiche A, Drissi A, El Messal M, Bamou Y, Idrissi-Ouadghiri A, Khalil A, Adlouni A. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2005. PubMed 16216721 →
The effect of dietary and/or cosmetic argan oil on postmenopausal skin elasticityBoucetta KQ, Charrouf Z, Aguenaou H, Derouiche A, Bensouda Y. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 2015. PubMed 25673976 →