The claims: Taken from the site – “A true skin SUPER FOOD! Incredibly rich in Vitamin E, Essential Fatty Acids, and Proteins, Argan Oil helps fight lines, repair imperfections, minimize scars + stretch marks; all while restoring texture, elasticity and tone. Lightweight and easily absorbed! This oil is often referred to as ‘liquid gold’ so get yourself some beauty bling!”
Ingredients: 100% Certified Organic Argania spinosa (Argan Oil)
The look/feel/aroma: This is a golden-hued oil. Yes, this oil has a smell that I could describe to be somewhere between a barnyard and an olive pit. I promise you, an aroma is normal. To me, this aroma is faint but according to online reviews, this natural “un-masked” aroma offends some (OK, many) people.
*Note on the aroma. I’m not an argan oil expert and I don’t claim to be! But, this is a natural product and there are a few reasons why batches may smell differently. Age, harvest, etc. Some argan oils are nuttier, some are more olive-y (which is sort of manure-y). Really you should be suspicious of an argan oil that has no aroma! However, I do think that the brand would have less issues with smell “differences” if they used a glass bottle that wasn’t clear¹.
Quick reminder of my skin type: Very dry. My biggest concerns are with discolorations. And I tend to like “thick” nourishing oils and creams. If you have oily skin, don’t even bother reading my skincare product reviews 🙂
My experience: I really like this multi-purpose oil. It’s simple and nourishing. I mainly use it as a gentle moisturizer after using acids. It also makes a stellar hair oil, shave oil, cuticle oil…you name it. The texture is what I’d call “medium weight” and it does absorb rather quickly (I use about 2 drops for my entire face and maybe 1 more drop for my neck).
Overall, I think this is an excellent all-purpose argan that is a great price. This is something that I have repurchased many times.
I do think they company makes a lot of claims. It’s not going to get rid of stretch marks or scars. But, it will moisturize skin.
Who may like this oil? Someone wanting a gentle face, hair or body oil that doesn’t cost a fortune! If you are looking for organic or “clean” skincare, give this a try. Worth trying if you like multi-purpose products. I do think it could work on most skin types.
Who may not like this oil? Some people don’t like the aroma. It’s not flowery or citrusy, etc. There is nothing to mask this “olive pit”- like aroma. It’s simple so if you want something with more “bells and whistles”, find a different product (or do what I do and layer over serums and acids).
The 1 oz bottle retails for about $15 at Beautyhabit and drugstore.com.
¹Update (8/22/14) – Acure’s Social Media Marketer and Regional Brand Educator contacted me regarding this review and answered a few questions. Here’s her response:
“I’m reaching out to thank you for featuring our product! I’d also like to take this opportunity to shed some light on a few concerns that came up in your review/reader comments. Specifically, I wanted to share with you the fact that the bottle our Argan oil is packaged in is UV etched, so it actually protects the oil within from degradation just as well as traditional amber/cobalt bottles while allowing the quality of that liquid gold to shine through.
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Victoria- how does the acure compare with the kahina argan oil? I haven’t tried Kahina but i’m trying a few others and was wondering if Kahina was really that much better since it sees to be the most expensive of them all. Thanks!
I’ve tried Kahina and a few others as well. Kahina is a nice product but much of that extra cost is because of marketing and the fact that 25% is donated. Don’t get me wrong, the brand is very nice and runs as a sustainable co-op but I think that is why there is such a price difference.
As far as product…they’re pretty much exactly the same. The biggest difference is that the packaging of Kahina’s is better. Their bottle is darker so the oil is less likely to “turn” and that means that the “olive pit” aroma will be fainter. Acure’s is really good but I have bought some with more of an aroma than others and that can be due to a few factors but I think they could have a more consistent product if the glass wasn’t translucent.
Now saying all of that, both products perform the same. Kahina’s could be a little “thinner” but honestly, I think I think that because I use less of it because of its retail price. I admit that I slather Acure’s on. If you go with Acure, keep it out of light (my skin products never see light anyway). Or transfer it to an amber or cobalt bottle.
Good to know that I don’t have to splurge on the Kahina- i can’t understand the hype! I usually buy oils from this small company called Garden of Wisdom. I recently bought some organic cold pressed argan from them (in a glass amber bottle with dropper) and it really is a lovely oil- i’ve been using it on my face and hair. I have been very curious about the Kahina oil so thank you for the feedback.
Looked up Garden of Wisdom. I’m in the market for a cleansing oil and they have a sampler set 🙂
oh nice- I’ve never tried their custom cleansing oils. But I’ve used and loved their camellia oliefera oil both for oil cleansing and as a facial oil.
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