Are You Searching For Cheap Argan Oil? Check This Out!

Posted on: January 8, 2014

Cheap Bargain Argan Oil

Cheap Argan Oil: What Is It Worth?

I’ve been wondering since a while now, about the real reasons that trigger people to opt for the “cheap” Argan oil instead of going for the real thing. But it wasn’t until some weeks ago, after a chat with one of our new clients, that I started to get important insights into the “The Cheap Argan Oil” phenomenon.

These insights, though, triggered more questions than answers, and one of these questions is: How can people believe that such a rare and valuable natural gift could possibly be offered for dumping prices (to say the least)?
I mean, does anyone believe it’s possible to get genuine gold for cheap prices? I don’t think so.
Of course you might find some price differences here and there depending on the location and the purity.

Yet, if someone offers you a 1kg gold bar for let’s say 1000$, there’re only 2 options: either you’re buying stolen stuff OR what you’ve been offered isn’t gold at all. Period!

This is exactly the same for pure and genuine Argan oil.

And although this double standard is completely incomprehensible to me, all I can do is pipe a warning call to any Argan oil fan or new-comer out there.

Why One Must Be Very Cautious?

Let me put the provenance as well as the amount of hard-work put into extracting Argan oil in a nutshell for you, so you can understand that there can be no cheap Argan oil whatsoever.

The Argan tree is of a rare and endangered resource species growing in a limited number of hectares only here in the southwest of Morocco.

No wonder, the Arganeraie (the complete Argan tree area) was declared by the UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve.

Furthermore and without talking about the backbreaking Argan fruits harvesting journey,
if you consider only the extraction process, you’d reject any product stating to be “cheap” Argan oil:

After drying the fruits to make them ready for the extraction process, the women here in the Argan oil cooperatives start by removing the dry pulp then cracking the Argan nuts to reach for the kernels used to yield the oil, using only their hands and two stones in a very time-consuming and cumbersome process.

After that, in the case of the culinary version, the kernels are roasted then the women grind them using a hand-driven stone-mill to yield a thick, dough-like mix.

This mix is then processed with hot water to separate the Argan oil from the rest. Only after that, they put the extracted oil in jars and let it rest for some time so the sediment can settle down.

And though the Argan kernels are processed in their natural state using modern machines in the case of cosmetic Argan oil grade, the initial laborious process to reach the kernels is the same.

To get an even clearer idea about the extraction process, let’s talk numbers:

The yearly crop of the Argan tree ranges from 120 to 180 Kg.
To yield 1 Liter of pure Argan oil, the women have to process around 30 Kg of Argan fruits to gain only 2 Kg of Argan kernels. This first step takes 2 days in average!!
In the case of the culinary version, the kernel roasting procedure takes around 30 minutes.
And the cumbersome grinding of these 2 Kg kernels consumes up to 3 hours in time!

Some folks would still argue about the large quantities of inexpensive (and allegedly top quality!) Argan oil on the markets, both off and online.

The answer is simple if you think about it for a minute:

Without talking about the additional expenses: import costs, customs handling fees, product packaging costs, marketing campaigns ect…

If Argan oil is sold in Morocco, the origin of this precious gift, at a justified high price, how can it be possible for any seller in other countries around the world to sell it for half the Moroccan price?

Think again…

Do you still believe there could possibly be any cheap 100% pure Argan oil out there?

I don’t know how you feel about it, but would you really play Russian roulette with these kind of products in the name of “cheap”, especially when the price is your own health?

Unfortunately, although all this might seem unbelievable to you, it ins’t one of these hear-say fairytales:
a lot of folks still fall for (so-called) cheap Argan oil deals and dubious bargains, only to get home (or receive the package) and realize their coveted new purchase is an epic fail.

To remove any misunderstanding out of the way, though, let’s face it:

There’s NO cheap genuine Argan oil.

Either you buy pure organic Argan oil which has its price and its amazing cosmetic potential benefits OR you buy a lab concoction á la frankenstein, with only God knows, what stuff was crammed inside.

In the best case, you’ll be buying a shelf-warmer with some days left to its expiration date!

Besides, if you make sure to buy pure, organic and pure Argan oil, you’re not only securing a high-end product and hence the amazing natural potential that comes with it, but you also support a worthy cause and contribute your part to maintain a sustainable value chain and consequently indirectly help preserve this God-sent miraculous Elixir for the future generations.

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Click to enlarge!

Did you make any bad experiences buying Argan oil? Let me know about it in the comments below!

6 comments

  • Loren D Axberg

    I was wondering what the difference is between the gourmet argan oil and the cosmetic grade?

  • Naomi V Snider

    I bought argan oil from Vitacost, thinking to get a better price but ignorant of the truth of genuine argan oil. There is nothing on the label regarding fair trade, there is no sediment, and frankly, there was no benefit to my skin that I can tell. Since I am running low on my argan oil I began researching where to get more (or even if I SHOULD get more since I didn’t see any unusual results from it). That’s how I came here, learning that my oil is decidedly NOT the real deal. I’m guessing that is why I saw nothing special about it. If I ever obtain any genuine argan oil, I will have to save up for it. But then I will know I have the real thing.

    • A

      Hi Naomi,

      Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

      Sad but true, unfortunately the latest thing that numerous Argan oil brands have in mind nowadays, is the customers’ well being, and they prefer to bait those searching for cheap Argan oil, with this kind of products.

      We hope your next Argan oil experience will be better than the last one.

      Best,

  • Ruth Ann Diaz

    I am currently using my first bottle of Argan Oil, it was given to me as a gift from Josie Maran Skincare Line and in researching her it looks like hers is the 100% pure argan but I am a little disappointed in the results and wonder if my expectations are too high.
    I am 71 but have always taken good care of my skin; however, due to illness these past 3 years I have some wrinkles and hopefully can get rid of them….I know of nothing else on the market that will get rid of wrinkles but had high hopes for the argan oil. I have used it faithfully for a month twice a day….I thought I heard Josie Maran say that she had seen an 80 year old woman in Morocco whose skin was still so beautiful and that gave me hope…..
    I’ve been researching your website to assure myself that its ok to order directly from you; I understand that Argan Oil is expensive but yours is a little less expensive than buying through a distributor and I do understand them having to make a profit.
    Please Advise and Thank you so much………Ruth Ann Diaz

    • A
      Bader Eddine

      Hi Ruth,

      Thank you for your comment.

      As to the quality of Argan oil from the brand you named, I’m not sure as to why, but a lot of other folks have had bad experiences with them. So you are not the only one 🙂
      You may want to check this as an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwrc1BXfZ8M

      As to results, there are different ways one could use Argan oil for skin. While Argan oil is known to yield outstanding results, some methods may work better than others – I’d highly suggest that you try different approaches and see which one(s) benefits you best.
      Here is our simple guide to use Argan oil on skin

      I hope this helps.
      If there is anything else we can assist you with, please feel free to contact us anytime.

      Regards,

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