The nut inside the nut inside the fruit inside the hype. From tree-climbing goats to $176 salad dressing.
I'm talking about argan oil that comes from the argan tree in Morocco. It grows nowhere else in the world except in a tiny sliver of western Algeria. I'm not getting your goat when I tell you that climbing 20-30 ft (6-9 m) into trees in large herds is unheard of anywhere else. They climb the trees to get to the sweet outer fruit pulp. They swallow the fruit whole, digest the sweet pulp & pass the hard nut through their digestive system, which ends up in their poop. Humans never eat the pulp. The internet's favorite lie is that argan oil is made from goat poop. The rumor is false. Historically, rural Berber communities collected the nuts from goat poop to get at the nuts, which were washed, sun-dried, roasted & pressed at high temperatures to get at the oil. which they used to flavor salads, dips & couscous. But today, modern oil production uses hand-cracked nuts to get at the kernel, not goat-processed ones. They then dry it, grind the kernels into a paste & press it to extract the oil. The kernels are roasted for culinary purposes or cold-pressed for cosmetic use, such as conditioners for hair or as a lubricant for skin.
Argan oil is mostly oleic acid (43%), the same heart-healthy fat as olive oil. It also has some linoleic acid (37%), which is an essential omega-6 fatty acid, & it has a nutty flavor. It is very expensive at $300 per gallon. The reasons for the high cost are that argan trees are rare, growing in only one region; kernel extraction is labor-intensive; & the yield is low—30 kg (66 lb) of fruit for just 1 liter of oil (34 fl oz), or 1 cup. That's nearly 1 lb (453 g) of fruit per tbsp. of oil. They need to go through hundreds of individual fruits, thousands of hand-cracked nuts (yes, they still hand-crack them), & hours of labor. Culinary argan oil is even more expensive, typically called the "champagne of oil," costing up to $176 for a 4 oz (113 g) bottle. People obviously use it sparingly.
There's more of an argument to use argan oil as a cosmetic because the oil is a good emollient for the skin & hair as a conditioner, but the price does not justify its use, costing $25-$57 for 1-4 oz. You could get the same result substituting olive oil, & it is cheaper. A better bet for managing hair is Moroccanoil. It comes in a turquoise bottle & contains cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone & cyclomethicone. These are silicones proven to smooth hair instantly, add slip, reduce frizz & be said to make hair look "perfect." Argan oil is in there, but it's not the main functional ingredient. Silicones coat the hair shaft, giving gloss, detangling & protecting from heat. Don't fall for the hype about "goat poop beauty oil"; it's irresistible clickbait.
