the real moroccanoil
May 27, 2010
Have you ever read the ingredients list of your favourite cosmetic products and dug deep to find out what those technical sounding words actually are? I just did with my new favourite hair product - Moroccanoil - and I’ve found some alarming results.
MoroccanOil has been a huge hit with beauty bloggers and editors everywhere, with some literally bowing down at it’s very presence. It’s natural they claim! Made from Argan Oil derived from a nut that grows in Morocco. So far so good. It smells nice and has a really rich texture. When applied to damp hair it dries off beautifully leaving hair feeling silky smooth and frizz free. It’s GREAT for frizzy hair.
Sadly however, it’s not natural. Here’s the list of ingredients printed on the back of the box:
Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Argania Spinoza Kernel Oil (Argan Oil), Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Extract, Parfum (Fragrance), D&C Yellow - 11, D&C Red 17, Coumarin, Benzyl Benzoate, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone.
What does this all mean?
According to my bible, A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winter, MS, the first ingredients are silicones frequently used in cosmetics and hair products - well used, well tested, safe etc. The fourth ingredient is slightly questionable, according to cosmeticsinfo.org it is a colorless to pale yellow liquid with a strong fresh fragrance. It’s an aromatic aldehyde and should only be used in small doses or else it will cause sensitisation. It’s slightly more worrying to read cosmeticdatabase.com, which outlines a list of possible side effects of this ingredient including allergies and immunotoxicity.
The fifth ingredient listed is what the product should actually be - Argan Oil, knowing that ingredients are always listed by percentage values - the highest goes first (which is why lots of products start with Aqua or water), this bottle of oil should be renamed silicone oil. Still, the list continues.
D&C Yellow 11 is a solvent yellow, classed chemically as a quinoline colour - it’s a bright, greenish yellow used in soaps, shampoos, suntan oils, hair oils and pomades. D&C Red 17 is a Toney Red, classed chemically as a diazo colour. My book tells me this is carcinogenic in animals and is no longer used in lipsticks because of reports of ill health. In 1988 the FDA listed it but its ruling was reversed by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which said the FDA lacked the legal authority to approve it since D&C Red No 17 was found to induce cancer. The Courts ruling was in response to a lawsuit by Public Citizens Health Research Group. I’m not sure where this all stands today, but as an ingredient - why is this in a product that is so heavily promoted??? Why haven’t any other beauty editors read the ingredients list and checked it out?
Coumarins - a fragrant ingredient of tonka beans and many plants. It’s made synthetically as well. According to my ingredient book it may produce allergic contact dermatitis. It has blood clotting effects and anticlotting ingredients. It’s prohibited in foods because it is toxic by ingestion and carcinogenic on the skin.
Benzyl Benzoate - Plasticizer in nail polishes, solvent and fixative for perfumes. Occurs naturally in Balsam Tolu and Balsum Peru and in various flower oils.
Alpha Isomethyl Ionone is a fragrance and in Europe it’s on the list of potential allergens. But usually it’s used in very minor amounts. It is also a food additive.
Now I know that most cosmetics are a bunch of chemicals and I appreciate the place that chemicals have in our products - they keep them stable, preserved and ultimately safe. But obviously not all chemicals are our friend and I’m really concerned that this cult product has got some questionable ingredients in it. I’d like to know more. So if you know more about this, then let me know.
Here’s what the Beauty Brains say… they don’t seem concerned about the fragrance ingredients so maybe I shouldn’t be either.
Will I keep using it? I don’t know. I thought it was a fairly natural product - an oil, and I like what it did to my hair before blow drying. One thing is for certain - it won’t be anywhere near my wee daughter’s hands, I definitely don’t want her drinking this by accident!
Tamsin xo
Tasmin
This is an excellent review and helps debunk so much of the myth behind these products. If a product doesn’t say 100% pure then it isn’t. Clearly, many products such as shampoo and other do require some preservatives or binders, but one should be very careful and read the small print. Argan Oil (the true Moroccan Oil) has been proven to have wonderful hair and skin benefitting properties due largely to copious amounts of Vitamin E. Moreover, it has a wonderful story behind its manufacturing process which includes Unesco protected forests, women empowered cooperatives and more. 100% pure Argan Oil provides all the benefits of other sirums and is pure, natural and frequently organic. There are a number of reputable Argan Oil products. We prefer http://www.zakiasmorocco.com where you can find an array of pure, natural and organic products. As they often say…keep it simple and natural. Zakia
I don’t get why you’re hagging on this product when you rave about everything L’Oreal releases? They don’t claim to be natural, so why pick on them?
Hi Sarah S
Over here they have been touted as natural which is why I wrote what I did. It’s up to you whether you use it or not… I was and I actually really liked it. I just did a bit of research on the ingredients and got a fright. I’m sure I’d get the same response from other products if I dug deeper and at certain times I might.
It’s quite an interesting debate - I don’t use 100% natural products, although I have at times (like during pregnancy). I think we should be informed.
Do you work for Moroccanoil? You seem to have a very personal response to this post.
Tamsin
Good on you Tamsin… brilliant research on the ingredients… I must get that book!! This product seems very ‘Natural’ due to the packaging & I was sucked in by the old fashioned bottle & the smell… I have to say that after spending $60 it really is no different to a good serum that would be half the price (or less) Great marketing for sure … Nikki L x
Hi, just saw this… definitely no connection, I work in finance! Just wondered why you had a go at them - and you’d recommended Kerastase (I think) products heap of times, which are pretty toxic.
Not really having a go at Moroccanoil, well I guess I am. More just an eye opening experience. I did actually like the product. I know that Kerastase isn’t natural, yes it has silicones etc… BUT it doesn’t have as many silicones as this. I asked a cosmetic scientist about this product and she said it would take 100 years to degrade due to all the silicone in it. It’s pretty heavy going. Apparently this product has been altering people’s hair colour by reacting with dyes etc… Anyway… moving on. You’ll see I enjoy using lots of products that aren’t natural. But this one stood out to me because I’d been told many times that it was natural. And it’s not. Bummer that people had tried to sell it to me as natural…
Hi,
‘’SOS MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL’’ please read my story.
‘’Moroccanoil’’ has no business ethics, in my opinion and based on my experience.
This company registered the name ‘’ moroccanoil’’ and now is using ‘’Moroccanoil Argan Oil’’ TO CONFUSE YOU.
The reality is : Argan oil is the latest 100% organic ingredient, cosmetic industry is using THIS MIRACLE OIL in products to RESPOND TO CONSUMER DEMAND OF BIO/NATURAL/ POISON FREE INGREDIENTS.
ARGAN OIL IF NATURAL IS SUPPOSED TO BE USED VIRGIN IN ORGANIC NATURAL FORMULA AS POSSIBLE.
I am Moroccan woman a Berber Native, my family owns Hectares of Argania Spinosa trees for more than 350 years, moreover my grand grand grand … parent received the legion of honor from the king of Morocco 1946 of being one of the oldest Moroccan rooted families in the southwest of Morocco.
I am actively participating in supporting women owned cooperative ‘’ Igar Sidi Abderhaman’’ women of my village are Working to go forward with this project, the cooperative has a legal status 100% owned by women of the village.
I live in California and I am investing my life in this project. I go door to door to professionals and I met with companies owners, my last Comosprof show experience in Vegas on July 18-21 was an emotional venture, I receive a great feedback from good morality American companies who accepted to support me, womens chimists and esticians gave me hugs and kisses, some were almost tearfull to see a Moroccan woman promoting her village the way I was doing it, my courage came from women cooperative integrity as I gauranty full responsibility for the Argan oil to be fresh, organic and pure. ‘’Hollywood beauty’’ an organic Florida company owner said to me’’I am honored’’ and others pushed me to tears, they were so nice giving me time and encouragement opening the door for me, I will list their name in my website in the future.
In my second home town Woodland Hills California, I am receiving great deal of support from professionals, women social meetings and web professionals supporting my village humanitarian business venture and giving me marketing services to promote the Gold ingredient originated from my land in Morocco (ayetlaine) youtube video
The scoop is ‘’moroccanoil’’ suing American companies really using this ingredient and promoting their product using MOROCCAN OIL or MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL or the miracle moroccan oil etc.
This morning I was shocked and emotionally distressed by a letter of intention to sue from ‘’Morccanoil’’ accusing me of owning a domain name pertaining to confuse consumers. One of the domains is (themorccanarganoil.com) They are asking me to transfer my domain name to them, a domain name they never owned. Or I will be subject to a law suit and material damages claim.
I am left with an overwhelming feelings, a distress and sadness, a powerless feeling of being at risk of a law suit if I use the name of my home country to promote an ingredient made by my own Beber Moroccan family originated from my father, my uncle my aunt my cousines Moroccan ARGAN land.
My Berber Women Dream is at risk, Moroccan Argan oil is American women healthiest rejuvenating beauty Oil they can find. Should we let this dream die because a chemical formula called ‘’moroccanoil’’ made in Israel. DOES MOROCCO AND AMERICAN COSMETIC MARKET BELONG TO ”MOROCCANOIL”
‘’Moroccan Oil’’ is further suing all companies IN California and other states who are trying to promote their product containing ‘’MOROCAN ARGAN OIL’’ stipping any Berber women prospect client to promote ARGAN.
THIS INGREDIENT IS BEING SOLD IN EUROPE FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS, NO THING LIKE THIS NEVER HAPPENED.
‘’Moroccanoil’’ is DESTRYING WOEMN AND THE PLANET WITH THEIR ‘’MOROCCANOIL’’ FORMULA
SEE BERBER WOMEN MAKING ARGAN OIL FOR THEIR AON BAUTY BECAUSE THEY WORK ALL DAY LONG IN THE FARM WHEN THEY RETURN HOME BY NIGHT THEY PUT THE ARGAN OIL TO HEAL AND CLARIFY THE SKIN. Youtube AYELAINE VIDEO .
MY CALL ‘’SOS MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL’’