Continuing Saga of the Search for Better Beauty Products- Moroccan Oil

 

 

 

 

I love my Moroccan Oil and what it does for my curly, often dry hair.  It makes it soft and shiny but not greasy.  So it was with some trepidation that I began to investigate what's in it.  I had been told it contains argan oil which is derived from the kernel of a fruit similar to an olive.  Natural.  Check.  Its glass bottle comes in a small recyclable box,  and the label has a bunny rabbit on the back, which suggests it's not tested on animals.  OK so far.  The label and website do not say all-natural, however.  The ingredients are as follows:

cyclomethicone, dimethicone, argan oil, fragrance, linseed extract, butylphenyl methylpropional, benzyl benzoate, alpha-isomethyl ionone, and red No. 17 and yellow No. 11.

I took some time following google links to wikipedia, TruthInAging, Environmental Working Group and other places, and this is what I found.  The first  two (and therefore most abundant) ingredients are forms of silicone, which is synthetically produced, but not petroleum-based.  The argan oil and linseed extract are natural and seem good.  Unspecified fragrance is a question mark, of course.  Butylphenyl  methylpropional.  That doesn't sound so good.  'turns out it's a synthetic fragrance ingredient.  Benzyl benzoate and alpha-isomethyl ionone are fragrance compounds that occur in nature and are also synthetically -produced. They may cause allergen hazards according to the Environmental Working Group.  The red and yellow dye ingredients are not recommended by PETA because they are made from  coal tar, and its carcinogenic properties are often tested on animals.  Overall, Moroccan Oil did not stand up very well to a close examination of its ingredients.  I doubt it is poisonous, but I could probably do better, and I will look for an alternative....

(For more information on why I am looking for natural/organic/non-toxic beauty products see my October 2012 post "Why Buy Organic and Natural Cosmetics?")