Argan Oil for Face: How to Use It at Night and What the Research Shows

Argan oil for face has been used in Morocco for generations, and it now appears in many night routines. This guide explains how to apply it, what its composition suggests, what the small clinical studies found, and where its limits are.

Argan oil is pressed from the kernels inside the fruit of Argania spinosa, a tree that grows mainly in southwestern Morocco. The research on it is real but limited, so this article separates what has been tested from what is only repeated online.

What is argan oil made of?

Argan oil is rich in oleic and linoleic acid, two unsaturated fatty acids common in plant oils. It is also high in phenolic compounds and vitamin E (Charrouf and Guillaume, 2008). A 2010 review by Guillaume and Charrouf reports that argan oil has unusually high levels of gamma-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E, compared with other oils (Guillaume and Charrouf, 2010).

That composition explains why many people find the oil soft on the skin. It does not prove what the oil will do on your face. That requires clinical data.

What do the clinical studies show?

Two small human studies are most often cited for argan oil on the skin. Neither tested plain argan oil on its own.

The first, by Tichota and colleagues in 2014, tested a hydrogel that carried argan oil in nanostructured lipid carriers, a delivery system. In healthy volunteers over one month, skin hydration increased. The authors credited the combined effect of the carrier's occlusion and the oil's own moisturizing action (Tichota et al., 2014).

The second, by Dobrev in 2007, tested a sebum control cream containing argan oil, saw palmetto extract, and sesame seeds. People with oily facial skin applied it twice daily for four weeks. Casual sebum levels fell by 20 percent, and 95 percent of participants reported a visible effect (Dobrev, 2007). Because the cream contained three active ingredients, the results cannot be credited to argan oil alone.

Taken together, the human evidence is thin: two small studies, neither of which tested pure argan oil by itself. Treat argan oil as a reasonable moisturizing oil with limited clinical support, not as a proven treatment.

How to use argan oil for face at night

Night is the easiest time to use it. You have time to let it settle, and nothing needs to sit on top of it except, perhaps, a sleep mask.

1. Cleanse first. Remove makeup and sunscreen with your usual cleanser. Oil sits better on clean skin, and residue left underneath stays trapped overnight.
2. Apply water-based products while skin is still damp. A hydrating toner or a serum with hyaluronic acid or niacinamide goes on first. Give it a minute to sink in.
3. Warm two to three drops between your palms. Most faces need that much. Dry, flaky patches can take one extra drop.
4. Press, don't rub. Use light pressure across the cheeks, forehead, and jaw, then down the neck. Rubbing can irritate the skin, and the oil does not need force to spread.
5. Wait a few minutes. On clean skin, most people find argan oil absorbs within a few minutes. If it still feels slick after that, use less next time.
6. Add cream only if you need it. Very dry skin often does better with a night cream over the oil. Oily or combination skin usually does fine with the oil alone.

How it fits a combination-skin routine

Take someone with combination skin: an oily T-zone and dry patches along the nose and cheeks. Their evening routine is a gentle cleanser, a niacinamide serum, and a light gel moisturizer. Argan oil works best here when it replaces the gel on the oily T-zone and goes over the moisturizer only on the dry patches. That keeps the oil where the skin needs it. Applying it everywhere, every night, is more likely to leave the T-zone feeling heavy by morning.

Is argan oil good for oily skin and acne?

This is the question most readers arrive with, and the honest answer is more modest than most product pages suggest. The Dobrev study points to a sebum-reducing effect from a multi-ingredient cream containing argan oil. It does not show that pure argan oil clears acne or fades scars. Our review of the literature did not turn up a controlled study testing either claim.

Some ingredient references rate argan oil as low for clogging pores. We did not find a controlled study that tested pore clogging directly, so a patch test remains the best guide. If you have active breakouts, a dermatologist can recommend treatments with stronger evidence.

What argan oil won't do

Argan oil is not sunscreen. It has no meaningful SPF, so sunscreen still goes on last in the morning. It is not a treatment for severe acne, deep scarring, or pigmentation. Human data on wrinkles is limited, so claims that it erases lines should be treated with caution. It can make skin look softer and better hydrated, which can make fine lines less noticeable, but it does not remove them.

How to choose and store argan oil

Look for cold-pressed or unrefined oil, and the ingredient name Argania spinosa kernel oil on the label. A long list of added oils, fragrances, or preservatives means argan is only one part of the product. If your skin reacts easily, choose unscented versions. Store the oil in a cool, dark place, and replace it if it smells sharp or stale, since oils can oxidize over time.

Frequently asked questions

What is argan oil for face?

Argan oil for face is a plant oil pressed from argan kernels and used as a moisturizing last step or mixed into creams. It is rich in oleic and linoleic acid and vitamin E (Charrouf and Guillaume, 2008).

Is argan oil comedogenic?

Some ingredient references rate argan oil as low for clogging pores, but a review of the literature did not find a controlled study that tested this directly. Patch test before using it across the whole face.

How much argan oil should I use on my face?

Two to three drops covers most faces. Add one extra drop on dry areas. Excess oil tends to sit on the surface rather than absorbing.

Should argan oil go before or after moisturizer?

Apply it after water-based serums and before a night cream. If you skip the cream, it can be the final step. The usual order is thinnest to thickest: water-based products first, oils after.

Can argan oil replace night cream?

For normal, oily, or combination skin, it can work on its own. Very dry skin usually does better with a cream over the oil.

Is argan oil good for oily skin?

Some people with oily skin like how it feels, because it adds moisture without heaviness. A small study linked a multi-ingredient cream containing argan oil to lower sebum over four weeks, but pure argan oil has not been tested that way.

Is argan oil safe for sensitive skin?

It is gentle for many people, but reactions do happen. Choose unscented, cold-pressed oil, patch test first, and stop if redness or stinging continues.

Can argan oil reduce fine lines?

It can make skin look softer and better hydrated, which can make fine lines less noticeable. Human evidence for an anti-wrinkle effect is limited, so it should not be treated as a wrinkle treatment.

Can I use argan oil in the morning?

You can, but argan oil is not sunscreen. If you use it in the morning, apply it before sunscreen and keep sunscreen as the final step. Many people find night use simpler.

Can men use argan oil on their face?

Yes, the routine is the same. No study we reviewed tested argan oil specifically in men, so the usual patch test and moderation apply.

References

• Charrouf Z, Guillaume D. Argan oil: occurrence, composition and impact on human health. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 2008;110(7):632–636.
• Dobrev H. Clinical and instrumental study of the efficacy of a new sebum control cream. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2007;6(2):113–118. PMID: 17524128.
• Guillaume D, Charrouf Z. Should the Amazigh diet (regular and moderate argan-oil consumption) have a beneficial impact on human health? Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2010;50(5):473–477. PMID: 20373191.
• Tichota DM, Silva AC, Sousa Lobo JM, Amaral MH. Design, characterization, and clinical evaluation of argan oil nanostructured lipid carriers to improve skin hydration. International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2014;9:3855–3864. doi:10.2147/IJN.S64008.