Review: Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil

 

I'd long heard of Josie Maran's 100% Pure Argan Oil but never bothered buying it because of the large price difference between it and the next brand of argan oil (it's $48 for 50 ml).  However, I received a boxed set of her products recently containing small versions of her most popular products, including this famous Argan Oil.  "Luxury with a Conscience" is Josie's motto and this is from her website:

We use pure, Fair Trade Argan Oil, grown and harvested responsibly by co-ops of Moroccan women who earn a living wage. We partner with earth-loving, women-empowering organizations, use eco-friendly packaging, and we never stop striving to improve our products and our impact on the world.

Since the sole ingredient was the same as the other argan oil products I've used before (I reviewed another here), I was curious to see how it would perform and if the price tag was justified.



The dropper plus glass bottle is an elegant set-up and it's easy to control how much oil I want to use.  8-10 drops covers my face and it's surprisingly close to scentless compared to the light plant odor I encountered with other brands of argan oil.  Maybe the processing methods differ?  The texture is a bit runnier than other argan oils but the dewy sheen left behind is, as expected, still pretty shiny.  I understand a "glowing complexion" is desirable to many, but I can't help but think that on a face with acne it has too many negative associations.  Once again I tried this product in 3 ways:

1. Primer before make-up - made my BB cream apply very smoothly but also mixed with it to reduce coverage and appear super dewy until I applied powder; I didn't appear too oily by midday, but I credit that to the powder and not the argan oil

2. Daytime moisturizer - moderately hydrating and left my skin soft and gleaming for half a day; shine was greatly reduced after 4-5 hours but skin still felt hydrated; needed reapplication after hour 6

3. Last step in nighttime routine - reacted with the lotion I applied beforehand by rolling up into small flakes, especially if I tried to massage the oil around

So once again it's apparent the argan oil can do a good job of moisturizing but based on its texture it does not mix well with other products I already layered on my face.  I suppose I could have waited longer than 30 min for the previous toners and serums to fully absorb, but who's got that kind of time?  I was pleasantly surprised that this brand didn't leave such a greasy residue compared to others, but conversely it also lacked the long-lasting hydrating quality.  Given the identical ingredient list, it makes me think different processing methods influences these properties.

Would I buy the full-sized version?  Probably not.  Arguments in favor would include the lighter smell, less greasy look and the slightly better ability to play with other skincare products, but with its high price I don't find it worthwhile.  I'll use up the trial size I received and move on.

Summary

• Packaging:     5/5 (hygienic; semi-opaque; easy to control flow)
• Smell:             5/5 (practically zero odor)
• Performance:  4/5 (hydrating; dewy; doesn't mix well with others)
• Value/Price:   2/5 (small advantages over cheaper oils don't outweigh price)
• Recommend? Yes (if you want "Luxury with a Conscience" + have $ to spend =)
• Repurchase?  No (this is 4x pricier than comparable brands!)