Argan oil shampoo has surged in popularity, promising to deliver silky, strong, and shiny hair. But does it live up to the hype? This article provides a comprehensive review of Creme of Nature Argan Oil Shampoo, dissecting its ingredients, benefits, and potential drawbacks to help you determine if it's the right choice for your hair.
In recent years, argan oil shampoo has become a beauty buzzword-heralded for its promise of silky, strong, and shiny hair. But is it all hype? This comprehensive guide explores the origins, benefits, science, and downsides of argan‑infused shampoos, helping you decide whether Moroccan argan oil shampoo is the right choice for your hair type.
Argan oil, often dubbed "liquid gold of Morocco," is derived from the kernel of the argan fruit, which grows exclusively on the argan tree in Morocco. This oil is lauded for its rich composition of nutrients, including:
Traditionally, the extraction process involved goats consuming the ripe argan fruits, with the seeds then collected from their droppings. These seeds are then smashed to extract the kernels, which contain approximately 50% oil. The oil is then pressed from these kernels.
Argan oil is believed to provide numerous benefits for both skin and hair, including:
Read also: How to Use Argan Oil
Creme of Nature Argan Oil Moisture & Shine Shampoo specifies “sulfate free” on the packaging and claims gentle hydrating cleansing, detangling, and shine enhancement. To properly assess its effectiveness, let's delve into its key ingredients:
Water (Aqua/Eau): The most abundant ingredient, serving as the primary solvent. Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed).
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate: A versatile and biodegradable cleansing agent with high cleaning power and strong foaming properties. Unfortunately, these two properties for a surfactant usually mean that it is harsh on the skin, which is the case here as well. Super common ingredient in all kinds of cleansing products: face and body washes, shampoos and foam baths.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine: A surfactant used to boost foam and cleansing action. Number one reason for its popularity has to do with bubbles. Everyone loves bubbles. And cocamidopropyl betaine is great at stabilizing them. The other reason is that it’s mild and works very well combined with other cleansing agents and surfactants. Chemically speaking, it is the little sister of Cocamide DEA and has similar properties to that guy.
Fragrance (Parfum): Added to impart a pleasant scent. Exactly what it sounds: nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. If you are someone who likes to know what you put on your face then fragrance is not your best friend - there's no way to know what’s really in it. Also, if your skin is sensitive, fragrance is again not your best friend. It’s the number one cause of contact allergy to cosmetics. It’s definitely a smart thing to avoid with sensitive skin (and fragrance of any type - natural is just as allergic as synthetic, if not worse!).
Read also: Is OGX Argan Oil Worth It?
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil: Argan oil - the "liquid gold of Morocco" that contains 80% unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic mainly), and antioxidant vitamin E and phenols. When it comes to cosmetic oils and hype, argan oil is for sure leading the way. Dubbed as the "liquid gold of Morocco", we have to admit we have some trouble determining why this oil enjoys such a special miracle status. So, argan oil comes from the kernel of the argan fruit that comes from the argan tree that grows only in Morocco. The tree is slow growing and getting the oil is a hard job. The traditional process is that the ripe argan fruits fall from the tree, then goats eat them up and poop out the seeds. The seeds are collected and smashed with a stone to get the kernels inside. This part is the hard one as the seeds have extremely hard shells. Once the kernels are obtained, the oil is pressed out from them (the kernels contain about 50% oil). As for skincare, argan oil is loaded with lots of skin goodies (but so are many other plant oils): it contains 80% nourishing and moisturizing unsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic (38-50%), linoleic (28-38%) and palmitic (10-18%). Thanks to all the above goodness in argan oil, it can greatly nourish and moisturize the skin and hair. It's also claimed to be able to neutralize collagen-damaging free radicals, help reduce scars, and revitalize and improve skin elasticity.
Polyquaternium-10: A cellulose derived polymer (a big molecule that consists of many parts) that can help to thicken up products, form a nice film on the skin or hair and is considered to be an excellent hair conditioner.
Panthenol: Pro-Vitamin B5 is a goodie that moisturises the skin, has anti-inflammatory, skin protecting and wound healing properties. An easy-to-formulate, commonly used, nice to have ingredient that’s also called pro-vitamin B5. Its main job in skincare products is to moisturise the skin. It’s a humectant meaning that it can help the skin to attract water and then hold onto it. Another great thing about panthenol is that it has anti-inflammatory and skin protecting abilities. A study shows that it can reduce the irritation caused by less-nice other ingredients (e.g. If that wasn’t enough panthenol is also useful in nail and hair care products. As for the hair the hydration effect is also true there.
Dimethicone: A real oldie but a goodie. A very common silicone that gives both skin and hair a silky smooth feel. It also forms a protective barrier on the skin and fills in fine lines. Probably the most common silicone of all. As for skincare, it makes the skin silky smooth, creates a subtle gloss and forms a protective barrier (aka occlusive). Also, works well to fill in fine lines and wrinkles and give skin a plump look (of course that is only temporary, but still, it's nice). There are also scar treatment gels out there using dimethicone as their base ingredient. It helps to soften scars and increase their elasticity. As for hair care, it is a non-volatile silicone meaning that it stays on the hair rather than evaporates from it and smoothes the hair like no other thing.
Amodimethicone: A modified dimethicone-type silicone molecule that also contains amino-groups. Having amino-groups means that Amodimethicone also has Nitrogen in its molecule that likes to have a positive charge. Positively charged (or quaternised) molecules are substantive to skin and hair as those are negatively charged surfaces and are excellent film formers.
Read also: Using Argan Oil for Hair
Glycol Distearate: A so-called diester created from two stearic acid molecules and an ethylene glycol molecule. Its main thing is being an opacifier and pearling agent in cleansing products making them white and glossy. We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Sodium Chloride: Sodium chloride is the fancy name of salt. If (similar to us) you are in the weird habit of reading the label on your shower gel while taking a shower, you might have noticed that sodium chloride is almost always on the ingredient list. The reason for this is that salt acts as a fantastic thickener in cleansing formulas created with ionic cleansing agents (aka surfactants) such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate. A couple of percents (typically 1-3%) turns a runny surfactant solution into a nice gel texture. If you are into chemistry (if not, we understand, just skip this paragraph), the reason is that electrolytes (you know, the Na+ and Cl- ions) screen the electrostatic repulsion between the head groups of ionic surfactants and thus support the formation of long shaped micelles (instead of spherical ones) that entangle like spaghetti, and viola, a gel is formed. Other than that, salt also works as an emulsion stabilizer in water-in-oil emulsions, that is when water droplets are dispersed in the outer oil (or silicone) phase.
Citric Acid: The acid found in vinegar. Can be a skin irritant and drying in larger amounts but in tiny amounts, it's used to set the pH of the cosmetic formula. Has also some disinfecting properties. Citric acid comes from citrus fruits and is an AHA. But according to a comparative study done in 1995, citric acid has less skin improving magic properties than glycolic or lactic acid.
Mica: A mineral powder used to improve skin feel, increase product slip, give the product some light-reflecting properties, enhance skin adhesion or serve as an anti-caking agent. A super versatile and common mineral powder that comes in different particle sizes. It is also the most commonly used "base" material for layered composite pigments such as pearl-effect pigments. We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Benzyl Alcohol: A common fragrance ingredient that has a faint sweet balsamic smell. It can also be a solvent and can fight against microbes and insects very well. It's one of the “EU 26 fragrances” that has to be labelled separately because of allergen potential.
Methylparaben: A very common type of feared-by-everyone-mostly-without-scientific-reason paraben.
Propylparaben: The most common type of feared-by-everyone-mostly-without-scientific-reason parabens. Apart from the general controversy around parabens (we wrote about it more here), there is a 2006 in-vitro (made in the lab not on real people) research about methylparaben (MP) showing that when exposed to sunlight, MP treated skin cells suffered more harm than non-MP treated skin cells. The study was not done with real people on real skin but still - using a good sunscreen next to MP containing products is a good idea. (Well, in fact using a sunscreen is always a good idea.
Phenoxyethanol: Pretty much the current IT-preservative. It’s safe and gentle, but even more importantly, it’s not a feared-by-everyone-mostly-without-scientific-reason paraben. It’s not something new: it was introduced around 1950 and today it can be used up to 1% worldwide. It can be found in nature - in green tea - but the version used in cosmetics is synthetic. Other than having a good safety profile and being quite gentle to the skin it has some other advantages too. It can be used in many types of formulations as it has great thermal stability (can be heated up to 85°C) and works on a wide range of pH levels (ph 3-10). It’s often used together with ethylhexylglycerin as it nicely improves the preservative activity of phenoxyethanol.
Ethylhexylglycerin: A helper ingredient that helps to make the products stay nice longer, aka preservative. It’s pH dependent and works best at acidic pH levels (3-5).
Titanium Dioxide: A physical/inorganic sunscreen with pretty broad spectrum (UVB and UVA II, less good at UVA I) protection and good stability. Might leave some whitish tint on the skin, though. Traditionally, UV-filters are categorized as either chemical or physical. The big difference is supposed to be that chemical agents absorb UV-light while physical agents reflect it like a bunch of mini umbrellas on top of the skin. While this categorization is easy and logical it turns out it's not true. A recent, 2016 study shows that inorganic sunscreens work mostly by absorption, just like chemical filters, and only a little bit by reflection (they do reflect the light in the visible spectrum, but mostly absorb in the UV spectrum). Anyway, it doesn't matter if it reflects or absorbs, Titanium Dioxide is a pretty awesome sunscreen agent for two main reasons: it gives a nice broad spectrum coverage and it's highly stable. Its protection is very good between 290 - 350 nm (UVB and UVA II range), and less good at 350-400 nm (UVA I) range. The disadvantage of Titanium Dioxide is that it's not cosmetically elegant, meaning it's a white, "unspreadable" mess. Sunscreens containing Titanium Dioxide are often hard to spread on the skin and they leave a disturbing whitish tint. The cosmetic industry is, of course, really trying to solve this problem and the best solution so far is using nanoparticles. The main concern with nanoparticles is that they are so tiny that they are absorbed into the skin more than we want them (ideally sunscreen should remain on the surface of the skin). Once absorbed they might form unwanted complexes with proteins and they might promote the formation of evil free radicals. But do not panic, these are concerns under investigation. A 2009 review article about the safety of nanoparticles summarizes this, "to date, in-vivo and in-vitro studies have not demonstrated percutaneous penetration of nanosized particles in titanium dioxide and zinc oxide sunscreens". The English translation is, so far it looks like sunscreens with nanoparticles do stay on the surface of the skin where they should be. All in all, Titanium Dioxide is a famous sunscreen agent and for good reason, it gives broad spectrum UV protection (best at UVB and UVA II), it's highly stable, and it has a good safety profile.
Ci 19140: Ci 19140 or Tartrazine is a super common colorant in skincare, makeup, medicine & food. FDA says it's possible, but rare, to have an allergic-type reaction to a color additive.
While the packaging may state "sulfate-free," the presence of Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate raises a question. While technically not a sulfate, it functions similarly as a cleansing agent and can be potentially harsh on the skin and hair. Those seeking truly sulfate-free options may need to research further.
Argan oil shampoo blends natural plant oils with sulphate‑free, gentle cleansers, offering tangible benefits for dry, treated, or frizzy hair. Scientific reviews support its role in moisture retention and cuticle protection.
Most users wash every 2-3 days. Using argan oil shampoo daily is fine, if your formula is gentle. Some recommend rotating sulfate‑free and mild sulfate shampoos every couple of weeks to prevent buildup and scalp oil imbalance .
Creme of Nature Argan Oil Shampoo offers a blend of argan oil and cleansing agents that may benefit dry, treated, or frizzy hair. However, the presence of Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate and silicones should be considered, especially for those with sensitive scalps or those seeking a truly sulfate-free experience.
Select a high‑integrity brand, ensure oil features prominently in the start of the ingredient list, and scrub thoroughly during use. When used properly-with compatible conditioner and rotation-argan shampoo can nourish, shine, and support stronger, healthier hair.
Yes-when the product contains a real, substantial percentage of argan oil and avoids harsh sulfates. It reigns in frizz, restores softness, and helps retain moisture, particularly for color‑treated or dry hair.
Those with very oily scalp, psoriasis, or heavy scalp buildup may find sulfate‑free versions too mild. If you don’t scrub enough, residue can accumulate and exacerbate issues.
Yes, many people do-especially if your formula is gentle, and you rinse thoroughly. Watch for dryness or buildup over time; rotating with a clarifying shampoo occasionally (even if sulfate‑based) can help.
Apply argan oil or serum to damp hair-this helps lock in moisture. If you leave it in overnight or add it before shampooing, rinse well to avoid residue that standard sulfate‑free ingredients may not remove.
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