Moringa oil is pressed from the seeds of Moringa oleifera. Two bottles can carry the same name and still be very different oils. The good news: you can judge most of the difference with your own eyes, as long as the bottle lets you look.
Moringa oil goes by many names: ben oil, behen oil, benzolive oil, drumstick tree oil or malunggay oil. Whatever the label says, the same quality checks apply, and they are the ones below. (Curious about the names? Read all the names of moringa and the history of ben oil.)
1. Look at the colour first
A fresh, cold-pressed moringa oil from the first pressing has a deep, rich golden colour. That colour comes from the seed itself, and it is one of the easiest quality signals to check.
An oil that looks very pale, washed out or almost colourless has usually been refined, heated or pressed a second time. Those steps make an oil cheaper to produce, but they strip away much of what makes moringa oil worth using.
2. Check the clarity, and know what cloudiness means
At room temperature, good moringa oil is clear and bright. In a cold room it can turn slightly cloudy. That is normal: moringa oil naturally contains behenic acid, which sets in the cold and clears again when you warm the bottle in your hands. An oil that stays perfectly clear even near the fridge has often been refined or blended.
3. Read the ingredient list
Pure moringa oil needs one line on the label: Moringa oleifera seed oil. No carrier oils, no fragrance, no fillers. If the list is longer, you are buying a blend.
4. Smell it
Cold-pressed moringa oil has a faint, mild, slightly nutty scent. A strong perfume usually means added fragrance. A sharp or rancid smell means the oil has oxidised.
5. Look at the bottle itself
Many brands sell moringa oil in dark or opaque bottles. With an opaque bottle, you cannot check the colour or the clarity until you have paid and opened it. That makes it impossible to tell a first cold press from a refined or second-press oil on the shelf.
We made the opposite choice. Our moringa oil comes in a clear bottle on purpose, so you can hold it up to the light and see the deep gold before you buy. We would rather show the oil than ask you to trust it.
Watch: see the gold in 30 seconds
A clear bottle and storage
Light is what degrades a cold-pressed oil fastest, so a clear bottle comes with one simple habit: keep it closed, in a cool, dark cupboard between uses, ideally between 18 and 22 °C. Stored that way, a sealed bottle keeps around 12 months, and an opened one is best used within about six months.
Quick checklist before you buy moringa oil
- Colour: deep golden, not pale or colourless
- Clarity: clear at room temperature, may cloud in the cold
- Ingredients: one line, Moringa oleifera seed oil
- Scent: faint and mild, no perfume, nothing sharp
- Bottle: one that lets you see the oil
See it for yourself
Our Golden Moringa Face Oil is 100% cold-pressed moringa seed oil, one ingredient, in clear bottles from 15 ml to 500 ml. For how to use it, read how to use moringa face oil in a skincare routine.
Zest of Moringa skincare products are cosmetics, not medicines. Patch test before first use.
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