Do We Need to Rethink Avocado Oil?

For decades, avocado oil have been promoted as health-conscious alternatives to more highly refined vegetable oils. Food manufacturers now advertise avocado oil in products such as mayonnaise, salad dressings, and snack chips—often at a premium price. Unfortunately, consumers may not always be getting what the label promises.

Maybe the best way to incorparte avocado oil is through the fruit itself.

Avocado Oil in the Bottle

Studies evaluating avocado oil authenticiy mostely start in the 2010s. A 2020 study, First report on quality and purity evaluations of avocado oil sold in the US, researchers evaluated consumer-bought avocado oils labeled as Extra Virgin (7 samples) , Unrefined (6 samples) or Refined (9 samples) using several characteristics to evaluate the oils, including color, chlorophyll content, free fatty acids, peroxide value, tocopherol content, fatty-acid composition, and plant sterols. The oils were .

Color: Authentic extra-virgin avocado oil generally has a green color because it contains chlorophyll. Oils that tended to appear pale, golden, or yellow where more likely contain mixed oils or be refined as refining can remove chlorophyll and produce a lighter-colored oil. The study found that the 3 oils with the least amount of chlorophyll and green coloring has the most abnormal findings consistent with mixing.1  Of these 3 oils, 2 were labeled as extra virgin. 1 

This product is labeled “100% pure” and “cold-pressed” and is packaged in an appropriate dark-green glass bottle, yet the oil itself is golden. Upon further investigation, I discovered that the manufacturer and the retailer (Sam's Club) are named in a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging false labeling and adulteration of the product.

Free fatty acids (FFA) provide information about the breakdown and processing of an oil. Higher FFA levels may indicate hydrolysis, aging, poor-quality (older) fruit, or improper storage. Very low FFA levels may occur in a highly refined oil. In the study, unusually low FFA levels combined with other abnormal findings raised concerns about refining or blending with other oils.1 This study showed that quality was lacking in most of the consumer avocado oil with 5 of the 7 extra virgin products having high levels of FFAs.1

Peroxide value (PV) measures primary oxidation products. Fresh, well-preserved oil generally has a low PV, while the PV typically rises as oxidation begins. However, a very low PV approaching zero is a sign of a refined oil. The study found that 6 out of 9 refied avocado oils had high PV consistent with aging, moisture exposure, damaged raw ingredients, or poor storage and processing.

Tocopherols: Avocado oil also naturally contains tocopherols (vitamin E compounds). Authentic extra-virgin avocado oil generally contains approximately 70–190 mg/kg of tocopherols with variety exceptions below this range.1 Several samples had levels far above this range, in the 400s with tocopherol patterns resembling soybean oil, which may contain approximately 600–900 mg/kg.1 This provided additional evidence that some products may have been blended or in part replaced with soybean oil. The bottom line: study found that 2 out of 7 extra virgin, 3 of 6 unrefined, and 1 of 9 refined avocado oils contained soybean oil based on tocopherol levels. 1 

The fatty acid and plant sterol profiles offered further clues. Unusually high concentrations of linolenic and stearic acids, together with lower-than-expected concentrations of oleic and palmitic acids, more closely resembled the composition of soybean oil than authentic avocado oil. The study found that the same 2 out of 7 extra virgin oils with tocopherol and color issues also did not have the correct fatty acid and plant sterol profiles.1

No single measurement establishes adulteration. However, when the color, chlorophyll, FFA, PV, tocopherols, fatty acids, and sterols all point in the same direction, the evidence becomes much more persuasive.

Avocado Oil in Processed Foods

A new study available online for December publication evaluated 54 avocado oil grocery-store products purchased during 2025 and 2026 from online and brick-and-mortar retailers in California. The products included 3 categories: mayonnaise, salad dressings, and snack chips whose ingredient labels listed avocado oil without identifying any other oils. The researchers compared the products with known characteristics of authentic avocado oil and allowed a 10% margin outside the established ranges. Measurements included free fatty acids and plant sterols. Many products labeled as containing only avocado oil had sterol profiles more consistent with common vegetable oils.1 

The findings were concerning: 48 of the 54 products—approximately 89%—had oil compositions inconsistent with their labeling claims of avocado oil.2

The results varied by product category:

• 0% of the tested salad dressings appeared consistent with authentic avocado oil.2

• Only 7% of the tested snack chips appeared consistent with authentic avocado oil.2

• Only 29% of the tested mayonnaise products appeared consistent with authentic avocado oil.2

  

  This brand of chip sold at Costco was part of the study. (Siete now part of PepsiCo) It failed testing for containing authentic avocado oil.

Surprisingly, a higher price per ounce did not predict authenticity. In this study, the more expensive products were actually less likely to contain oil consistent with their labeling.2. (See Resources to learn more about the brands tested.)

As a comparison, the researchers also evaluated 20 products labeled as containing only olive oil. Just one of the 20 had an oil composition inconsistent with its labeling, suggesting that inaccurate labeling was substantially more common among the avocado-oil products tested.2

Tips for Buying Bottled Avocado Oil

Based on the 2026 study, it appears the best plan is to avoid buying ANY product that lists avocado oil on the packaging. Processed foods that list olive oil, my actually be a better choice as you are more likely to get what you are paying for.

Tips for Buying Avocado Oil Snacks

Most processed or packaged foods labeled as “made with avocado oil” appear to contain blended or substituted oils, with some samples demonstrating profiles consistent with soybean oil or other vegetable oils. The term vegetable oil may refer to soybean, corn, canola (rapeseed), cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, or palm oil—or a combination of these oils. This lack of transparency may be particularly concerning for people who are sensitive to soy.

To answer my initial question: Yes, I think we need to rethink avocado oil.

Resources:

1. Green, H. S., & Wang, S. C. (2020). First report on quality and purity evaluations of avocado oil sold in the US. Food Control, 116, 107328. ISSN 0956-7135.

2. Lopez-Alvarez, N., Li, X., Vizgordiski, B., & Wang, S. C. (2026). Authenticity of avocado and olive oils used as ingredients in commercially processed foods. Applied Food Research, 6(2), 102389.

   
   

**To access the supplementary material, including the list of brands tested, copy the #2 citation into your preferred AI platform and ask it to locate the supplementary documents. The material is provided as a downloadable spreadsheet and requires some additional review. Although the spreadsheet lists all brands included in the study, it does not identify which individual brands passed or failed authenticity testing.