The Misleading Marketing Behind Some 'Made With Avocado Oil' Labels

For over a decade, we've been hearing about the risk of fake olive oil. Even though those concerns were a bit exaggerated and the chances of buying fake olive oil are not as high as reports made it seem, that doesn't mean consumers are not at risk of other potentially inaccurate labelling where oils are concerned. The latest products to be wrapped up in controversy are those labelled 100% avocado oil.

A 2026 study from the journal Applied Food Research found that 48 of 54 products labeled as being made with avocado oil were chemically inconsistent with pure avocado oil. "If you're buying avocado oil products, it's very likely that you're not getting what you're paying for," Selina Wang, professor of food science at U.C. Davis and the study's lead author, told NPR.

Specifically, the products tested lacked compounds such as fatty acids and plant sterols that are found in genuine avocado oil. However, the products did contain higher levels of compounds found in other vegetable oils, like soybean oil. This suggests that despite avocado oil being the only oil listed, most of the products were probably made with either a blend of oils, or had the avocado content diluted with cheaper oil.

The study, conducted by researchers at U.C. Davis, tested products like potato chips fried in avocado oil and compiled a list of those which were consistent with avocado oil and those that were not. They tested two samples of each product, and the results were not always the same. One brand was tested twice, and one sample was deemed consistent while one was not.

Wang said one of the tested items appeared to have almost no avocado oil at all, though the exact brand was not specified. Each of the 54 items in the study specifically listed avocado oil as the only oil used. Because of the small sample size, the results could be contested by the companies whose products were tested.

One of the products that failed the authenticity testing was Boulder Canyon kettle chips, which we've previously enjoyed. A year ago, a screenshot shared on Reddit appeared to show a response from a company representative stating that Boulder Canyon chips are cooked in RBD avocado oil, which stands for refined, bleached, and deodorized. We've already warned about how refined avocado oil may have lost some of its flavor and health benefits.

This type of processing removes some compounds responsible for color, flavor, and oxidation, but the  study noted that "key fatty acid and sterol authenticity markers remained largely unchanged during laboratory frying and emulsification." That suggests RBD processing alone shouldn't account for the differences, which included markers inconsistent with real avocado oil. That leaves a clear disparity between the study findings and Boulder Canyon's avocado oil claims.

The one brand that appeared consistent across the board was Grove. The researchers tested two different sauces sold under the AvoYeah! label and both products came back as being consistent with authentic avocado oil.

If there is a silver lining to the study, it is that Wang and her colleagues also tested products claiming to be made with olive oil, and only one showed signs of inconsistency. Graza chips, which we loved, passed the authenticity test.