Coconut Oil

Choosing an ethical coconut oil

The market for coconut oils continues to grow in the UK. 

It has become popular for cooking, as well as for skin and hair use, with some health claims are driving consumption. Because it can be heated to a high smoking point, it's popular for cooking at high temperatures like frying, as well as being used in baking. 

Which brands are in this guide?

The market has, for many years, been primarily made up of smaller firms offering raw, organic coconut oil, and it is these companies that we focus on in the guide.

We have not included supermarkets or retailers like Amazon which also sell coconut oil. We also haven't included other brands like Fry Light (owned by Saputo), who make a cooking spray with coconut oil. 

You can see how the big brands score in our cooking oil guide, and the supermarkets guide for own-brand versions.

Cold-pressed, refined and other processing 

Most cooking oils are refined, meaning that the oil has been extracted using solvents, heat, and bleaching agents.

Cold-pressed oils on the other hand are extracted mechanically without heat or chemicals and as a result preserve more beneficial nutrients. Cold-pressed unrefined coconut oil has a stronger coconut smell and taste. Cold-pressing gives a lower yield which means that oils extracted in this way are likely to be more expensive, even though it's less processed. 

Some coconut oil is refined to specifically remove the smell / taste of coconut so that it can be used in more cooking options without adding a coconut flavour. If you want to avoid ones that have been overly processed, avoid ones that have been refined, bleached or deodorised (often referred to as RBD). They should say this on the packaging. 

The term “extra virgin” is an official and regulated standard in the world of olive oil and refers to the very highest quality of cold-pressed olive oil. When applied to coconut oil it tends to mean there has been minimal processing. However there is no legal definition of it. 

Where are coconuts grown?

In the UK our coconut oil mostly comes via the Netherlands which imports more than half of Europe’s coconut supply, mainly from the Philippines and Indonesia. 

Multinational food giant Cargill imports most of that to its refinery in Rotterdam but, apart from KTC, the brands in this guide sell organic, cold-pressed coconut oil which is unlikely to have come via that route and more likely to have come from Sri Lanka.

Extreme weather like typhoons and droughts have disrupted harvest cycles particularly in the Philippines and Indonesia. 

Coconut trees are also a slow growing, and so newer plantations aren't yet able to satisfy growing demand. The Grameen Foundation which works with notes that older coconut trees may produce only 32 nuts per tree per year while the ideal productivity is 75 nuts per tree per year. 

Workers' rights in the coconut industry

Issues around workers' rights including child labour, are prevalent in the coconut industry. Look for brands that have clear supply chain policies.  

The Grameen Foundation ( an international non-profit organisation whose mission is to "enable the poor, especially women, to create a world without poverty and hunger") is working on a programme in the Philippines that is designed to improve 25,000 smallholder farmers’ coconut production and incomes and connect them to markets, while ensuring positive social and environmental impacts. 

Of the brands in this guide, most scored 60 or above (out of 100) for our workers category (Clearspring, Essential, Lucy Bee, Mr Organic, and Suma). 

The only ones who scored less than this were Biona, Organic Kitchen and KTC.

Environmental impact of different types of cooking oils

Is coconut oil better for the environment than buying rapeseed, olive or palm oil?

There isn't really one type of oil that is significantly worse or better in terms of environmental or carbon impact.

A 2021 study looked at the average carbon footprints of producing six oil types (this doesn’t include the impact of transporting oils to the final consumer). It found that olive and coconut oil had similar carbon footprints as did sunflower and rapeseed, with the latter two being lower. However, it also presented the same data split by country which created a more complex picture.

For example, olive oil from Greece had a similar carbon footprint to the rapeseed average and rapeseed oil from China had a similar footprint to the olive oil average. Other studies have also suggested that coconut actually has lower carbon emissions than other oils.

The different oils all have their pros and cons – for example, if looking at deforestation risk coconut oil is more of a concern than olive oil, however it's much less of a concern for pesticide use. 

So, when it comes to choosing an oil with a lower environmental impact, it's the company you buy from and how that oil has been sourced rather than the type of oil itself that has the biggest impact.

Coconut oil vs palm oil: which is best for the environment?

As people became more aware of the problems with monoculture palm oil, such as deforestation, biodiversity impacts, impacts on workers and small land owners, coconut oil has grown as an alternative. 

Whilst coconuts grown in south east Asia are generally grown in mixed-use plantations, rather than monocultures, this is not always the case. But it's often considered a slightly more sustainable product than palm oil.

If you are buying coconut oil look for brands that talk about supporting agroforestry techniques to maintain biodiversity, and supporting small-scale farmers in adopting sustainable practices. 

GMO free coconut oil

Most of the oils we look at in our cooking oil guide are made from plants which have no commercial GMO varieties on the market. 

This means when buying coconut oil you can be fairly certain you are not buying anything made with GMO crops.

Organic coconut oil

One way to be sure you are not buying genetically modified ingredients is to buy certified organic products. This also means you avoid crops grown with chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. 

Coconut oil from the following brands are organic: 

• Biona
• Clearspring
• Essential
• Lucy Bee
• Mr Organic
• Organic Kitchen

Suma also offers a range of organic oil as well as some non-organic.

Fair trade coconut oil

Depending on what type of oil you are buying and where it is from you might also want to consider buying fair trade.

The vast majority of the world’s coconuts are sourced from small-scale farmers in Indonesia and the Philippines. It has been estimated that around 60% of coconut farmers in the Philippines live below the poverty line. 

Of the coconut oils in this guide, only Lucy Bee is certified Fairtrade.

Best packaging for coconut oil

What is the best packaging option for coconut oil?

Factors to consider include the nature of the product over time, and the environmental impact of the packaging material.

Storage of oil

Cooking oils can deteriorate over time through a process of oxidation, affecting taste and nutritional value. Exposure to light and heat accelerate this process so it’s best to store oils in a cool and dark environment. 

Metal cans provide the best protection from light according to research conducted on olive oil and vegetable oil, with dark glass also performing well and plastic performing worst.

Most coconut oil is sold in clear glass or clear plastic, so keep it inside a cupboard out of daylight.

Environmental impact of packaging materials

Glass isn’t necessarily the most ethical choice however. It’s easily and endlessly recyclable and if discarded is less likely to pollute than plastic, however, both recycled and virgin glass bottles have a high environmental impact because glass production is extremely energy-intensive.

And, because we tend to use glass jars only once before recycling, the carbon footprint of each jar remains high. Glass is also heavier than plastic or metal so creates more transport emissions.

While plastic may have the benefit of being light, it’s derived from petroleum and can break down into polluting microplastics. It's also much harder to recycle. 

The metal containers that cooking oil sometimes comes in are normally made from steel with a tin lining. Steel production has a higher carbon footprint than plastic but is more easily recyclable and less polluting. However, these are nearly always only used for olive oil.

Animal ratings of the oil brands

Our Animal Products rating looks at the activities, policies, and practices of the company closest to the brand in the guide and also takes into account what’s happening in the wider company group. 

Only three companies scored full marks: 

• Clearspring
• Lucy Bee
• Organic Family Limited (Mr Organic) 

These three were explicitly vegan across the whole company.

Essential, Suma, and Windmill Organics (Biona) were all explicitly vegetarian companies and also had adequate policies ensuring higher welfare for the animal products they did sell.

Israel-Palestine

Our new Israel-Palestine rating gives points to companies that have no connections with the Israeli government or related bodies. To score 100, as well as having no connections, a company must have a policy on the issue, for example against sourcing from illegal Israeli settlements, or working with Israel-based organisations, institutions, or companies.

Most companies in the guide scored 80 as they had no connections with the Israeli government or related bodies but did not have a policy.

Essential and Suma scored 90 because of their support for Zaytoun (olive oil producer linked to Palestine). Lucy Bee also scored 90 as it stated it did not engage with suppliers or partners involved in the illegal occupation.

Price of ethical coconut oil

Coconut oil and olive oil are around the same price. 

Clearspring is currently selling jars at £8.59 for 400ml, with Mr Organic and Lucy Bee offering bigger jars (500ml) for £9.05 and £9.50, respectively. 

We also found that Lucy Bee coconut oil was available at a significantly reduced price at some UK supermarkets.

For cheaper oils, look at our shopping guide for sunflower and rapeseed oil.

Additional research by Francesca de la Torre.