Palm oil / palmolein
Food
Clean-label verdictNeutral
A named fat, but usually refined.
Named on the pack, but refined or made in a lab.
Good to know
High in saturated fat: fine in moderation, not a health food. Swapping saturated fat for unsaturated oils lowers LDL cholesterol (Cochrane 2020; WHO 2023). Refined palm oil had the highest 3-MCPD and glycidyl ester levels of the oils EFSA measured. It isn’t clearly worse than coconut oil or ghee.
Also listed as: palmolein, fractionated fat, interesterified vegetable fat
In our catalog
None of the products we list right now has this on its ingredient list.
Related
- Tag: Oil named on pack
- Tag: Mostly saturated fat
- Blog: Palm oil: what the evidence actually says
- Longer note: Palm oil as fry fat
Sources
Not medical advice. If you have an allergy or a health condition, ask your doctor. Last reviewed October 2026. Report an issue