Avocado Oil Labels: Refined vs Unrefined, “100% Pure”, Smoke Point, Best-By and Bottle

An avocado oil bottle usually carries a short set of words: “refined” or “unrefined”, “100% pure”, a smoke point number, a printed date and, on some bottles, a few seals. Unlike olive oil, avocado oil has no USDA grade names to lean on, so most of these words are the brand describing its own product. This explainer goes through each one, using Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil as the worked example. If you are deciding between the two oils, our olive oil vs avocado oil comparison covers flavor, uses and nutrition, and our olive oil label guide covers grades, harvest codes and seals on an olive oil bottle.

How we wrote this: the product details come from the Chosen Foods product page, read in October 2026. That page is for the 750 mL (25.4 fl oz) glass bottle; the bottle we list is the 1 liter size of the same oil, so check your own bottle for anything printed per container. We have not tested this oil, and this is not diet or medical advice.

Step 1: Refined or unrefined

Avocado oil is sold in two broad styles. Unrefined oils are pressed and filtered and then bottled, and they are usually labeled with words like “unrefined”, “virgin”, “extra virgin” or “cold pressed”. Refined oils go through an extra step after pressing that strips out more of the color, aroma and flavor.

The USDA grade standard that defines “extra virgin” for olive oil does not cover avocado oil, so “extra virgin” or “cold pressed” on an avocado oil bottle is the brand’s own wording. Read how the brand says it makes the oil.

Chosen Foods calls its oil “naturally refined”. Its FAQ says the avocados are pressed, the oil is filtered to separate it from the solids, and the oil is then refined at a specialized facility “where the temperature is lowered, and impurities are removed”, before it is inspected and bottled. The brand describes the result as smooth and neutral in taste. “Naturally refined” is the brand’s term, not a defined grade.

Step 2: What “100% pure” tells you

“100% Pure” is part of the Chosen Foods product name. It is a marketing phrase, so treat it as the brand’s promise rather than a grade. The part of the label you can check yourself is the ingredient list. On this oil it reads simply “Avocado Oil.” If a bottle lists other oils, or a front label says “blend”, it is not a single-oil product, whatever the front says.

Some brands also describe their own checks. Chosen Foods says it tests every batch to make sure its products contain only avocado oil, and says it was one of two brands that passed the purity test in an independent study by UC Davis (see the UC Davis news release on that study). Those are the brand’s statements; we have not tested the oil ourselves. The brand also lists “no seed oils” among its label claims.

Step 3: Smoke point claims

A smoke point is the temperature at which an oil starts to smoke. On avocado oil it is often the headline number. Chosen Foods lists a smoke point of “up to 500°F” for this oil. Three things are worth knowing when you read that kind of figure:

• It is the brand’s own number. The Chosen Foods page does not say how or by whom it was measured.
• “Up to” sets a ceiling, not a guarantee for every bottle.
• Figures from different brands may not be measured the same way, so compare them with care, and match the oil’s listed figure to how you actually cook.

For how the 500°F figure sits next to an olive oil’s listed figure, see the smoke point section of our olive oil vs avocado oil explainer. For a butter-based fat with a stated smoke point, see our ghee vs butter labels guide.

Step 4: The best-by date and lot code

Oil bottles usually carry a printed date and a lot code, often ink-jetted on the neck, the shoulder or near the barcode. The Chosen Foods product page does not show the date code or publish a shelf life, so the only reliable source is the bottle in your hand. A best-by date is set by the maker as a quality guide; it is not a harvest or pressing date. When you buy, look for the date, and if two bottles sit side by side, the later one gives you more time.

Step 5: The bottle and storage

The Chosen Foods page we read is for the 750 mL glass bottle size. Other sizes and other brands may use plastic, and some avocado oils come in sprays or squeeze bottles. The bottle does not change what is in the ingredient list, but light and heat are general reasons many oil labels say to store away from the stove and sunlight; the olive oil we carry says exactly that on its side panel, as our olive oil label guide notes. Chosen Foods does not publish a storage rule on the product page, so a closed cupboard away from the stove is a sensible default.

If the oil turns cloudy, Chosen Foods says leftover natural waxes can solidify at very low temperatures, that this does not change the oil’s nutritional value, and that it clears when warmed.

Step 6: Seals and the nutrition line

The Chosen Foods page lists these label claims: certified by the Non-GMO Project, gluten-free, glyphosate-residue free and kosher. Each is a claim by the brand or by the body that runs the program, and we have not checked each program ourselves. For what the non-GMO seal does and does not cover, see our Non-GMO Project Verified vs USDA Organic guide. The oil also appears in our non-GMO pantry picks, kosher pantry staples and gluten-free pantry staples.

The product page gives one nutrition figure, 10 g of monounsaturated fat per serving, and does not show the full Nutrition Facts panel, so read the panel on your bottle for serving size and the other fat lines. Our guide to reading a nutrition facts label explains serving size and %DV.

Quick checklist

• Style: does the label say refined or unrefined, and does the brand explain how it makes the oil?
• Ingredients: is avocado oil the only ingredient?
• “100% pure”: treat it as the brand’s promise; the ingredient list is what you can check.
• Smoke point: whose number is it, and does it say “up to”?
• Date: find the best-by date and lot code on the bottle itself.
• Bottle: glass or plastic, and keep it away from heat and light.

FAQ

Is refined avocado oil the same as unrefined?

No. Both start as pressed avocado oil, but refined oil goes through an extra step that removes more color, aroma and flavor. Chosen Foods describes its refined oil as neutral in taste.

Does “extra virgin” mean the same thing on avocado oil as on olive oil?

No. The USDA grade that defines extra virgin olive oil does not cover avocado oil, so on an avocado oil bottle it is the brand’s own term.

Is “100% pure” a regulated grade?

Not in the way olive oil grades are. Read it as the brand’s claim and check the ingredient list.

What is the smoke point of Chosen Foods avocado oil?

Chosen Foods lists it at up to 500°F. That figure comes from the brand.

Why is my avocado oil cloudy?

Chosen Foods says natural waxes can solidify in the cold and that the oil clears when warmed.

Where to go next

See the Chosen Foods avocado oil product page, compare it with olive oil in olive oil vs avocado oil, or browse the rest of our picks in the healthy pantry staples guide. For another pantry label, read our olive oil label guide or our canned fish label guide. For a jar oil that can be solid or liquid, read our refined vs unrefined coconut oil labels guide.