Key findings
- 1Hexane, a petroleum derivative used to dissolve oil from seeds, is the industry-standard solvent for vegetable oil extraction
- 2The refining process (degumming, bleaching, deodorizing) involves phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide, and bleaching clay
- 3Despite several industrial processing steps, the final product is technically a single-ingredient food
- 4In our analysis, vegetable oil averages a Processing Score of 2.0, which is Level 1, because the label lists a single ingredient
Why is Vegetable Oil Level 1 on average?
The term "vegetable oil" typically refers to soybean oil in the US. The extraction process is more involved than the single-ingredient label suggests: soybeans are crushed, then washed with hexane (a petroleum-derived solvent) to dissolve and extract the oil. The hexane is evaporated off and recycled. The crude oil then undergoes degumming (phosphoric acid removes phospholipids), alkali refining (sodium hydroxide neutralizes free fatty acids), bleaching (bleaching clay removes pigments), and deodorizing (high-temperature steam strips volatile compounds). While trace hexane remains in the finished oil (FDA permits up to 25 ppm), the final product contains no added ingredients; it is still "just oil." The processing is industrial but the end result is a single-ingredient product. In our analysis, vegetable oil averages a Processing Score of 2.0, which is Level 1. Our score reads the ingredient list, which here is one ingredient, so the extraction and refining steps do not appear in it.
How 751 vegetable oil products break down
Share of products at each processing level, in our analysis.
Vegetable Oil brand comparison
From least to most processed in our database.
How to read a vegetable oil label
- 1
Vegetable oil is usually soybean oil; check the label for the actual source
- 2
The ingredient list says only "soybean oil" but the extraction process is far more complex than that implies
- 3
Cold-pressed or expeller-pressed vegetable oils skip the hexane solvent step
- 4
Blended vegetable oils may combine multiple seed oils, not necessarily worse but less transparent
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Frequently asked questions
Is vegetable oil bad for you?
This is a nutrition question outside the scope of processing analysis. From a processing standpoint, vegetable oil goes through solvent extraction and multi-step refining before it reaches the bottle. Cold-pressed alternatives skip those steps but are more expensive.
What is hexane extraction?
Hexane is a petroleum-derived solvent used to dissolve oil from crushed seeds. The seeds are washed with hexane, the oil-hexane mixture is separated, and the hexane is evaporated off for reuse. Trace amounts (under 25 ppm) may remain in the finished oil.
Is vegetable oil more processed than olive oil?
In how it is made, yes. Extra virgin olive oil is mechanically pressed. Vegetable oil requires solvent extraction, degumming, bleaching, and deodorizing. The processing gap between them is significant, even though both labels list a single ingredient.