Argan oil, the liquid gold
A thousand-year tradition
For centuries argan oil has protected women's skin from the assault of the desert sun. Since antiquity it has been used in traditional medicine for its healing properties: it speeds the recovery of burns and softens redness, including from eczema. The Argania Spinosa grows only in Morocco, in the Souss region, a triangle of desert between Marrakech, Agadir and Essaouira. An endangered species, it has been declared a UNESCO world heritage: the tree only bears fruit after some fifty years and can live for two hundred.
Extraction
The fruits of the Argania Spinosa fall to the ground of their own accord as they ripen and dry, chiefly in June and July. The Berber women of the cooperatives gather them from the ground, make a first quality selection and take them to the processing centres. The nut is broken with stones, entirely by hand; the seed inside is roasted and then ground in a stone mill with added water, giving a paste called Malaxage, worked with bare hands until the oil runs out of it.
The supply chain
The oil comes directly from the cooperative, pure, with no other substance or fragrance to alter it. It is filled into sealed, lead-stamped drums in Morocco itself and, before departure, a certifying body takes a sample and issues the technical sheet that travels with the shipment. On arrival at customs a second sample is taken: only if departure and arrival values match is the goods cleared. On average we import 5,000–6,000 litres a year, in 20-litre drums.
Properties & benefits
Argan oil makes up the lipid deficiencies of every skin type thanks to its mono- and polyunsaturated fats, rebalancing the hydrolipidic balance of cell membranes. Absorption is immediate and complete, because its formula closely resembles the natural composition of our skin, and unlike many other oils it is not greasy. Its very high concentration of vitamins A, E and F gives it a free-radical and antioxidant action few products hold naturally. It is soothing too: it nourishes without clogging pores, so it also suits sensitive and acne-prone skin.
The cooperatives
In 1998 the first argan oil cooperative run entirely by women was founded in T'mnar. Since then a network has grown that employs and values the women of rural Morocco: working there full or part time, they can afford schooling for their children and medical care. The knowledge passes from generation to generation and allows the fruit to be harvested sustainably. The great majority of cooperatives have chosen to stay with the manual method, because that is what yields the best quality of organic argan oil.
How to use it
On the face, a few drops on well-cleansed skin, morning and night: it works against wrinkles, helps acne-prone skin through its healing properties, hydrates dry skin without greasiness and rebalances sebum production on oily skin. On the body, five to ten drops massaged into legs, arms, belly and bust dampened after the shower. It is a real support in pregnancy against stretch marks and an excellent after-sun, because its soothing action calms redness quickly.
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