TRUE MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL

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My husband, David, and I recently returned from an adventure in Morocco, where obtaining a high-quality argan oil was on the top of our list. We assumed it would be a rather straightforward venture, but it turned out to have many intriguing complexities.

Argan oil is produced from the seeds of the argan tree. The production of the oil is a labor-intensive process done almost exclusively by women’s cooperatives; these projects help to protect this valuable resource while providing women with income and a degree of autonomy in a traditionally male-dominated society.

The argan tree, Argania spinosa, has recently become a very important resource for the country because of the increasing popularity and export of its oil.   Used traditionally throughout Morocco for skin health, it is now highly sought after by many cosmetic and hair care companies for its ability to rejuvenate the hair and skin, supporting the healing of many conditions such as severe dryness, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea. The beautifying properties of argan were discovered largely by accident. Moroccan women who were grinding nuts for food found their hands considerably younger looking.

Endemic to Morocco, wild argan forests cover approximately 8,300 square kilometers of the southwest region of the country. An endangered species, argan trees are now largely protected by the Moroccan government due to their rapid decline: over the last hundred years their population has shrunk by about half because of charcoal production, over-grazing, logging, agriculture, etc.

After much tiring searching and weeding through numerous women’s cooperatives, we were able to find a women’s cooperative that was truly unique. It differs from the other cooperatives in two ways. First, unlike most women’s cooperatives in Morocco that are actually run by men, this one was completely managed by the local women, with minimal help from the government that enabled them to purchase the equipment for processing the argan seeds.  Second, this co-op directly supports the local village women; most projects in the region employ women from all over the country, which can be problematic for several reasons. It takes women away from their established homes and families, leads toward unhealthy competitiveness, and does little to support the local economy.  We learned that the women employed by most women’s cooperative throughout the region make about $13 a week for more than full-time work.  The women we have chosen to support have the freedom to pay themselves accordingly and obtain a fair wage for this work done almost exclusively by hand.

The Argan tree with its thorny gnarled trunk lives approximately one hundred fifty to two hundred years. It produces a yellow fruit that has a thick, bitter peel filled with a sweet-smelling but unpleasantly flavored pulp; this pulp surrounds a very hard shell, which contains one to three small, oil-rich nuts or kernels.

The argan oil is produced in stages. After the fruit turns yellow on the trees and falls to the ground, it is left to dry for two to three weeks; this removes moisture and extends its freshness and storage capacity for about two years. After drying on the ground the fruits are then gathered and peeled to reveal the nut inside.  The next stage involves cracking the hard argan nut by hand on a large stone to obtain the inner kernels.  Attempts to mechanize this process have been unsuccessful; it is still stone ground by hand in the traditional way, making it a time-consuming and labor-intensive process that contributes to its high cost. Once the women have obtained the inner nut, it is cold pressed for cosmetic use or roasted and hand ground for culinary purposes. The left over fruit pulp is used for animal feed.
An important piece of information we learned about the topical use of argan oil for cosmetic purposes: it should be used on the skin only at night.  If used during the day and exposed to sunlight, it tends to darken the skin and possibly bring out age spots. However, if used at night it has the opposite effect. It will eliminate age spots and improve skin tone. It can be used on the hair any time of day: it is commonly used at night as a hair mask, and washed out in the morning. Additionally, a few drops can be applied to the ends of the hair anytime to deeply nourish and moisturize.

Argan oil is highly nutritious and commonly used for culinary purposes. This is typically the roasted variety. Consuming argan oil has many health benefits, as it contains vitamin E, carotenes, squalene, essential fatty acids and phenols. Many times during our travels around the country we were served argan oil for dipping fruit and bread and on salads.

As I stated earlier, argan is now becoming increasingly famous throughout the world. However, the wealth brought by the export of the oil has also created new threats to the argan trees.  The local people use their increased income to buy more goats, an important resource and status symbol, but the goats often stunt the growth of the trees by overgrazing on the fruit. Argan trees grow only in unique ecological regions of Morocco, and the wild forests are now under pressure from the spread of other forms of agriculture.

The argan tree is an integral member of a unique arid ecosystem, providing food, shelter and protection from desertification; the tree has deep roots that help prevent desert encroachment.  The argan forests help prevent soil erosion and replenish aquifers, and provide food and shade for animals and pasture grasses.
The long-term sustainability and conservation of the argan forests, besides the necessary governmental protection, may lie primarily in the hands of these women’s cooperatives. Similar to nearly all parts of the world, these cooperative’s are struggling to pay fair wages to women. On a positive note, the work of these cooperatives helps to support about two million women and their families in Morocco; it is a sustainable industry that encourages protection of the trees, and is cooperative model for other agricultural products.

We feel very good about the women’s cooperative we have chosen to support, knowing that the sales of this oil directly support this unique and important project. Fortunately, the argan oil coming from this special women’s cooperative was our favorite over the numerous others we sampled! Lastly, we have had our new argan oil third party tested to ensure purity and freshness. We hope you enjoy our new argan oil at Floracopeia, as much as we do…

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