June 27, 2019
Argan oil. You would’ve seen the word pop up in every kind of organic product over the last few years, way before “oils” were a thing. First it was in hair products, promising shiny, glossy locks to all who used it. Then, it moved to body care, and finally into organic skincare. Nowadays you can find it in pretty much everything from fragrance to hand cream… and even food. But how much do you really know about argan oil? Where does it come from, and how does this “liquid gold” even work? You’re about to find out.
All about Argan:
Although it may seem like it just popped up over the last decade, like many “cult ingredients” in the beauty industry it’s been used for centuries – just not by western societies. Originating from a very specific location in Morocco (between the Atlas Mountains and Atlantic coast), its history can be traced as far back as 600 BC, and was used by the North African Berber people.
The oil is retrieved from the Argan tree nut (through a long and laborious process of picking, drying, shelling and extracting) and this process was traditionally done by hand by the Berber women. In the late ‘90s a Moroccan-based chemistry professor created women’s cooperatives in the region, specifically for making the oil so that both the precious oil, and the women making it, were protected. The trees themselves and the forest they’re grown in are also UNESCO protected and Argan oil is further classified under the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) scheme which ensures that only Argan oil originating from its specific region in Morocco can be stamped, identified and labelled as “Argan oil”.
Benefits of Argan Oil: They don’t call it liquid gold for nothing – Argan Oil really is that good (and that precious). This is partly because it takes 30kgs of fruit to produce just one litre of oil, and partly because of its amazing benefits.
Originally used as a healing oil to reduce the appearance of scars – and also as a food oil – when the cosmetics industry got involved it became known for many other reasons. Here’s what you need to know:
It works on all skin types: Just like most skincare products, different oils are generally suited to different skin types. However, our friend argan is a solid all-rounder, being neither too rich nor too light, so is a great place to start if you’re new to oils.
It’s high in omega fatty acids: And is also packed with linoleic acid – which you want for both moisture and plump skin. Plus, it’s also got vitamin E, which is great for redness or sensitised skin because it’s antiinflammatory.
It won’t clog your pores: Hard to believe we know, but argan oil is actually non-comedogenic (the technical term for non-pore-clogging). This is partly thanks to its essential fatty acid and linoleic acid content which are essential for good skin health, but also because of its small molecular size which helps it penetrate quickly into the skin.
In a nutshell (see what we did there?!) argan oil is one of those amazing ingredients that just belongs in organic skincare products. It works for everyone, is lightweight, and has benefits that range from anti-ageing, to reducing the appearance of scars — and even helping with problematic skin.
Keen to get on board? Here are a few of our favourite products featuring argan oil:
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