Argan oil: a centuries-old beauty ritual

Nicknamed Morocco's liquid gold, argan oil is far more than a cosmetic. It is a craft passed from mother to daughter for generations in the south-west of the country.

Pressed by hand

Argan kernels are cracked open one by one, between two stones. It takes around 30 kg of fruit to yield a single litre of oil. That patient work is what each bottle is worth.

Cosmetic and culinary are two different oils

Cosmetic argan oil is pressed from unroasted kernels: pale in colour, faint in smell. Culinary oil comes from roasted kernels, hence its nutty taste and darker tone. One does not stand in for the other.

Everyday use

• Face: two drops in the evening, on clean, slightly damp skin.
• Hair: as a pre-shampoo treatment, or one to two drops on dry ends — more will weigh hair down.
• Body: after the shower, while the skin is still warm.

Choosing your bottle

Our cosmetic argan oil comes in two sizes: the 50 ml for face and hair, and the 250 ml, better value per millilitre and meant for the body. Both are cold-pressed and labelled organic.

If the natural smell of argan puts you off, the scented versions use the same base: rose, oud, orange blossom, lemon, rosemary or musk.

For a more concentrated facial treatment, prickly pear seed oil is used a few drops at a time. The full range is in the cosmetic oils category.

These are cosmetic products: if your skin is reactive, patch-test on the inner elbow first.