Morocco comes to Envy

  We often get beauty product representatives popping into Envy. Having fallen prey to a good sales pitch on more than one occasion I cringe a little on the inside as their eternally cheerful faces appear in the doorway. Every once in a while, however I am introduced to a product that turns out to be more than just snake oil. That is how I feel about our new product line Moroccanoil. They had the genius idea to base an entire product line around argan oil.

  Argan oil, which is said to have restorative and age-defying effects, has become one of the latest miracle ingredients in the beauty industry. High in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, it is believed to help all sorts of skin conditions: dry skin, acne, psoriasis, eczema, wrinkles. Produced in Morocco the native Berbers slather it on their skin, hair, nails and even their babies. They eat it, too — drizzling it over salads and couscous, or using it to make amlou, a tahini-like spread of the oil, almonds and honey.

  Produced from the kernels of the argan tree, the oil is valued for its nutritive, cosmetic and numerous medicinal properties. The species Argania once covered North Africa and is now endangered and under protection of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) . Overgrazing by goats and a growing, wood-hungry local population have whittled the number of surviving trees down to less than half of what it was 50 years ago. The Argan tree grows wild in semi-desert soil, its deep root system helping to protect against soil erosion and the northern advance of the Sahara. UNESCO has declared 25,900-square-kilometers of land between the Atlantic and the Atlas Mountains the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve and provided money to manage the trees' preservation. Argan oil remains one of the rarest oils in the world due the small and very specific growing area.

  It takes several days and about 32 kilograms of fruit - roughly one season's produce from a single tree - to make only one liter of oil. The nuts, which look like a cross between a walnut and an almond, are picked out of the fruit of the squat, gnarled argan trees. Berber women first crack the shells with sharp stones. They then place the kernels between two Flintstone-size slabs of rock, grinding them into a brown paste, which resembles chunky peanut butter. The paste, kneaded by hand to extract the oil, transforms into a solid hunk and is sent to nearby factories where more oil is extracted by a press. Some is made into soaps, creams and shampoos.

  All argan sold today is produced by a women's cooperative that shares the profits among the local women of the Berber tribe. Women from the villages nearby are invited to work half days (so they can still tend to their families) in exchange for fair wages and good working conditions. Moroccan King Mohammed VI (who has been praised for his efforts to promote women’s rights) and the local government have established a fund for the cooperatives. Outside groups, like the government of Monaco, have gotten involved as backers. The cooperative has established an ecosystem reforestation project so that the supply of argan oil will not run out, and the income that is currently supporting the women will not disappear. The money is providing healthcare and education to the local women, and supporting the entire community as a whole. Eventually, the cooperatives should pay for themselves.

  Moroccanoil has utilized this amazing sustainable resource to create a haircare line that delivers incredibly healthy and shiny hair. Stop by Envy to see what has beauty editors buzzing.