Argan oil is something of an all-round beauty superhero: the skin, hair and nail saviour is beloved by stars Kim Kardashian, Madonna and Selena Gomez for its rich, moisturising properties.
And the oil, often dubbed 'liquid gold' due to its rarity and expense, is also
providing a lifeline for Berber women and their families in the
semi-desert Souss valley of south western Morocco, one of the only regions in
the world where the argan tree grows.
Long
used as a traditional remedy by Berber women to treat wrinkles, scars,
and acne, argan oil is renowned for being incredibly moisturising,
highly anti-inflammatory and easily absorbed. It's recently become one
of the beauty world's biggest new breakthroughs, despite being known to
Moroccans since the thirteenth century.
Beauty secret: Radiant beauties Kim Kardashian,
left, and Eva Mendes, right, swear by the power of argan oil - and the
production of it in Morocco is helping women earn a living in a remote
desert where work is hard to find
A
relatively small geographical area - 9,900 square miles in southwestern
Morocco - produces nearly all of the world’s argan oil. Because the
trees are under threat, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization) has