Argan Oil

The argan tree is a thorny tree with edible fruit and an oleaginous kernel found mainly on the arid hills of Morocco and more rarely in the regions of Andalusia and Mexico. The argan tree or Argania spinosa L. is a plant of the Sapotaceae family. It is characterized by a short, often gnarled trunk with low branches and spiny leaves.

It is a tree endemic to Morocco (where almost its entire population is located, i.e. 20 million trees spread over 830,000 hectares) and Algeria (in the Tindouf region). Due to its role as a rampart against erosion and the advance of the Saharan desert, and as a major economic resource for the inhabitants of Souss-Massa, the vast argan grove of this region has benefited since 1998 from the status of Biosphere Reserve of the argan grove in order to protect it. The locals produce argan oil from its fruit, which has multiple uses for cooking, medicines and cosmetics. It is an important local economic resource which allows Moroccan women to work by grouping together in a cooperative.

The argan tree is considered by Moroccan Berbers as a miracle of nature. First, the wood and hard shells of fruits are used in cooking to fuel the fire. Then, the leaves of the tree, the dried pulp of the fruits and the cakes resulting from the extraction are used as animal feed. Finally, argan oil is used both for its culinary virtues and for its remarkable medicinal or cosmetic properties.