Argan oil is produced from a the nut of the Argan tree, which only grows in Southwestern Morocco. Local Berber women work in fair-trade cooperatives where they hand-crack the nuts in between two stones, a technique they’ve used for centuries. Instead of being put through a machine, the raw kernels are hand-extracted from the hard shell, hand-ground in a stone grinder, hand-kneaded for hours and first cold-pressed into the oil. It takes one woman three days to make just one liter of oil. This is why argan oil is so valuable. Natives of Morocco’s Argan Forest, which was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1998, have pressed the nut to extract its precious oil, for use as a dietary supplement, wound healing, and to nourish the skin and hair. What makes the oil so beneficial, is that it’s rich with vitamins A, C and E, as well as being loaded with antioxidants, linoleic acid and omega-6 fatty acids. When applied externally, it can help boost cell production which results in healthier skin and hair – that’s why you may have noticed that among the list of ingredients in many high-end beauty products, Argan oil is often included.