Argan Oil Care Range

Based on Argan oil an oil rich in Vitamin E. This softening cream is beneficial for dry and aged skin also protecting from the elements.

The Argan (Argania spinosa, A. sideroxylon Roem. & Schult.) is a species of to the calcareous semi-desert valley of southwestern . It is the sole species in the genus Argania.

Argan grows to 8-10 metres high, and live to 150-200 years old. They are thorny, with gnarled trunks. The are small, 2-4 cm long, oval with a rounded apex. The are small, with five pale yellow-green petals; flowering is in April. The is 2-4 cm long and 1.5-3 cm broad, with a thick, bitter peel surrounding a sweet-smelling but unpleasantly flavoured layer of pulpy pericarp. This surrounds the very hard nut, which contains one (occasionally two or three) small, oil-rich seeds. The fruit takes over a year to mature, ripening in June to July of the following year.

The arganeraie forests now cover some 8,280 km? and are designated as a . Their area has shrunk by about 50% over the last 100 years, owing to charcoal-making, grazing, and increasingly intensive cultivation. The best hope for the conservation of the trees may lie in the recent development of a thriving export market for as a high-value product.