CraftCity Tours Morocco
Shopping and artisan guide
Photograph: Werner100359, CC BY-SA 4.0
How argan oil is made, the difference between cosmetic and culinary grades, where to buy it and how to avoid diluted oil.
Overview
Argan oil is pressed from the kernels of the argan tree (Argania spinosa), a thorny, drought-tolerant tree that grows naturally almost only in south-western Morocco, across the Souss plain and the hills between Essaouira, Agadir and Tiznit. In 1998 UNESCO made this region the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve, about 2.5 million hectares.
Making the oil by hand takes a great deal of work, most of it done by Amazigh women, and the very hard nut is still usually cracked by hand. That labour, and the tree’s small natural range, are why argan oil costs more than most other oils.
It is sold in two grades. Cosmetic oil is pressed from raw kernels for skin and hair. Culinary oil is pressed from roasted kernels for eating. Both are made across the Souss region and both travel well as souvenirs.
How it is made
The steps you will see demonstrated at a cooperative.
UNESCO’s description of the craft lists the tasks in order: harvesting the fruit, drying it, pulping, grinding, sorting, milling and mixing. Ripe fruit is collected and dried until the outer pulp can be removed. The nut inside is far harder than a hazelnut; women crack it between two stones to free the kernels without crushing them.
For culinary oil the kernels are roasted; for cosmetic oil they stay raw. In the traditional method the kernels are ground in a stone hand mill into a thick paste, and water is worked in by hand until the oil separates. The know-how is passed on mainly from mother to daughter.
Many producers now press the kernels in mechanical presses instead of kneading the paste by hand. Cracking the nuts is still usually done by hand.
Compared
Two products from the same kernel. Know which one you are buying.
Argan oil is mostly oleic and linoleic fatty acids, and it contains tocopherols, the vitamin E family. In Morocco the cosmetic grade is used as a moisturiser and hair oil. Roasting gives the culinary grade its flavour and, in studies, better keeping quality.
The forest
UNESCO designated the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve in 1998, covering about 2.5 million hectares of south-western Morocco. In 2014 it added a second listing: “Argan, practices and know-how concerning the argan tree” is on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which recognises the rural women who keep the craft alive.
Goats do climb argan trees on their own to eat the fruit and leaves, and researchers have found that they spit out the nuts as they chew, which helps spread the seeds. Along the main road between Marrakech and Essaouira, though, the goats you see posed in roadside trees are often put there by herders who ask tourists to pay for photos. Animal-welfare groups have criticised the practice for keeping goats standing in the heat for hours.
Cooperatives
Cooperatives let women process and sell argan oil together instead of selling kernels or oil to middlemen.
Women’s argan cooperatives grew in number from the 1990s. A visit usually means watching the nuts being cracked and the oil pressed, tasting the culinary oil and amlou, and buying at the cooperative shop. Entry is usually free and there is no obligation to buy.
Two cooperatives we could confirm:
Near Essaouira
A women’s cooperative at Lahrarta, Ounara, on the Essaouira side of argan country. It was set up by a parents’ association so that women could work while their children were at school, and it has run basic literacy and numeracy classes for members.
Near Agadir
A women’s cooperative founded in 2007 near Agadir that makes argan oil for food and cosmetics, and amlou.
Before you goWe have not confirmed visiting hours. Contact the cooperative before making a special trip.
Where to buy
Where you buy matters more than how much you pay.
Fakes
No single test is proof. These signs tell you when to walk away.
Hand-cracked argan oil is costly to make. A bottle priced far under what cooperatives and pharmacies ask for the same grade may be diluted with a cheaper oil.
Cosmetic oil should smell faintly nutty and culinary oil like toasted nuts. A sharp, stale or chemical smell points to old, spoiled or blended oil.
Dark colour and a roasted smell belong to the culinary grade. In a bottle sold for skin, they suggest roasted kernels or a blend.
Look for "100% argan oil" (Argania spinosa kernel oil), the grade, and the producer or cooperative. Store and carry it in dark glass, away from light and heat.
Uses
Good to know
Questions
Cosmetic argan oil is pressed from raw, unroasted kernels. It is pale golden with a faint scent and is used on skin, hair and nails. Culinary argan oil is pressed from roasted kernels, which gives it a darker colour and a nutty, toasted flavour; it is eaten with bread, drizzled over couscous and used in amlou. Buy the grade that matches how you plan to use it.
Prices vary with grade, bottle size, certification and where you buy, so we do not quote figures we cannot confirm. Compare a few sellers before buying. Oil priced far below what cooperatives and pharmacies charge for the same grade deserves suspicion.
You cannot be certain by eye or touch alone. Warning signs include a price well below other sellers, a rancid or chemical smell, cosmetic oil that is dark or smells roasted, and a label that does not say 100% argan oil. Buy from a cooperative, a pharmacy or a seller who labels origin and grade clearly.
Several cooperatives near Essaouira and Agadir receive visitors, and day tours on the Essaouira road often stop at one. Opening hours and whether a demonstration is running vary, so check with the cooperative, your guide or your riad before making a special trip.
Amlou is an Amazigh spread of ground roasted almonds, culinary argan oil and honey, eaten at breakfast with bread or msemen. Cooperatives that make culinary oil often sell it, and it is also sold in markets and grocery shops.
The argan tree grows naturally almost only in south-western Morocco, and making the oil takes a lot of hand work: the fruit is collected, dried and pulped, and the very hard nuts are usually cracked by hand between stones before the kernels are pressed.
Yes, for personal use. Bottles over 100 ml must go in checked luggage under standard airport liquid rules. Wrap glass bottles in a sealed bag and pack them among clothes. Culinary oil and amlou are food products, so check your destination country's rules on bringing in food.
Yes. UNESCO designated the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve in south-western Morocco in 1998; it covers about 2.5 million hectares. In 2014 UNESCO also inscribed "Argan, practices and know-how concerning the argan tree" on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
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