When Kiehl's sells its new range, it also sells the dream of a better future for a group of women in Morocco. SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN writes about this fruitful collaboration.

Argan nuts and kernels.

The argan oil extractor, with which the oil from the argan nuts is squeezed out.

Dr Zoubida Charouff (seated, centre), with the women from the Targanine co-operative which produces Kiehl's argan oil.

GOOD things are brewing at Kiehl’s. First, its newly-launched Superbly Restorative Preparations line, the main ingredient being argan oil, is helping women in Morocco lead a better life through fair trade.

Second, the range uses post-consumer recycled packaging. The plastic used for its bottles is derived from food-grade containers retrieved in curbside recycling programmes, which helps reduce waste.

Third, the line is well-made and effective. The Superbly Restorative Skin Salve, for instance, can be used in at least 10 ways, including on cracked heels, hair, cuticles and eyebrows. It can even be used for a massage. Why, it may just reach the cult status of Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1.

But let’s not divert from the real story which is how Kiehl’s new venture is empowering women on the other side of the globe.
First, a little background.

Argan oil, for the uninitiated, is an oil produced from the fruits of the argan (Argania spinosa) tree.

In Morocco, where the trees are grown, the oil is used for dipping bread, on couscous and salads. The unroasted oil is traditionally used as a treatment for skin diseases.

Argan oil is mainly produced in the traditional way, which means the people behind it are not paid very well.

Enter Dr Zoubida Charouff, a chemistry professor at the Faculty of Science in Mohamed V. University in Rabat, Morocco, who spent years studying the value of this oil.

“I wrote my PhD thesis on argan oil. I have spent 23 years doing research about this oil and its use in our lives. When I started working on this, argan oil was produced in a manner which was very ancestral and sold only by the roadside.

“Through my research, I found out that this is an oil which can be used in cosmetics, nutraceuticals and food.

“I have formed cooperatives to pool the resources to better benefit from the sales of argan oil,” she says via e-mail.

So she founded the Targanine Cooperative, from which Kiehl’s buys its argan oil supply.

Through fair-trade, introduced for the first time with this range, the American beauty brand buys argan oil from this network of Berber women who work to preserve the argan forest by planting new trees and harvesting argan nuts for its edible oil.

This way, the women have a source of dependable income, a means of improving their financial independence, better access to healthcare and education.

In addition, the cooperative promotes literacy and training to women.

Charouff says there are currently 120 cooperatives for argan oil production in Morocco. She founded 20, and each cooperative is made up of between 30 and 70 women.

“The project has trained women on extraction methods, packaging and workflow, creating more than 1,500 jobs among illiterate women and women over 40 years old. It has improved the of socio-economic conditions of these women and created an awareness of their rights.

“They thrive and they are proud to participate in the cooperatives. They are now better respected. Their income allows them to educate their children, improve their housing, buy better food, dress properly and treat themselves.

“Thanks to the literacy course, women have also become aware of the value of reading and writing,” Zoubaida says.

Under Kiehl’s standards for fairly-traded sourcing, the company “pays a fair price for the raw materials sourced in the community and assuring that their suppliers do the same and make certain the materials and processes used in the production of products do not damage the environment.”

Fair trade is an organised social movement which promotes standards for international labour and social policy, focusing on exports from developing countries to developed countries.

“These women are proud that their oil, often used only traditionally, is valued by a major beauty company. This collaboration between the women and Kiehl’s is a win-win situation. The more Kiehl’s sells its products, the more these women benefit,” she adds.

It’s hard to dispute that Kiehl’s new Superbly Restorative Preparations line, made up of only three products, is about being beautiful inside out.