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Giving Beauty

Argan Oil Production and Impact

For centuries, the Berber women of Morocco have been extracting oil from the nuts of the argan tree.

The Berber women who provide Kahina’s argan oil live in a tiny village near the protected Argan Forest of Southwest Morocco, an area where barely anything grows except for argan trees. Men in the village travel to cities to earn money, leaving the women and families behind.

The labor-intensive work of producing argan oil is the women’s only means of social and economic independence which otherwise they would not have.

It takes up to 8 hours to crack argan nuts for one liter of oil

Fair-Trade Oils

As the argan oil industry has grown, women are often undercut by market pressures for low-priced oil. We ensure fair wages by purchasing certified Fair Trade argan and prickly pear seed oil. This guarantees that the women of the villages who provide our oils are fairly compensated for their skills, and the money is going back to their community.

Purpose over Profit from Day 1

When Katharine met the Berber women in 2007, she wasn’t just moved by the beauty of argan oil, but also inspired by the women’s craft and connection to nature. From then on, her mission has been to support them and their families.

In collaboration with Berber cooperatives and local non-government organizations, Kahina Giving Beauty works to enhance the quality of life of these women and their communities by supporting local, educational, agricultural, and clean water initiatives.

Additionally, we have ongoing donations to Education for All, and the High Atlas Foundation.

Education for All in Morocco is a Moroccan-run organization that provides safe boarding homes for girls so that they can continue their education beyond elementary school.

Currently, most girls don’t continue their education after fifth grade because their parents are not comfortable sending them away to the cities where centralized schools are located.

EFA allows both the girls and their families to feel safe and secure in their decision to further educate their daughters.

On September 8, 2023, an earthquake struck the High-Atlas Mountain region of Morocco and its people faced unprecedented shock, pain, and loss.

Kahina Giving Beauty was able to donate proceeds to The High Atlas Foundation to build five temporary structures to house victims of the earthquake, help other rebuilding efforts, and deliver psychosocial support for the affected families.

The High Atlas Foundation also raises money for a number of regional initiatives including delivering clean drinking water to remote villages in the High Atlas Mountains, creating jobs, and protecting the environment by planting community-run nurseries in rural Morocco.

Women helping women through shared beauty rituals.

Many of these women cannot read or write, so they use illustrative symbols to mark their identity. During Katharine's early visits to the cooperatives, she collected their marks and signatures. Now, these signatures grace our packaging alongside an encircled five-pointed star an emblem of the Moroccan flag. It serves as a reminder of the skill, tradition, and pride of the people behind the argan oil.