What is this mysterious exotic oil that’s climbing the beauty charts? This “liquid gold” out of Morocco, is giving new life to cosmetics and your skin. Do you wish to erase your wrinkles without Botox? Have tight skin without a facelift? Heal acne and acne scars without costly laser treatments? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, well then let me introduce you to Argan Oil!

Native to Morocco, the hardy Argan Tree grows wild in semi-desert soil and survives for 150–200 years against soil erosion and harsh Saharan winds. The tree flowers in April and bears a fruit with the valuable prize inside, a kernel with small oil-rich seeds. These are harvested, ground and pressed to make the nutty oil (tastes like peanut butter) used for cosmetics and cooking. Argan oil remains one of the rarest oils in the world due the small and very specific growing areas.

Argan oil is exceptionally rich in natural tocopherols (vitamin E), rich in phenols and phenolic acid, rich in carotenes, rich in squalene, rich in essential fatty acids. What that means in a nutshell is it is the most potent topical ingredient you can own to protect your skin’s lipid barrier and increase collagen production. You will actually produce and speed up collagen! Did you hear me? Who doesn’t want to create and rebuild new collagen that you have otherwise lost due to age, environmental damage, genetics and other factors? As a woman who’s just turned 30 and who lives under LA’s rays, I am excited about these sorts of things!

I’ve been using an Argan Oil on my face every night for a full month and the results are already quite obvious. My eye area specifically is saying goodbye to fine lines while also lifting and tightening that delicate skin. I also use this oil to heal zits OVERNIGHT, no joke, and to soften scars left by old ones. But don’t take my word for it, try it out yourself! I will personally continue this fountain of youth treatment, as all I’ve found has been extremely positive.

As with any beauty product, quality is definitely important and there are several brands out there. I would recommend a 100% organic grade like Kaé Argan Oil (available on lushoasis.com) and Josie Maran’s Argan Oil (available at Sephora). If you don’t like the nutty smell, try Marie Veronique Organics Anti-Aging Oil+, which contains a high concentration of Argan Oil within a blend of other oils. If a lotion is your thing, get a potent dose with my utmost favorite face lotion by L’uvalla ‘s Age Defying Cream (available at Whole Foods).  All these products will run around $50 for an ounce and last several months.