Liquid gold
Katharine L’Heureux, “Kahina Giving Beauty” founder, talks about her products now available at Oresta Organic Skin Care Apothecary on Wellington…more
Kahina Giving Beauty founder Katharine L’Heureux, centre, is flanked by Laryssa Korbutiak, left, and Oresta Korbutiak at the Oresta Organic…more
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BY JANET WILSON, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN APRIL 20, 2012
You can dab it on your skin and hair, bathe in it and even eat it. Argan oil has become big business in the beauty industry, always looking for the next big thing.
The Romans bathed in olive oil, while Cleopatra nourished her porcelain skin with essential oils to enhance her beauty. Now oil from the argan tree is said to be a miracle cure for reducing inflammation, minimizing wrinkles and treating acne, eczema and a host of other skin conditions.
Katharine L’Heureux, the founder of Kahina Giving Beauty, is behind a skincare line based on 100-per-cent organic argan oil from Morocco. Since starting her company three years ago, L’Heureux is constantly on the move, meeting with clients and visiting associates in Morocco. Next month, she is poised to launch her line in Australia.
L’Heureux was in town from her home in California this week for an event with sisters Oresta and Laryssa Korbutiak, who are behindOresta Organic Skin Care Apothecary in the Glebe and Hintonburg. The Kahina line can also be found in Vancouver at Rosewood Hotel.
“It’s one of our bestsellers,” says Oresta Korbutiak. “I’m an argan junkie. At first, people are unsure about putting oil on their face. But once they know more and try it, they’re hooked.”
“There are a lot of good things happening in Morocco,” says L’Heureux. “The king (Mohammed VI) is quite progressive. When the Arab Spring was taking place, Morocco was quiet. There isn’t a lot of unrest.”
Having said that, she admits the country is not “really regulated” so having people there she can trust has been vital to expanding her business.
Even though she is a relative newcomer to the beauty industry, L’Heureux has been keenly interested in skincare since she was a child.
“I was hooked whenever my mom bought me my first 10-0-6 Bonne Bell. I had this feeling that I was going to be that girl on the cover of Seventeen magazine. As I got older, that’s where I put my money — into skincare.”
L’Heureux stumbled into her new career while accompanying her parents on a trip to Morocco. “I hadn’t been on a plane in a while and didn’t pack properly. When I was going through security, my skincare products were confiscated. I bought more on a stop in London, but then forgot them in a hotel in Casablanca. I thought my face was going to crack while we were touring in the desert, so I asked my guide where I could find some skin cream. He told me that his mother and grandmother used argan oil. He took me to an apothecary and I bought some and took it home.” After using it and getting her friends to try it, L’Heureux called her Moroccan guide and the rest is history.
For centuries, argan oil was used by Moroccan women to hydrate their skin and to fight the effects of the relentless desert sun. The oil is extracted from the hard nut of an argan (argania spinosa) tree by Berber women, the indigenous people of North Africa. The labour-intensive process can take up to eight hours to produce one litre of oil. In 1999, the argan forest was put under the protection of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, argan oil is all the rage with its claims of improving the skin’s elasticity and reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Its natural antibacterial properties are said to help combat various skin conditions.
L’Heureux personally sourced the argan oil used in her products from women’s co-operatives in a small village in the Atlas Mountains in southwest Morocco. The argan forests cover about 1.5 million acres at the northern border of the Sahara Desert.
“We use 100-per-cent organic oil, extracted by hand using traditional methods,” says L’Heureux. “We use organic botanicals whenever possible and do not contain any sulfates, parabens, petroleum, artificial colours.”
Kahina, which means giving beauty, is the name of a beloved Berber queen who reigned in Morocco in AD 700. She is considered a heroine to the Berber women.
The Kahina product line includes facial cleanser, toning mist, facial lotion, serum, eye serum, eye cream, argan oil, antioxidant mask and a travel basics kit.
Even though L’Heureux started her company during an economic downturn, it has grown 30 per cent each year.
“This is the year we’ll break even, which is great for a company that’s only three years old.”
L’Heureux, who has three children aged eight to 18, donates 25 per cent of all profits to support the women who work in the co-operatives. The outer packaging is created from post-consumer waste and bottles are made of recyclable violet glass, protecting the products from UV rays. Each package is adorned with the signatures and “marks” of Berber women.
“There is a lot of competition now, but people should know there are different qualities of argan oil and that this oil has absolutely nothing to do with Moroccan oil. Our products are sensitively treated from start to finish. Just because it says pure Moroccan oil on a company’s label doesn’t mean that it’s true.”
L’Heureux is looking forward to her visit with the Berber women who work for her. When she asked what she could do for them, they asked for goats. She bought 80.
“I can’t wait to see the ladies, but I’m looking forward to seeing all the goats running around.
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