The Clay From a Quarry With No Road

Before there was Katari, there was Argil. When I started, it was just me and my green clay, and I couldn't stop talking about it. I still can't.

Go deeper. The chemistry, step-by-step rituals, storage and pro tips are in the Green Clay Masque Deep Dive in our Ingredient Library. Ready to try it? Shop Argil.

A search that took more than a decade

Plenty of clays look green in a jar. Very few have the mineral balance I was looking for: strong enough to pull out impurities, blackheads and excess oil, yet gentle enough that my most sensitive friends could use it without turning red and tight. It took more than ten years to trace a clay like that.

An ancient seabed in central Tunisia

Argil comes from a quarry near Sbeitla in central Tunisia, on what was once the floor of an ancient sea. The place is so remote there is no road to it. The clay is dug out by hand, in chunks, and laid out to dry under the desert sun.

Why the sun matters

Most commercial clays are dried in kilns, often at 500°C or more. Heat like that changes a clay's mineral structure. Ours is only ever dried by the sun, then milled into a fine powder so it is easy to mix. Nothing is added.

What the lab found

We had Argil analyzed at the Laboratoire Central in Tunis: 4.7% iron (which gives it the green color), 1.6% magnesium, a pH of 7.26, and lead below 0.004%. In plain terms: mineral-rich, neutral, and clean.

The one rule: no metal

Argil's minerals react with metal, so never mix it in a metal bowl or with a metal spoon. Use glass, wood or ceramic. It's why we make hand-blown glass bowls and olivewood spatulas to go with it.

My weekly ritual

Once a week, in the shower. I stir a teaspoon of Argil with Roseau into a smooth paste, brush it on, and let the steam keep it from drying out for five to seven minutes. Then I rinse it off last, mist Roseau again and press in a couple of drops of Hoba. My skin comes out clean, bright and soft, never tight.

And the dry clay keeps forever, as long as the jar stays closed.

Go deeper. The chemistry, step-by-step rituals, storage and pro tips are in the Green Clay Masque Deep Dive in our Ingredient Library. Ready to try it? Shop Argil.

~ Kate