Morocco, a bohemian kingdom filled with mystery, exoticism, and caftans, became a place of refuge for young designer Yves Saint Laurent in the late 1960s. “Its architecture, large avenues, and pillared monuments reminded him of primitive Paris”, explains Florence Müller, a fashion historian and curator of many YSL retrospectives.

A destination he sought often—to recharge and from which to draw inspiration—the rich colors that saturate the environs expanding from Tangiers to Marrakesh translated into his most idolized couture collections. In 1980, Saint Laurent purchased the storied Majorelle Gardens, to refurbish for the people of Marrakech. To this setting, where he felt he could re-invent his youth, friends such as Paul and Talitha Getty, Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger, Loulou de la Falaise, and interior designer Bill Willis frequently flocked to join him, for revelry and unforgettable holidays.

In this same magical place, decades later, YSL Skin Science has made a significant discovery. From the legendary crocus, an indigenous flower symbolic of beauty, sensuality, longevity, and love, it has harvested Moroccan saffron, "the world’s most expensive spice by weight," according to Chris Kilham, ethnobotanist and medicine-hunter.

For only one week each autumn, the flower's red pistils (three prongs known as saffron) are extracted by hand one flower at a time. The climate and soil of the High Atlas Mountains near Marrakesh help to cultivate the highest-quality saffron in the world.
Or Rogue Face Cream.

YSL beauty scientists have deconstructed the saffron pistil to extract glycan (complex sugar), which they have combined with other powerful ingredients to produce Or Rouge (French for "red gold") in honor of the spice's nickname. The result is a revitalizing and luxurious skin-care collection designed to combat aging. The aromatic cream, which comes in a gold jar with jeweled accents of red and black, might just become a legend in its own right.

Eye Cream, $225, 15 ml.; Face Cream, $400, 30 ml. (yslbeautyus.com)