Cosmetics to buy in Morocco. Where to buy them in Marrakech & Essaouira
I haven’t bought cosmetics from Japan! But when we arrived in Morocco 2 months ago, my skin screamed for help. My creams from Japan did not moisturize enough. It is much too dry in Morocco. Oh what a pity! We’ ll have to test the local cosmetics 😀 I tested a lot of them so I thought you might be interested.
In this article, I will give you my best addresses in Marrakech, and especially in Essaouira, where I spent 2 months.
Where to buy cosmetics?
Especially not in the souk!
Even if Morocco is a producer of argan oil, the quality of the argan oil sold in the souk leaves something to be desired. There are many unscrupulous sellers who sell argan oil cut with sunflower and olive oil. Who would want to put it on his face?
In Morocco, there are thousands of cooperatives aimed at creating employment in rural areas and in particular at better integrating women. And buying products directly from the cooperatives generally provides access to better quality products, without going through intermediaries.
However, if you don’t have a car, it is difficult to get there. Some cooperatives have a store in Marrakech, others try to sell their products through physical stores in Marrakech/Essaouira.
You can also find products from cooperatives in hypermarkets! Yes, there is a Carrefour in Essaouira and the advantage of buying there is that all products have a nice list of ingredients, while products sold elsewhere do not necessarily have any.
In short, buy rather in a store, at Carrefour, not on the sidewalk and if possible far from the souk.
In Marrakech, I noted only one address:
- Naturelle d’Argan: this brand was distributed in France about ten years ago, but it stopped because of financial problems. Their argan oil is pure and of the same quality as that of Melchior & Balthazar (which I mentioned here), for less. Count 10€ for 50ml, which is very expensive for Morocco, but it is the price to pay for an exceptional oil
In Essaouira, here is a store that sells quality products (well, I tested 3 products and they were all very good):
- Cooperative Tawounte: they make products based on argan oil. But also sell products from other cooperatives. I have not tested argan oil with them (I still prefer to recommend Naturelle d’Argan in Marrakech) but I really liked their argan cream, their prickly pear seed oil and their saffron.
- Carrefour: as I said earlier, you can find a lot of Moroccan cosmetics at Carrefour in Essaouira
Which cosmetics to buy?
- Alum stone: there are all sizes. A small stone costs in the 5dh
- Scrubbing glove: between 10dh and 20dh
- Black soap: 10dh for 1kg! If it’s in a jar, it will be 10dh for 150ml barely. So come with an airtight box if you plan to buy a lot of them 🙂
- Olive oil: my landlord gave me a bottle of olive oil, from the last harvest at je-ne-sais-que-que-agriculteur. The packaging sucked a bit, but it was so good that you could just dip bread in it and eat like that. I don’t know where you can buy such good stuff => ask your hotel. Olive oil can also be used to remove makeup if your skin can stand it.
- Prickly pear seed oil: this anti-ageing and anti-wrinkle oil costs the skin of the buttocks, so even in Morocco, a producer country, I had to pay 30€ for 25ml. The oil is extracted from the seeds, so it takes a lot of fruit and work for 1ml of oil, hence its price. The advantage is that it takes only 3 drops for the whole face because this oil is very thick.
- Ghassoul : it is a volcanic clay, used to absorb skin impurities. It can be used as a mask. In Morocco, it is sold in the form of small pieces, to be diluted in water. It is necessary to count 20dh for 1kg approximately. Of course, when it is sold in small pretty jars, it becomes 35dh for a big jar.
- Rose water: I paid a fortune (15€) for 150ml of rose water, supposedly non-chemical, without converter, without alcohol at kelaat mgouna (the valley of roses). But it smells divinely good. Then I saw some at Carrefour for 30dh (3€), another bottle that contains a lot of alcohol. I don’t know what to think about it. I don’t have an address to give you, sorry 🙁 In any case, it’s excellent for removing make-up. I use it as a toner and my husband hates this heady smell, he smells it from miles away (whereas I find it super bewitching)
- Orange blossom water: ditto, a lot of alcohol inside, but it smells divinely good.
- Thyme honey: there aren’t many who sell it, I only found it during a commercial operation at Carrefour in Essaouira. Count 15€ for a 200ml jar. Thyme honey is as good, healing and antiseptic as manuka honey, for a much lower price. There is a good chance that it is organic (even if it isn’t necessarily marked on it). Thyme honey can be used as a mask, it’s great for acne-prone or blemished skin. I found a beekeeper not far from Agadir, his thyme honey is to die for.
- Argan oil: I tested the argan oils of the cooperatives. I even saw how the women of the cooperatives broke each nut. Honestly I think they are good (better than those in the souk) but still have a slightly strong scent (of hazelnut), proof that they aren’t pure enough. Whereas those at Naturelle d’Argan are of high quality and there is a very small imperceptible smell. Frankly, make your stocks there. In the cooperatives, we buy 50ml of oil for about 25dh. And at Naturelle d’Argan, 100dh for 50ml. Be careful to buy argan oil cosmetics, and not the one for cooking (which is roasted and loses its properties). In France, you can buy some (for much more expensive) at Melchior & Balthazar (I have their eye contour stick and it’s a killer!). I use argan oil in addition to my moisturizing cream because the air is too dry here, my facial skin needs to be nourished.
- Hand/body creams made with argan oil: assuming that you should not spread on your face products whose list of ingredients is absent, I only bought a rose argan cream in Essaouira (Tawounte cooperative) and it is divine! It’s the only one that really relieves my dehydrated hands and crocodile legs.
- Saffron: I know I know, there are more false saffron than real saffron. I bought a small jar (7€), I did some tests at home (following YouTube) and I think I found real saffron in Essaouira (at the address I gave at the top of the article). Every day, I fill a glass with water, put 2 threads of saffron in it, and when the water turns orange (it takes a long time when you buy real saffron), I drink the whole glass (+ and eat both threads). Since then I sleep better. I also put 10 threads of saffron in my toner and pssschit my face every day, it helps a lot to have a beautiful skin. It costs about 70dh for 1g, 1g contains about 100 threads. If it costs so much, it’s because it comes from the stigmas of a flower. Each flower has only 3 of them, you have to pick them at the right time etc.
In the souk, you’ll find other cool remedies and products, like this poppy-based lipstick, terracotta-shaped (you have to wet your fingers and then scratch a little), pieces of musk or jasmine balls to perfume the wardrobe etc. but in reality it’s really m*rde. It doesn’t perfume anything, the color of the lipstick doesn’t hold … In short pass your way! And have a good Shoppping !
Did you like this article? Find all our articles about Morocco here and our practical guide : 12 days road trip in Morocco
