In beauty, trends rarely appear out of nowhere. Often, they have deep cultural roots, and right now, many of the hacks enthralling millions on TikTok and Instagram are directly inspired by centuries-old Middle Eastern beauty rituals.
It’s easy to understand why. From kohl-lined eyes and honey masks to hair oils and hammam rituals, the beauty traditions of the Middle East and North Africa are widely renowned – but now, the locations where these traditions were born are finally being given credit as the source of many techniques that have long influenced the industry.
Social media has amplified hacks that once circulated within families or local salons. These hacks are sparking curiosity, education, and respect for Middle Eastern beauty wisdom. There’s also a new wave of Middle Eastern founders, beauty influencers, and heritage-inspired brands who are changing the conversation and celebrating the traditions of their heritage. Think Huda Beauty – founded by beauty entrepreneur Huda Kattan – which put Middle Eastern makeup artistry centre stage. Shiffa Dubai is known for marrying modern science with ancient remedies, and fragrance brand Whind celebrates the golden light of Marrakech in its formulations.
In the Middle East, beauty has never been just surface deep. It’s all about ritual and ceremony, rooted in care as much as aesthetics, with remedies born of desert heat and cultural exchange, passed down as gestures of resilience and reverence.
Here’s a glimpse at just a few of the Middle Eastern beauty traditions inspiring routines around the world today – and the products that let you bring a touch of that heritage into your own ritual.
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Musk Al Tahara
Beloved across the Middle East – and more recently on TikTok – Musk Al Tahara is a white musk traditionally used after bathing. For many Middle Eastern women, it’s a ritual of purification, worn closest to the skin for a veil of soft scent. Its powdery-clean aroma lingers for 14+ hours, making it the original “clean girl” scent long before social media coined the phrase. Unlike fleeting sprays, it clings to the body, clothing, and hair, creating an aura of freshness and elegance. Passed from mothers to daughters, it’s a deeply cultural scent practice tied to both ritual and hygiene.
How to try it: Buy the original Musk Al Tahara – it doesn’t have a direct Western equivalent. Or upgrade your body wash to one that leaves a gentle scent on the skin, like Diptyque L'Eau Papier Gel de Parfum Body Wash.
Aleppo Soap
Hailing from Syria, Aleppo soap is one of the world’s oldest cleansers, crafted from olive oil and laurel oil using a centuries-old method. For families across the Middle East, it’s more than soap – it’s a medicine powerhouse. Used on skin, hair, and even clothes, it soothes dryness, calms eczema, and deeply cleanses without being too harsh on the skin. Its earthy, herbal scent and simple formula speak of tradition and simplicity; just a few natural ingredients, trusted for generations to nourish, protect, and heal. It’s also an incredible skin softener.
How to try it: Try the original skin softening Aleppo soap, or this Aesop nourishing soap bar.
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Chewing Sticks (Miswak)
Miswak, or siwak, is a natural teeth-cleaning twig cut from the Salvadora persica tree that’s become popular on TikTok for its teeth whitening effects. Used for over 7,000 years across the Middle East, it’s praised for whitening teeth, strengthening gums, and freshening breath – all without toothpaste. Its bristles release natural antibacterial compounds, making it both ritualistic and functional. It remains a cultural staple – a zero-waste, travel-ready toothbrush that embodies simplicity and tradition while delivering real oral health benefits.
How to try it: Using a Miswak once a week, or switch your regular toothpaste to Marvis Whitening Toothpaste.
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Alum Stone Deodorant
Before crystal deodorants hit Western health stores, alum stone was a Middle Eastern bathroom essential. This translucent mineral block is moistened and rubbed underarms to neutralise odour naturally. Rich in potassium alum, it creates an invisible shield that inhibits bacterial growth, keeping skin fresh without synthetic fragrance or aluminium salts. For many, it’s prized for its purity, affordability, and longevity – a single stone can last for months.
How to try it: Switch your deodorant for an alum stone one. If you can’t give up the regular deodorant altogether, then Fussy and AKT make travel-friendly deodorants that smell beautiful without being overly harsh on the delicate arm pit skin.
Moroccan Mitt (Kessa Glove)
At the heart of the hammam ritual is the kessa glove, or Moroccan mitt - a textured exfoliator that, paired with black soap, sloughs away layers of dead skin. Across North Africa and the Middle East, it’s part of a communal, cleansing tradition that goes beyond beauty: hammams are spaces of renewal, bonding, and ritual. The mitt’s dramatic peeling effect leaves skin baby-soft, improves circulation, and preps the body for nourishing oils. What makes it so special is its cultural weight - an exfoliating glove that connects self-care with heritage, community, and centuries-old rituals of purification.
How to try it: One of the original Kessa Gloves, or try this Elemis body scrub that delivers exfoliation and nourishment combined,
Oil-based fragrances
Oil-based fragrances, often alcohol-free, are prized for their richness, longevity, and halal suitability. Ouds, musks, and florals are blended into concentrated oils worn directly on pulse points or layered with bakhoor incense for a truly immersive scent experience. Unlike Western eau de toilettes that fade in hours, these oils cling to the skin for the entire day, evolving with body heat. Perfume here isn’t just cosmetic, it’s cultural: a mark of hospitality, spirituality, and daily adornment woven into identity.
How to try it: Thankfully many major brands now make perfume oil versions of their scents, from Le Labo’s Santal 33 to niche scent house Maison Marie Louis who offer a mini perfume oil set of their iconic scents.
Middle Eastern Kohl
Perhaps the most iconic Middle Eastern beauty product, kohl has lined eyes for millennia - from Ancient Egypt through to modern souks. Traditionally made from ground minerals like galena, it was believed to protect against the evil eye and harsh desert glare, while enhancing the eyes’ intensity. Still used across the Middle East, women and men apply it to create smouldering, almond-shaped eyes that are as protective as they are alluring. More than makeup, kohl is ritualistic and symbolic - a beauty practice with deep spiritual, cultural, and medicinal roots that continues to define Middle Eastern aesthetics today.
How to try it: The original Middle Eastern-style Kohl, applied with a long applicator, or try one of Kulfi Beauty’s highly pigmented creamy kajal liners.
Kefir / Sour Milk for the Scalp
In some Middle Eastern households, fermented dairy like kefir or laban is massaged into the scalp as a traditional remedy. Rich in probiotics, proteins, and lactic acid, it nourishes hair follicles, strengthens strands, and soothes irritation. Generations of women used it before shampoo existed, especially in hot, arid climates where hydration was vital. The tangy scent fades quickly, leaving softer, shinier hair and a balanced scalp. Beyond efficacy, it represents resourcefulness – turning everyday kitchen staples into beauty treatments. Today, this humble ritual resonates as a DIY, probiotic-powered tradition still relevant in modern haircare.
How to try it: Your own DIY version, try the Gallinee Cleansing Cream Shampoo or opt for haircare that’s rooted in probiotics like Act + Acre Microbiome Cooling Scalp Serum.
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