In every other bathroom, the shelf reads the same list of unpronounceable ingredients: parabens, silicones, sulfates. Yet a few thousand kilometers away, in the hammams of Morocco, women have been passing down beauty rituals for centuries that need nothing more than a powder and a little water. No laboratory, no endless chemical list — just carefully chosen plants and minerals.
This guide brings together everything you need to know about the four ancestral powders at the heart of Moroccan rituals — Nila, Sidr, Aker Fassi and Tabrima — their benefits, and how to simply weave them into a natural beauty routine, even if you've never set foot in a hammam.
What is a Moroccan beauty ritual?
The Moroccan hammam is more than a steam bath: it's a ritual moment, passed down from mother to daughter, where skin and hair are cleansed, nourished and revealed with 100% natural powders and pastes. Each powder has a precise role — purifying, evening the complexion, detoxifying, enhancing — and is prepared the same way it has been for generations: mixed with lukewarm water or rose water into a smooth paste, applied as a mask, then rinsed off.
It's this simplicity that makes the Moroccan ritual so effective: no stacking ten different products, just a single, concentrated gesture, repeated regularly.
The 4 ancestral powders of Morocco and their benefits
Nila powder: the Sahara's blue secret
A rare mineral with a deep blue hue, Nila powder is extracted raw from the lands of the Moroccan Sahara, with no additives or processing. Used as a face mask, it's known for its clarifying properties: it helps even the complexion and bring radiance back to tired-looking skin. As a hair mask, it purifies the scalp and reveals hair's natural shine.
→ Read our full article on Nila powder
→ See our complete guide to Nila powder
Sidr powder: the green gold of the Orient
Made from jujube leaves (Ziziphus lotus), Sidr powder is arguably the most versatile of the four: as a hair mask, it strengthens and revitalizes the hair fiber; as a face mask, it purifies the skin and tightens the look of pores. It's traditionally the first powder given to a young woman for her first hammam ritual.
→ See our complete guide to Sidr
Aker Fassi powder: the radiant treasure of the Berbers
Made from sun-dried poppy petals and pomegranate skin, Aker Fassi is a natural pigment used as makeup: applied to the cheekbones or lips, it gives a rosy, luminous glow with no chemical ingredients at all.
→ Read our full article on Aker Fassi
→ See our complete guide to Aker Fassi
Tabrima: the hammam's herbal blend
A traditional blend of more than a dozen plants — neutral henna, dried rose, lavender, rosemary, chamomile, nila — Tabrima is the beauty infusion found in hammams to purify the skin and revitalize hair in a single application.
→ See our complete guide to Tabrima
How to bring the Moroccan ritual into your routine
- Prepare your treatment. Mix one dose of powder with lukewarm water, a hydrosol or rose water until you get a smooth, even paste.
- Apply and let it work. Spread the mixture over hair, face or body depending on the powder chosen. Leave on for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Rinse and reveal your glow. Rinse thoroughly with clear water while gently massaging. Repeat 1 to 3 times a week depending on the powder.
→ Our step-by-step guide to recreating the hammam ritual at home
Not sure where to start? The Oriental Glow Ritual set brings together all four powders so you can try the whole ritual without having to choose.
Why choose 100% natural powders over industrial cosmetics?
A typical industrial cosmetic can contain dozens of synthetic ingredients — preservatives, synthetic fragrances, film-forming silicones — whose long-term buildup is still not well understood. Moroccan powders, on the other hand, come down to a single raw, sourced, unprocessed ingredient. It's a slower ritual, but a more transparent one: you know exactly what you're putting on your skin.
The story behind HINALYA
HINALYA was born out of love: a mother's love for her daughters, Inaya and Alya. The idea was simple — make the Moroccan beauty rituals passed down through the family for generations accessible in France, without compromising on the naturalness of the ingredients. Every powder is sourced in Morocco, carefully packaged, and designed for a use just as simple today as it was a century ago. Discover our full story.
Frequently asked questions
Can you mix several powders in the same ritual?
Yes, it's even common practice — Tabrima, for instance, is already a blend of several plants including Nila. You can alternate powders depending on your needs at the time (purifying, evening the complexion, revitalizing).
How often should these powders be used?
Generally, 1 to 3 times a week depending on the powder and your skin or hair type. Regular but moderate use gives better results than daily application.
Are these powders suitable for all skin types?
They're formulated to be gentle and suit most skin and hair types. As with any natural treatment, a patch test on a small area before first use is recommended.
Ready to start your own ritual? Discover the full range of HINALYA royal powders, our ritual sets to try everything at once, or our dedicated Face & Complexion Care and Natural Hair Care collections depending on your needs.