Moroccan tradition · Fez
What aker fassi is
Traditional aker fassi is a small unglazed terracotta dish, lined on the inside with a dried red layer that only wakes up when a damp finger touches it.
The recipes differ from family to family and from one part of Morocco to another. The red usually comes from dried plant matter, poppy petals or pomegranate rind, sometimes alongside other traditional pigments. Which is why two dishes bought on the same street in Fez rarely give exactly the same shade.
You still find it in Moroccan herb shops and souks, often shelved beside nila, henna and black soap. It is worn on ordinary days, and it also appears in wedding customs, where the red goes on alongside the henna.
How it is used
- Wet your fingertip with water or rose water.
- Rub the inside of the dish in small circles until the color lifts onto your finger.
- Press it onto your lips, or onto the apples of your cheeks.
- Repeat for a deeper shade. The first layer is always sheer.
The color builds rather than covers. That is why aker fassi reads as skin that ran a little warmer, not as something laid over the top of it.
AZGGAGH: the same gesture, with a balm underneath
AZGGAGH is our answer to that limit. The same gesture, one finger and one layer at a time, on lips or cheeks, but in a balm you apply dry and can carry with you.
Under the color there is a balm: castor oil for slip and shine, sweet almond oil and shea butter for softness, beeswax to hold the shape, and vitamin E. Which means you can reach for it on the days your lips only want the balm, with no mirror and no water.
Ingredients: castor oil, sweet almond oil, beeswax, poppy flower extract, shea butter, CI 77491 (iron oxides), tocopherol. Seven ingredients, 20 g, made in Morocco.
Questions
How strong is the shade?
Sheer in one layer, deeper in the next. Build the colour to the shade you want. It gives cheeks the same warm tone as lips.
What is the difference between the clay dish and the balm?
The dish needs water and gives you color alone. The balm goes on dry, builds the same sheer shade, and conditions your lips with oils and shea butter at the same time. The tone is warm red either way, but lips stay softer with the balm.
Can aker fassi be worn on the cheeks?
Yes. In Morocco it is traditionally used on both lips and cheeks. The same is true of AZGGAGH: a small amount pressed onto the apple of the cheek gives the same warm tone it gives on the lips.
Is AZGGAGH vegan?
AZGGAGH contains beeswax, which gives the balm its solid texture.
How long does one balm last?
20 g is a lot for a balm applied in a thin layer. You lift a small amount with a clean fingertip, so one pot covers months of everyday wear.
How should it be stored?
At room temperature, away from direct sun and radiators. The balm is semi-solid and softens on contact, so real heat makes it softer than it should be.
If the other Moroccan color in the same tradition interests you, read about blue nila. More on the balm itself is on the tinted lip balm page, and the full range is in the product collection.