Lip care was the last thing on my mind when I moved to the UAE, and it turned out to be the thing my old routine got most wrong.
In this article
I grew up in a village in the Carpathian Mountains, where the women in my family made their own soap and nettle tea rinses, so I have always trusted simple, plant-based things on my skin.
What I did not have was a formula built for 45 degree heat, 23 degree air conditioning, and the ten-second walk between them that leaves the lips cracked by lunchtime.
I found the fix by accident while I was working my way through Middle Eastern heritage ingredients for my blog, and out of curiosity. It is the Aker Fassi Poppy Lip Trio by Izil Beauty.
This is my honest account of what it is, how I use it, where it is really made, and whether it earns the money. Mostly it does, with two caveats I will not skip over.
The desert does not care about your skincare routine. It will find the one step you skipped.
What Is Aker Fassi, and Why I Went Looking for It
Aker Fassi is a natural red pigment from Morocco, made from dried poppy petals and pomegranate rind. It takes its name from Fes, the Moroccan city it is tied to, and women there have used it for centuries as a lip and cheek stain. It is rich in antioxidants and vitamins C and E.
The traditional version is beautiful and a little bit of a nightmare. In its raw form, it is a loose powder or a dried tablet you wet and rub on, and it stains everything it touches, which is exactly why it lasted on lips and cheeks long before anyone marketed the word longwear.
Mouna Abbassy, the founder of Izil Beauty, has said in interviews that the brand took that messy, inherited ingredient and reformulated it to be easy to use. That is the part that pulled me in. I did not want a history lesson on my mouth. I wanted the pigment and the antioxidants without the mess, and without a lipstick full of things I cannot pronounce.
Growing up, anything red and plant-based in the kitchen usually ended up on our cheeks at some point, so a pomegranate and poppy tint did not feel exotic to me. It felt familiar, just done properly.
The 3 Steps I Actually Used: Scrub, Tint, Balm
The lip scrub. The essential first step to any good lip care routine. The brown sugar-based scrub is infused with the powerful Aker Fassi pigment, which not only exfoliates dead skin but leaves behind a subtle tint, making the lips look healthier, softer, and ASAP kissable.
During summer, at the end of the day, the relentless blast of icy, dry air from the AC leaves my lips parched and thirsty, sapping every last drop of moisture. Stepping outside, from the 21 degrees AC indoors, into the scorching 45+ degrees heat, it’s as if your lips are caught in a desert storm, cracked, flaky, and pleading for relief.
The sun exposure, weekends at the beach, desert adventures, and then indoor air conditioning cause lips to chap, dry out, or crack.
This scrub is gentle but effective. It smells and tastes fantastic. The scent is a vibrant, invigorating blend of natural, uplifting ingredients, including Peppermint Oil and Lemon Peel Oil.
The texture is a luxurious blend of rich, buttery softness and gentle exfoliating granules. The fine sucrose crystals provide an effective yet mild exfoliation, sweeping away dry, flaky skin without being too harsh. As you massage it onto your lips, the scrub melts effortlessly, thanks to the nourishing base of Shea Butter, Jojoba, and Argan Oil, which gives it a creamy, velvety feel.
The formula also has Beeswax, delicate powders of Cinnamon Bark, and Poppy Flower for that pleasing, natural grit, giving the scrub a satisfying yet gentle scrubbing action.
Result: a perfect balance of exfoliation and hydration, leaving our lips polished, smooth, and ready for any balm or lipstick.
I love how this scrub prepares my lips for the rest of the lip care routine. A good, healthy scrub is critical to ensuring that all the moisture and nutrients from the subsequent steps are fully absorbed, allowing for deep nourishment.
The second product in the Aker Fassi Poppy Lip Trio is the balm.
Enriched with shea butter, argan oil, and Aker Fassi, this balm feels like a protective shield over my lips. In the UAE, a high-quality balm is non-negotiable for proper lip care.
The hydration from the balm lasts hours, and its subtle tint adds just the right amount of hue, perfect for those days when you want a more natural look. It’s one of those balms that softens and actively works to restore and maintain your lips’ health. The instructions on the box say you should apply the lip tint after the scrub and then the lip balm; so far, most of the time, I finish with the lip tint.
I love its scent. It’s a captivating fusion of rich, natural aromas that offer a truly sensory experience. Think: Shea butter, Mango Seed butter, Pomegranate, Grapefruit.
Overall, this balm is a perfect harmony of creamy, fruity, and slightly spiced aromas, making each application a delightful treat for my senses. In other words, this lip balm is Christmas on my lips.
Rounding out the trio is the Lip & Cheek Tint, an absolute revelation for me. Lip tints are not really a new trend in lip care, but Izil Beauty has taken it to the next level by incorporating Aker Fassi for its skincare benefits and its gorgeous red hue.
Created on a water-based formula, the lip and cheek tint has a delightfully lightweight and silky texture. Upon application, you feel the Aloe Vera Water and Prickly Pear Extract working together, creating a cooling, refreshing sensation, instantly hydrating the lips and cheeks. It absorbs quickly; there’s no greasy or heavy feeling.
There is also Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Avocado Oil, and Hydrolyzed Jojoba Ester in the ingredient list to provide that subtle plumping effect, adding a dewy, cushiony feel to the skin.
I like it because it’s buildable, and allows us to layer for more color intensity without any patchiness or stickiness.
Overall, the tint leaves a weightless, breathable finish, making my lips feel fresh, soft, and hydrated while adding a beautiful, natural flush.
Its fragrance is a pleasant blend of freshness, sweetness, and light florals, evoking the feeling of a blooming garden after a rain shower, a perfect complement to the natural look this tint brings to my lips and cheeks.
It works with or without the balm; it is a perfect choice for daily wear in the hot, humid UAE climate.
If you only want one piece, and Izil does sell them separately, make it the balm.
Why This Lip Care Set Survives the UAE Climate
Lip care in the UAE is really a humidity problem wearing a temperature costume. You step from air conditioning, which has wrung every drop of moisture out of the air, into the heat that does the same thing by force, several times a day.
Lips have almost no oil glands of their own, so they lose water faster than the rest of our face and have nothing to replace it with. That is why a balm that would be just an accessory in a mild climate is a baseline here.
What makes this trio work for me is that each step covers a different failure point.
- The scrub clears the dead skin that stops anything from absorbing.
- The tint adds water and holds it with hyaluronic acid.
- The balm locks the whole thing down so the AC cannot undo it.
It is the same logic I apply to my skin and hair in this climate. Desert air is not gentle, and the fixes that hold up are the ones that respect that.
A UAE Brand Reviving a Moroccan Ritual
Here is the nuance worth getting right, because I see it flattened everywhere.
Aker Fassi is Moroccan. The ingredient, the ritual, and the name all come from Morocco.
Izil Beauty, though, is a UAE brand. It was founded in Dubai by Mouna Abbassy. It is developed and manufactured in the UAE with its own research lab, and it runs the first Moroccan hammam and spa inside the Dubai Mall. So when I file this under made in the UAE, I mean the brand and the product, not the heritage of the plant.
Both things are true at once, and the honest version is more interesting than pretending Aker Fassi grew in Al Ain.
That distinction matters to me because I am not from here either.
I am a Romanian who moved to the Emirates in 2022, and I have spent three years learning which local and regional brands are worth your money.
I have put other beauty buys through the same honest test before, and Izil is one of the few that treats a traditional ingredient as a starting point for real formulation rather than a marketing sticker.
The set is free from parabens, sulfates, and synthetic fragrance, and the scrub is listed at close to 100% natural origin.
Izil reports that 80% of users saw brighter, more even lips after three weeks, which is a brand claim rather than an independent trial, so I would treat it as a hint, not a promise. My own three months say the color evens out with use, which lines up.
If you want to elevate your lip care game, the Aker Fassi Poppy Lip Trio by Izil Beauty is something you need to try. This trio offers a comprehensive solution to the lip challenges we face in our new home, the Emirates, while celebrating the cultural significance of Middle Eastern heritage ingredients like Aker Fassi.
Incorporating local, natural ingredients into your skincare routine is not a trend; it is a movement towards mindful beauty that values sustainability, tradition, and efficacy.
So, the next time you want to refresh your lip care routine, why not reach for something rooted in heritage?
Your lips will thank you for it.
Questions I Get Asked About the Aker Fassi Lip Trio
What is the Aker Fassi Poppy Lip Trio?
It is a three-step lip set from Izil Beauty: a sugar lip scrub, a lip and cheek tint, and a balm, all built around Aker Fassi, a Moroccan poppy and pomegranate pigment. The routine exfoliates, adds a natural rosy-red color, and seals in moisture. It is made for daily use.
Is Izil Beauty a UAE brand?
Yes. Izil Beauty was founded in Dubai by Mouna Abbassy and is developed and manufactured in the UAE, with its own research lab and a Moroccan spa inside Dubai Mall. Its ingredients and rituals come from Moroccan tradition, but the company itself is Emirati.
Does the Aker Fassi tint stain?
It does, and that is the point. Aker Fassi has been used as a long-lasting stain for centuries. The modern tint is far easier to control than the raw powder, but it is still pigmented, so apply a little at a time and build the color rather than loading it on.
Where can I buy it in the UAE?
You can buy it directly from izilbeauty.com and from stockists including Ounass. Prices sit in the premium range, so if you are only testing the water, the balm on its own is the piece I would start with.
How often should I use each step?
Use the scrub two to three times a week, not daily, or you will irritate more than you smooth. The tint and balm are daily. On a low-effort day, I go straight to tint and balm. In peak summer, I reapply the balm throughout the day, since heat undoes that step fastest.
Is it good for sensitive skin?
It is formulated without parabens, sulfates, or synthetic fragrance, which helps. It does contain natural essential oils like peppermint and cinnamon in the scrub, so if those tend to irritate you, patch test first. I have sensitive skin and have had no issues in the three months of use.
The Founder
If you are an expat in the Middle East facing skin concerns and want to share your story, send us a message at contact@routine11.com
*Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review. This is solely based on my personal experience and assessment.
