Ancient Egyptian Royalty Were the Original Beauty Influencers

WASH LIKE AN EGYPTIANAncient Egyptian Royalty Were the Original Beauty InfluencersA board-certified dermatologist reveals all the skin-care tips and ingredients she copies from the OGs in the new Allure Skinfluencers series.

By Nicola Dall'Asen

February 22, 2022

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Do you ever wonder where all of your favorite skin-care products and techniques come from? Not whom you learned them from or who makes them, but how they were invented? You might not even realize that your exfoliation routine, in particular, was likely originated in ancient Egypt. That's right: the go-to body scrub sitting in your shower right now might not exist without the African royalty who swore by sea salt as a skin treatment.

Mona Gohara, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Connecticut, would know — she's a direct descendant of the Egyptian queens who perfected the art of body exfoliation. "In my book, these royal highnesses were the OG skinfluencers," she says in the first installment of the new video series entitled, Allure Skinfluencers. "The queens used salt from the sea to smooth and rejuvenate their skin — thousands of years later, their insight still holds true with today's science."

Because of this, Gohara continues to recommend products with similar ingredients to her patients. After all, the ingredient does leave behind "visibly smoother and improved skin texture over time," as New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Arash Akhavan, M.D., once told Allure.

Guess we owe a huge thank you to the Egyptian pharaohs and queens of the past for keeping our skin clear and smooth for centuries on end. Above, watch the first in our two-part series about ancient royals' skin-care routines hosted by Gohara herself.

More on skin care:

• Do Skin-Care Products That "Boost Circulation" Actually Do Anything?
• Retinol: Everything You Need to Know About the Buzziest Skin-Care Ingredient
• Why You Should Consider Adding a Body Mask to Your Skin-Care Routine

Now, see Hyram Yarbro's skin-care routine:

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Nicola Dall'Asen is the digital news editor at Allure, where she oversees beauty news coverage and writes Learning Curve, a monthly column that unpacks the complicated experience of accepting your body in a world that doesn't want you to. She previously served as senior editor at Revelist and... Read moreNews Editor, Allure.com

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