I Tried Egyptian Magic. Turns Out It's Pretty Nice!
Egyptian Magic is a mysterious product with a potentially problematic name and origin story. It is allegedly a cult favorite product and a bestseller, but then again I have never actually heard of anyone using it, and I didn’t really know what it was for until recently (still may not know, tbh). But then my BFF Costco offered a pack of three different sizes of Egyptian Magic on sale for $20, and I thought, “SURE.”
I had no idea what Egyptian Magic was before seeing it at Costco. Truly, I could not have told you if it was a cream or a powder or a jar of air. But I looked at the ingredients and was instantly intrigued. The entire ingredient list is: olive oil, bee’s wax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, bee propolis and (this one is gross, prepare yourself) Divine Love.
I’m skeptical and cynical by nature, so putting “Divine Love” on an ingredient list makes me want to jump out a window, but I didn’t let that put me off. After all, look at all that bee and honey stuff in this magic product! And I’m newly honey obsessed! So I got the three pack and headed home to open a jar and finally find out what this stuff actually was.
Turns out, it’s basically an oil. Think more along the lines of coconut oil. It’s solid in the jar, but you scoop a little out and warm it between your fingers and it quickly becomes a thick oil that you can then use however you like. I have been using it on my undereyes and around my nose, where I tend to get super dry and flaky. I also keep the smallest jar next to my couch, and use it as a lip balm or cuticle oil while I’m watching TV. It’s nice that Egyptian Magic is solid at room temp, because it makes it a great, no-mess way to get a super dose of moisture.
Egyptian Magic, I believe, is like the Dr Bronner’s of skincare. (Also, Dr Bronner’s is the Dr Bronner’s of skincare?). It has one thousand uses and you don’t really know what it’s truly for because it’s for everything. Also, they have a meandering, inscrutable manifesto on the jar, just like Dr Bronner’s:
