American gifts for Moroccans (2023 gift guide) 🇲🇦

As an American living in Morocco, I can confidently say I’m an expert at knowing the best American gifts for Moroccans. I’ve given many gifts here (as well as received them from visitors coming to Morocco from America on vacation) and there’s an art to it.

Why would I call it an art? Because Morocco already has a lot of things that some people might not realize, it also lacks in a lot of things when it comes to variety. For example, lotion brands. Morocco is swimming in Nivea, Vaseline, and Dove. We have Yves Rocher and The Body Shop and other French brands. What we don’t have is Bath and Body Works, Aveeno, Lubriderm, and other such varieties.

See what I mean? Gifts that you can’t get inside Morocco are extra special and considered exotic. It’s helpful to know what Morocco has and doesn’t have when selecting American gifts for Moroccans. These are the top brands, items, and types of American gifts for Moroccans that have been wildly successful for family, friends, hosts, and other people around the Maghreb (not to mention the things I ask for when friends and family come to visit).

So, what gifts do Moroccans like? Let’s get to the list!

To see our gift guide specifically for your Moroccan mother-in-law, click here!

Note: some of these are affiliate links, at no cost to you!

Gifts to bring to Morocco

American gifts for Moroccans #1: Tech stuff

Technically we have Electroplanet and Virgin Megastore, but let me tell you, they are expensive. I’m talking, like, double American prices. There are a few stores that ship within Morocco, but even those are quite pricey sometimes. I have brought 100% of my “tech stuff” from outside Morocco (which is quite a lot considering I work remotely). The other problem with buying tech stuff in Morocco is that there’s a big counterfeit problem, so even if you spend a ton on a new gadget or buy something off Facebook Marketplace, you’re not guaranteed that the gadget is authentic.

• A Kindle is a great gift for a voracious reader because book selections in Morocco are quite limited. I use my kindle basically every single day, and I highly recommend fellow ex-pats and locals to get a Kindle if they can because then they have access to a whole world of books.
• Noise-canceling headphones in Morocco are essential. Morocco is a loud, vibrant, boisterous place, and sometimes the noise can be a bit too much. You don’t need to spend a ton to get quality noise-canceling headphones, either.

American gifts for Moroccans #2: Skincare

Some of the Moroccan para pharmacies will have skincare, but most of the brands are French and the selection is limited. Morocco doesn’t have The Ordinary, Lubriderm, Aveeno, or many of the popular face and body care brands. Because of this, high-quality skincare is highly coveted by Moroccans, particularly Moroccan women. This is also true of high-end perfumes and especially SPF. My Moroccan friends and family absolutely adore the SPF and skincare products I bring back from other countries.

Some of my favorites:

• The Ordinary Facial Treatment Set
• Burt’s Bees Lip Balm

American gifts for Moroccans #3: Books

While we do have some independent booksellers and you can get books printed to buy here in Morocco, I found the selection to be quite limited, especially for books in any language but Arabic or French. I’ve only bought one book here in English from a guy selling books out on the street. However, every time I look at those book sellers, they’re always selling the same 15 to 20 book titles, which really limits your options as far as physical books go.

Whenever I’m visiting other countries, I like to bring a variety of books back. Especially things like coloring/sticker books or language books for children. There’s just a lot more selection in places like the United States, not to mention bestsellers and new releases.

American gifts for Moroccans #4: Makeup

Like skincare, makeup options in Morocco are extremely limited, more limited than skincare in fact. We have a tiny number of options, and I haven’t bought a single item of makeup since moving here because I just can’t get into what they have here. If you’re looking for gifts for a Moroccan woman, I highly suggest makeup.

Bringing a Moroccan lady some makeup will surely be a hit. Here are some recommendations:

• Urban Decay Naked Wild West Eyeshadow Palette
• Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara

American gifts for Moroccans #5: Coffee syrups

Moroccans tend to drink their coffee with a lot of sugar, but I personally prefer sugar-free syrup substitutes. I’ve also brought them for friends and family, who report that they love them. Especially for the health conscious or those wanting to limit their sugar intake, Stevia and monk fruit sweeteners are a hit. These are my favorites:

• Sweetleaf Pumpkin Spice Stevia Sweetener
• Sweetleaf Monk Fruit Almond Amaretto Sweetener
• Maple & Brown Sugar Stevia Drops

I personally prefer the Sweetleaf or super concentrated ones because they’re compact, easy to travel with, and last for a long time.

American gifts for Moroccans #6: Spices

As I included in my moving to Morocco guide, spices are an absolute MUST! In fact, I might have gone a little overboard, but I don’t regret it one bit because spices in Morocco can be quite limited. Moroccan food, maybe famous around the world, but most of the flavor comes from five or six main spices, and frankly, I’m not a good enough cook to make magic with such a limited variety. I love a seasoning salt in a spice blend, and I always make sure to bring more whenever I go back to the United States or visit Europe.

My favorite essential spices:

• Hidden Valley ranch packets!
• Taco seasoning
• Johnny’s seasoning salt

American gifts for Moroccans #7: Clothing and shoes

Moroccan clothing tends to be pretty sketchy. A lot of it is off-brand, low quality, or falls apart quickly. I always, always, always bring shoes from other countries because shoes in particular tend to fall apart quickly in Morocco.

Shoes and clothes make great gifts for kids in Morocco. I always try and bring clothes for friends and family when I travel.

What do you think? What are your favorite American gifts for Moroccans? Agree or disagree with our list? Comment below! 🎁