Multani Matti

Multani Matti comes originally from Multan, in what is now Pakistan. Known in English as Fuller's Earth, it is a clay-like mineral but thinner than clay, holding more water, and it goes from a dry pale grey lump to a smooth grey-green paste the moment it is wetted. The name translates as mud of Multan.

Also written multani mitti, it has a soft, silky, slightly chalky feel and a neutral earthy scent. It absorbs water readily, so a small amount makes a surprisingly large amount of paste. In South Asian households it is a traditional ingredient in homemade face masks, often mixed with rose water, sandalwood powder or yoghurt. Technique tip: add the liquid a little at a time and stir to a smooth paste, since adding it all at once leaves dry lumps.

Sold in whole lumps or ready-ground to a powder. The powder mixes straight into a paste; the lumps need soaking first and are the traditional form.

How to use it

Across Pakistan and the Indian subcontinent it is used almost exclusively in beauty preparations, mixed with water, rose water or yoghurt into a face mask. Beyond cosmetics it has a long industrial life: it is used on film sets to create dirt explosions on screen and alongside film pyrotechnics, it has been used for makeup on film, and it cleans marble, having been used in the cleaning of the Taj Mahal.

Details

Also known as

Fuller's Earth, Bleaching Clay, Whitening Clay, Mud of Multan, مولتاني ميتي