There is no single ingredient that makes a lipstick halal. Instead, we'd look at three things: where the ingredients come from (an animal, an insect, a plant or a lab), whether the formula contains alcohol, and, for some, whether the product has been certified against a halal cosmetics standard such as Malaysia's MS 2634. How strictly to apply each of those is a matter scholars discuss, and your own scholar is the right person for the fine print. The good news is that the ingredient list on the back of the box tells you far more than most people realise, once you know how to read it.
Is there a halal standard for cosmetics?
Yes. Malaysia publishes a dedicated one: MS 2634:2019 Halal cosmetics - General requirements, the first revision of the standard. According to the regulatory news service ChemLinked, the Malaysian Standards of 2019 are among the main references for Malaysian halal certification and were due to be implemented from 1 January 2021. The standards themselves can be obtained through the Department of Standards Malaysia.
A halal logo from a certifier you recognise is the simplest shortcut. When a product doesn't carry one, the label is your next best friend.
How do I read a make-up ingredient list?
The rules are clear in both the UK and the US.
- Order matters. In the UK, cosmetics must carry a list headed "Ingredients" in descending order of weight. The US FDA says ingredients must be listed in descending order of predominance. So the first names on the list are the main ones.
- The tail is mixed up. UK rules allow ingredients under 1% to be listed in any order after those of 1% or more, and colouring agents in any order after everything else.
- "May contain" is for shade ranges. For make-up sold in many colours, brands may list every colourant in the range, as long as they add "may contain" or the symbol +/-.
- Names are standardised. UK rules require each ingredient's International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) name where one exists, which is why your foundation reads like a chemistry set.
- Fragrance is one word. Perfume compositions appear as "perfume" or "aroma", and UK industry convention, accepted by enforcement authorities, is to write "parfum". Materials used as solvents or carriers for perfumes do not have to be listed.
Which beauty ingredients come from animals or insects?
These are the names worth learning. Several can come from more than one source, and the label usually won't say which, so the brand or a certification is your answer.
- Carmine. The red in many lipsticks, blushes and nail polishes. The Vegan Society notes it is also listed as natural red 4, E120 and C.I 75470, and is made by crushing tiny insects called cochineals. US regulations define carmine as a colour obtained by an aqueous extraction of cochineal, and require cosmetics that don't carry a full ingredient list to declare it, for example "Contains carmine as a color additive".
- Gelatine. The trade body Gelatine Manufacturers of Europe says gelatine is obtained from animal raw materials, and approximately 80 per cent of the edible gelatine produced in Europe is made from pork skins. Other kinds are made from bovine or fish raw materials.
- Collagen. Can be taken from the bones, skin, ligaments and tissues of cows, and found in creams, lotions and serums.
- Keratin. Used to strengthen hair and nails, and can be derived from the hair and horns of various animals. The Vegan Society suggests plant proteins such as hydrolysed wheat, soya and corn as alternatives.
- Glycerin. The Vegan Society calls it one of the most common animal-derived ingredients in cosmetics, made from animal fat, though vegetable-based glycerin is also available.
- Lanolin. Obtained from the fleece of sheep, and also listed as wool alcohols, wool fat, wool wax or lanolin alcohol.
- Shimmer, shine and wax. Guanine, the shimmer in some highlighters, comes from fish scales; shellac, used for a glossy manicure, comes from lac bugs; and cera alba is beeswax, according to The Vegan Society. Squalene can come from shark liver or from plants.
Is alcohol in make-up and perfume halal?
Start with what the word means on a label. The FDA explains that in cosmetic labelling, the term "alcohol", used by itself, refers to ethyl alcohol. Denatured ethyl alcohol may appear as "SD Alcohol" followed by a number, or as "Alcohol Denat.", the European term.
Many other "alcohols" are a different family altogether. Cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl and lanolin alcohol are fatty alcohols, and the FDA notes their effects on the skin are quite different from those of ethyl alcohol; they can even appear in products labelled "alcohol free". So a moisturiser with cetearyl alcohol is not the same thing as a toner made with ethanol.
Whether ethanol in perfume, toner or setting spray is acceptable, and whether its source matters, is a question scholars discuss and answer differently. Ask your own scholar, and in the meantime the label will tell you exactly which kind of alcohol you are looking at.
Can you wear nail polish and still make wudu?
The starting point for this question is the verse on ablution:
O believers! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles.— Quran 5:6, translated by Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
As Arab News reported in 2013, the concern with ordinary polish is that it creates a physical layer over the nails that stops water from reaching them. The same report described how some women apply polish after the last prayer of the day and take it off again before dawn prayers.
Then came "breathable" polish. According to the same Arab News report, Inglot claims its O2M Breathable Nail Enamel was formulated to let both air and water through, using a polymer found in contact lenses. Arab News reported that a scholar in the United States tested it and wrote that, in his view, it complies with Islamic law, while other scholars quoted in the same piece disagreed, one saying it was fine if water truly reaches the nail and another that it was forbidden either way.
In other words, scholars differ. If breathable polish appeals, ask your own scholar.
Our edit: building a beauty bag you feel good about
- Start with the basics you use daily. Moisturiser, lip balm and mascara touch your skin most often, so check those labels first.
- Reds deserve a second look. Carmine turns up in shades that mimic the classic rouge colour.
- Trust certification where you can. A halal mark from a certifier you recognise saves you the detective work.
- Ask brands directly. A short message about the source of their glycerin or collagen usually gets an answer.
Beauty is a joy, and knowing what is in your products only adds to it. Find more in our fashion section and wellness section.
Edited by Jeloni, editor-in-chief. Researched and drafted with AI assistance; every fact in this article was checked against its sources.
