What’s “Halal?”    halal nail polish made

halal nail polish made

In Islam, things that are permissible to consume or use are “halal,” while those that aren’t are considered “haram” or impermissible.

The basic idea is that for Muslims, there are things in this world -- particularly products made of pork and consumable alcohol -- that are not permissible to use or trade.

It’s obvious with food, but it also applies to countless other products, including clothing (e.g., belts, bags, etc) and even cosmetics and skin care products.

halal nail polish made

As many Muslims work hard to consume only halal products, it’s no surprise that the industry is offering halal options.

In the nail polish space alone there are at least a dozen different brands claiming to offer halal nail polish.

But are they all halal? How would we know? In this blog post, we’ll answer how.

halal nail polish made

Halal Ingredients Used in Making Halal Nail Polish

When it comes to halal nail polish, you need to confirm two things: the ingredients and process.

Sourcing of Ingredients

In terms of halal ingredients, the obvious issue is avoiding pork-based products, which includes any oils, fats, emulsions, or by-products.

Likewise for consumable alcohol.

In theory, Muslims can consume other animal-based products (e.g., beef), but the issue with this is that those animals must be slaughtered according to Islamic rules (zabihah: hand-slaughtering the animal swiftly to cause minimal pain or suffering, and draining the blood completely).

It’s impossible to confirm if this is the case with the majority of animal-based products.

There’s also the very real risk of contamination from pork and/or alcohol-based products.

In general, it’s difficult to ensure the ingredients of animal-based products, you’re best avoiding them and, instead, looking at cosmetics that are 100% free of animal products.

Ensuring Halal Processes Are in Place

The right ingredients are only one part of what constitutes “halal.”

You’ll also have to consider where and how those ingredients have been sourced, and how the product was produced.

When it comes to sourcing, many of the large cosmetics companies are known for getting their ingredients from developing countries where labour is very cheap. halal nail polish made

That low cost labour comes at a moral price, such as child labour, inhumane working conditions (e.g., in mining, fabricating, etc), and other harmful practices.

These practices violate Islamic rulings on the treatment of people, especially vulnerable groups such as children.

Likewise, we must also think about the treatment of animals.

It’s common to find companies that test their products on animals in cruel and inhumane ways.

Islam forbids such practices, and by extension, we must be conscious as consumers (who want halal products) of who we buy from.

The best thing we can recommend is that you avoid questionable sources as much as possible, so find a cosmetics or nail polish that avoid animal products and testing entirely.

Besides taking a stand against abuse, you’ll find that sustainable alternatives are also better for your health.

halal nail polish made

Halal Certification

With this information in mind, how can you verify if a cosmetic product claiming to be halal is actually halal?

This is where looking for credible and widely accepted certifications is vital.

You don’t want to rely on any organization certifying your products, but rather, nationally and/or internationally recognized ones, such as the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

So, for example, Tuesday in Love’s halal nail polish products are certified by ISNA for being both halal in terms of ingredients/sourcing and related Islamic rulings.

halal nail polish made

As practicing Muslims pray 5 times a day, they’ll need nail polish that is water permeable.

Through scientific testing, ISNA verified that Tuesday in Love’s nail polish products meet that requirement.

In fact, Tuesday in Love is the only halal nail polish in the world to have been certified for both ingredients and functionality.

If you’d like to see how Tuesday in Love is halal and practical for the practicing Muslim, then you can see examples of our water permeability tests.

Moreover, our products are 100% free of any and all animal products, so they’re both halal and vegan.

halal nail polish made