Is Halal Makeup Vegan?
“Halal” is a term commonly used by Muslims to refer to what is “lawful” or “acceptable” with regard to religious practices. Halal products are those that do not contain haram (“prohibited”) ingredients, which include blood, alcohol, meat, or any ingredients derived from pigs or animals who were not slaughtered in the correct manner in the name of Allah.
Hundreds of thousands of animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in archaic product tests for cosmetics. However, a product cannot be considered halal if it has been tested on animals.
However, not all halal makeup is vegan. Keep reading to find out why…
Halal Makeup
For cosmetics to be considered halal, they must not be tested on animals and must be free of alcohol, animal fats, and harsh chemicals.
Many makeup products in the cosmetics industry contain pig fat or carmine (a red pigment from the crushed female cochineal insect)—including lipsticks, for example—and other haram ingredients, and most of the time, consumers are not aware of what is in the products they buy.
Cosmetics companies use animal ingredients because they’re cheap, not because they’re better than plant-based or synthetic ingredients.
Important: Not All Halal Makeup Is Vegan—Check the Ingredients
The Muslim Consumer Group contains advice and information about some beauty brands and determines whether they are halal. You should always check for nonvegan ingredients such as beeswax, keratin, and lanolin—an ingredient derived from sheep’s wool. Animal-derived ingredients like these are considered halal but are not vegan.
A photo posted by Iba Halal Care / Vegan (@iba.halalcare) on
Unfortunately, even avid label-readers can’t always determine what they’re putting on—and in—their bodies. There are thousands of technical and patented names for ingredients, and many known by a single name can be of animal, vegetable, or synthetic origin. If that’s not confusing enough, some companies have slyly removed the word “animal” from their labels in order to avoid turning consumers off. For example, instead of saying, “hydrolyzed animal protein,” companies may use a term like “hydrolyzed collagen.”
Where can I buy vegan, halal makeup?
Here are some companies in Asia that produce halal-certified vegan makeup:
Check out PETA U.S.’ Beauty Without Bunnies page to see if the makeup you are using is vegan!
