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Editorial note: Market figures cited in this article are estimates based on publicly available industry reports and may vary by source. HalalExpo.com aims to present the most current data available but readers should verify figures for business decisions. Sources include the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report, DinarStandard, and national halal authority publications.
The global halal cosmetics market was valued at $54.7 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $130 billion by 2030 (Grand View Research). Yet despite the market's scale, the average Muslim consumer faces a genuine challenge: halal claims in cosmetics are largely unregulated in most markets, greenwashing is widespread, and the ingredient lists on beauty products are among the most technically complex in any consumer category.
This guide cuts through the noise. We cover what makes a cosmetic product haram, the important distinction between halal-certified and wudhu-compatible (breathable) products, how to read a cosmetic ingredient list for halal compliance, the top genuinely certified brands, and which certification logos to look for on packaging.
Several categories of ingredients found in mainstream cosmetics conflict with Islamic principles. Understanding these is the foundation for making informed purchasing decisions.
Carmine is one of the most pervasive haram ingredients in colour cosmetics. It is a vivid red-pink pigment derived from crushed cochineal insects (Dactylopius coccus) and is used extensively in lipsticks, lip glosses, blushes, eyeshadows, and nail polishes. The majority of Islamic scholars hold insects to be haram (impure), making carmine categorically prohibited under JAKIM, BPJPH, and SFDA halal standards for cosmetics.
On ingredient lists, carmine appears as:
It is particularly common in warm-toned lip products and blushes from mainstream brands. Check the full ingredient list, not just the colour name — a "natural" red shade can contain carmine even when marketed as clean beauty.
Collagen is widely used in skincare-infused cosmetics — primers, foundations, and lip treatments often include "hydrolyzed collagen" or "soluble collagen" for their moisturising and film-forming properties. Unless the source is explicitly stated as marine (fish) or plant-based, collagen in cosmetics is typically bovine or porcine-derived.
Other porcine-derived ingredients found in cosmetics include:
Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is used extensively in cosmetics as a solvent, preservative, astringent, and fragrance carrier. It appears in toners, foundations, setting sprays, fragrances, and many other categories. The halal status of alcohol in cosmetics is a nuanced area:
Key alcohol-related INCI names to watch for: Alcohol, Alcohol Denat., Ethanol, SD Alcohol, and Isopropyl Alcohol. Fatty alcohols (Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol) are plant-derived and halal — do not confuse these with beverage-type ethanol.
A critical distinction that many consumers conflate: halal-certified and wudhu-compatible are not the same thing.
A halal-certified nail polish with synthetic pigments may still invalidate wudhu if it forms a water-impermeable barrier. Brands like Tuesday in Love specifically formulate and test their polishes for water permeability, which is a separate certification process from ingredient halal compliance. If wudhu validity is a requirement for you, look for products specifically tested and labelled as water-permeable, not just "halal-certified."
The following brands have obtained recognised halal certification for their cosmetics lines. Always verify current certification scope at point of purchase, as product lines evolve.
Not all halal logos on cosmetics packaging are from recognised bodies. The following certifications are the most credible in the cosmetics category:
Browse all recognised certifiers on the HalalExpo Certifiers Directory. For a deeper dive into specific ingredients, use the Halal Ingredient Checker. For skincare-specific guidance, read our companion guide: Halal Skincare Ingredients: The Complete Guide.
Finding genuinely halal makeup requires moving beyond marketing claims to actual ingredient verification and certification. The three most important checks are: no carmine, no porcine-derived ingredients, and alcohol that is either absent or within the permissible framework of your chosen halal standard. Brands that carry certification from JAKIM, IFANCA, HFA, or MUI have been audited against these criteria — for everything else, you need to read the ingredient list yourself.
For wudhu-compatible products specifically, look for brands that explicitly test and certify water permeability — this is a separate technical property from halal ingredient compliance and requires its own verification.
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