It can be a struggle to find halal beauty brands. Halal beauty refers to beauty products compliant with Islamic standards. This means they do not contain any pig-derived and other “haram”, or forbidden, ingredients. Halal beauty products also need to be wudhu-friendly or ablution-friendly (read: water-permeable) as part of the religious standards.
Unfortunately, the certification process can take up to two years. So there is still a big disparity between the demand and supply of halal-certified products. From makeup, nails, to even fragrances — take a look at these halal beauty brands.
As the first halal-certified makeup company in the United States, Amara Halal Cosmetics uses natural ingredients derived from plants and its products are made without any animal by-products or alcohol. It carries an extensive range of foundations, eye colour, lipsticks and nail polishes.
A Latina Muslim covert, Claudia Nour launched her own makeup line to be free of alcohol and all pig- derived ingredients, gelatin, and carmine. Her products include makeup, skincare, and body care products.
Established in 2006, Inika Organics is not only certified halal, but is cruelty-free, vegan, and certified organic. Besides offering a good range of cosmetics, it has its own range of brushes to ensure optimum application of their products.
Based in Malaysia, this cult-favourite makeup brand is created by beauty blogger Sabrina Tajuddin who wants to offer quality makeup products to women.
From eye essentials, liquid lipsticks, to makeup tools, its range covers all your bases. It also offers international shipping with a flat rate of RM 80 (S$28) and free shipping for orders above RM 300 (S$98).
Sampure Minerals is the first halal-certified makeup line in Europe. Established in 2009 in the UK, the brand was born out of the inability to find halal-certified makeup in the market. Formulated without animal-derived ingredients, Sampure Minerals’ products are also certified vegan and cruelty-free.
Founded by siblings Dahlia Nadirah and Luqman Hakim from Kuala Lumpur, So.Lek has an impressive range of lip products but what really impressed us is the cushion products. They carry a BB cushion range, as well as blusher cushions in ultra-flattering shades.
Hailing from Canada, Tuesday in Love has a really sweet origin story. The founder was in between jobs and couldn’t afford nail polish for his wife; he was researching on halal nail polishes and found very few options. He then began experimenting with ingredients and finally found one that worked and presented a pink nail polish to his wife on a Tuesday.
Besides an extensive range of colours for its nail polishes, Tuesday in Love also formulates its own lipsticks, foundations, mascara, and eye shadow.
One look at the website and you can instantly tell that Wardah Cosmetics takes beauty very seriously. Besides cosmetics, they also offer a wide range of skincare products and even have an online skin analyser that can determine the type of products suitable for your skin.
The brand is also all about empowering women, featuring inspiring women and their stories in its marketing strategy. Wardah Beauty also supported the local design community at Jakarta Fashion Week with the Wardah Fashion Award and provided the makeup for four Indonesian designers for their shows at Jakarta Fashion Week.
Created by a Malaysian, this budding halal-friendly beauty brand carries just two cushion foundations — one to give you a natural glow, the other to add a hint of shimmer to your complexion.
US-based Halal Beauty is started by a beautician who has 20 years of experience in the field. The brand ships worldwide, and carries quite a wide range of colours for its lipsticks, lip glosses, and lip liners. All its products are reasonably priced from US$18 (S$25) for a lip gloss to US$40 (S$55) for an eyeliner.
Malaysian blogger-turned-entrepreneur Vivy Yusof is behind notable fashion brands FashionValet, a multi-label boutique, and Duck, a premium scarf label. She has since expanded her empire to include cosmetics which offers an array of makeup such as foundations, eyeshadows, and lipsticks. Best part: you don’t have to travel far as the label is available at Sephora here.
Founded by Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza, Malaysia’s queen of entertainment, this Malaysian brand believes in producing top quality and affordable products. Its halal range includes essentials like lipsticks, blush, highlight, foundation, eye makeup, skincare, to even fragrance.
Mersi Cosmetics offers a halal nail polish collection with over 20 shades that are all inspired by and named after the wonders of nature. Breathable, vegan, and cruelty-free, the nail polish helps to keep nails hydrated and chip-resistant for up to 10 days. The brand offers free shipping for orders over $90.
This high-performing nail polish brand was started by Amira Geneid. Beyond its halal-certified, vegan, cruelty-free formulas, Zahara also wants to celebrate women and encourage them to put themselves first.
Made in France, Zahara carries nail polish as well as makeup essentials like lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes. The brand offers free shipping to Singapore for all orders over $30, and a $5 shipping rate for orders below that amount.
This article first appeared in The Singapore Women’s Weekly