If you are on a journey to halal-friendly skincare, you’re probably wondering:”What exactly makes a skincare product not halal?” With thousands of products and confusing ingredients lists, it can be tricky to tell what’s safe and what’s not. This guide breaks it down for you, with an easy to follow list of ingredients to avoid, why they’re not halal, and what you can use instead. Whether you’re Muslim, vegan or simply ingredient-conscious, this post will help you make better choices for your skin and your deen.

Animal-derived ingredients (Non-halal Sources)

These are commonly used in skincare, but unless stated otherwise, they may come from pigs or animals not slaughtered according to Islamic guideline.

• Gelatin – often derived from pork or non-halal beef
• Collagen – Commonly sourced from animal bones or skin
• Elastin – Protein found in animal tissues
• Tallow/Tallowate – Rendered animal fat (usually beef)
• Keratin – May come from animal hooves or hair
• Lanolin – From sheep wool
• Placenta extract – can come from animal placenta
• Carmine (CI 75470) – red pigment from crushed insects

Hot tip: if a product is labeled as “vegan”, it usually avoids these ingredients

Alcohols (That are Intoxicating/ Derived from Ethanol)

Not all alcohols are haram, but some are derived from intoxicating sources and considered impermissible in Islam, especially if they penetrate the skin.

• Ethanol/ Ethyl Alcohol – Haram, Intoxicating
• Alcohol Denat/SD Alcohol – Haram, ethanol-based
• Methanol/Isopropyl Alcohol – Avoid if unsure, some scholars permit topical use

Halal Alcohols (fatty alcohols and not intoxicating):

• Cetyl Alcohol
• Cetearyl Alcohol
• Stearyl Alcohol

Ambiguous Ingredients (Mashbooh – Doubtful)

Some ingredients could be plant based or animal based and brands often don’t clarify

• Glycerin/Glycerol – Can be from animal fat or plant fat
• Stearic acid – Source often not listed
• Squalene/Squalane – Originally from shark liver or olives
• Lecithin – Can be from soy or animal fat
• Mono-/Diglycerides – May come from pork or non-halal beef
• Fragrance/Parfum – could contain alcohol or animal-derived musks

Hot tip: Always look for “plant-derived”

How to check if Your Skincare is Halal

• Read the full ingredients list or go on to websites such as Decode INCI
• Avoid any known haram ingredients
• Look for vegan, cruelty free or halal certified products
• Contact the brands!
  • We will be reaching out to brands and will be posting when we can to keep you informed and at ease when making your purchase
• Follow trusted bloggers or pages (like ours!) that do the research for you

That being said, we are not certified dermatologists (just skincare enthusiasts!), please take our research with a grain of salt and we truly appreciate any dermatologists to provide any feedbacks and knowledge! We are currently reaching out to brands to know more. If you have any brands that you are curious about, comment down below so we can reach out to them!

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