We have been seeing an increasing trend in certification of cosmetic products. Labels such as fair trade or organic skin care, for a while now. Lactose-free and gluten free cosmetics is also steadily becoming more popular, although its origin is from the food industry.

But what about Halal? Yes, Halal has also made its way into the beauty industry. We would like to explain it to you, what exactly is meant by Halal in cosmetics, how it became established in the beauty industry and all the do's and dont's that are associated with it.

Definition of Halal – how's it different to Haram?

Not everybody might know what Halal means. You might have read about it somewhere and we do associate it with Islamic belief. ‘Halal’ basically means‚ clean or allowed.

'Haram', its counterpart, means‚ the forbidden or the not allowed. Halal is based on the religious principles that it is forbidden for devout Muslims to consume pork, alcohol, drugs, fermented products or even blood. Meat is only allowed to be consumed when slaughtered following the ‘Halal’ principle, which is followed according to certain rules. But what does this have to do with cosmetics?

Halal certification – the dos and don’ts for Halal cosmetics

The answer is an easy one: whenever cosmetics contain one of these ingredients considered as ‘unclean’, it is strictly forbidden to apply these to your face or skin. If a product contains animal ingredients or alcohol, the product does not meet the requirements of Halal and is therefore not to be used by devout Muslims. Not only the ingredients contained in the products, but also the way of its  produced is important to demonstrate conformity with Halal.

Producers must abide by certain rules with regards to hygiene and ethical production to guarantee a high level of ‘cleanliness’ of cosmetics. Meanwhile there have been several Halal certifications on the market to clearly label products as compliant with Halal regulations.

Alcohol does not equal Alcohol?

Islam is very strict on the consumption of alcohol. Devout Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol. Not only drinking, but also selling alcohol and making profit of it is forbidden, even if no alcohol is consumed by the seller. Substantial misunderstandings have been established, however, by the fact that ‘alcohol’ in Islam does not equal to ‘alcohol’ in chemistry.

Only the naturally derived ethanol, which is also a part of alcoholic drinks, and has been produced by natural fermentation, is forbidden in Islam. ‘Iso-Propanol‘, an alcohol often found in detergents, is therefore no problem for Muslims. Chemically produced ethanol is considered ritually clean and can therefore be used without objections as well. This means that whenever perfumes or cosmetics are produced with synthetical alcohol (ethanol), the product may be used without reservations by devout followers of Islam.

Doris Wagner Cosmetics – Our promise

Almost all our products at Doris Wagner Cosmetics are vegan and, if so, marked on the product pages as such. We do take a great effort in sourcing only the best ingredients to help reach your skin care results efficiently. Of course, we do use alcohol in very small amounts as solvents and primarily as preservatives. However, these are all synthetically produced alcohols with a high anti-bacterial impact.

Please find our Alcohols percentages listed below: 

• Cleansing Gel
• 0.018 % ALCOHOL as solvent
• 0.64% PHENOXYETHANOL as preservative (may also be used in natural cosmetics)
• Ultra-Whitening Serum
• 0.15% BENZYL ALCOHOL as preservative
• 0.9% PHENOXYETHANOL as preservative
• Day Cream
• 0.2 % BENZYL ALCOHOL in perfume
• 2 % CETEARYL ALCOHOL as emollient
• Pore-Refining Emulsion
• 0.1 % BENZYL ALCOHOL as preservative
• 0.0165 % PHENOXYETHANOL as preservative
• Night Cream
• 0.0736 % BENZYL ALCOHOL in perfume
• 0.45 % PHENOXYETHANOL as preservative 

A video of popular hijabi-influencer Amina Chebbi, who tested our products during Ramadan and was especially fond of our one-of-the-kind NAVI Ultra-Whitening Serum, proves that we keep our promise! Have a look at what she is saying and see for yourself!

Doris Wagner Cosmetics and its NAVI brand takes good care of your skin. Our products are full of valuable plant ingredients that lead to immaculate, lighter complexion and pore-refined skin. The NAVI Cleansing-Gel is best used for daily cleansing of your face. We do hold a great solution for day and night care as well: the rich gel-cream Night Cream and Mask and the light-weight, Anti-Pollution Day Cream are suitable for all skin types. For occasional day-time use to pamper your skin in between, we have developed a pore-refining emulsion, which we recommend to keep handy. We even hold a remedy against dark eye circles at Doris Wagner Cosmetics: the Ultra-Whitening Serum.

Try it yourself – your skin will be grateful!