What You Didn’t Know About Halal Skincare? by NUME-Lab

Halal skincare products and Halal cosmetics, in general, are increasingly gaining traction among the non-Muslim population. This increase in demand is due to Halal’s ethical and sustainable consumerism aspects and the better and cleaner quality standards.

According to the 2021 Global Halal Cosmetics Market report, the worldwide Halal cosmetic market size was valued at $29.13 billion in 2020 and it’s expected to reach an incredible $104.17 billion by 2027.

It is pretty obvious that Halal cosmetics will skyrocket in the years to come. Let’s see what exactly qualifies as Halal is and take a look at all the benefits of Halal from a non-religious angle.

What Is Halal Skincare?

In literal translation, Halal means permissible – the opposite of Haram or forbidden. Halal skincare or Halal cosmetics follow the principles of ethics, sustainability, cleanliness, and purity. Halal doesn’t permit the use of harsh or impure ingredients such as alcohols, animal by-products derived with cruelty, swine products, GMOs, and similar.

For a cosmetic or skincare brand to become Halal-certified, it is a very complex journey and they have to adjust every stage of their supply chain, manufacturing, and distribution. Each aspect has to follow Halal principles of cleanliness, purity, and ethics.

In the past, we associated Halal mostly with food that’s permitted for consumption. However, considering that the skin is our biggest organ and has great absorption powers, we can also apply the same Halal principles to skincare or cosmetics.

Actually, “clean beauty” doesn’t have certification or a label, so “Halal certification” is probably the closest guarantee to a clean beauty product you can get!

Why Halal Skincare brands as a Non-Muslim?

Halal cosmetics have tons of benefits in a non-religious aspect:

They use clean and pure ingredients
They don’t support animal cruelty and animal testing
They use high-quality ingredients only (mostly plant-based)
They don’t use skin irritants like harsh alcohols
They follow an ethical, sustainable, and minimalistic approach
They allow your skin to breathe
They use hygiene and high levels of cleanliness in all stages – from the manufacturing to packaging, storage, and everything in between
They are typically non-waterproof and non-occlusive

Halal Skincare Ingredients

Here are some Halal skincare ingredients skincare brands often use:

Plant-derived extracts
Ethically sourced snail mucin extract, honey, or other animal-derived by-products (except swine and carnivorous animals)
Swiss biotech methods of creating synthetic ingredients in a lab setting
Vitamins and antioxidants (plant-derived or synthetic) such as vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, etc.

Did you know?

Halal skincare allows your skin to breathe, is cruelty-free and there is no use of harsh alcohol.

Non-Halal Skincare Ingredients

Some non-Halal skincare ingredients (commonly referred to as Haram or forbidden ingredients) are:

Alcohol (ethanol)
Collagen (from mammals)
Human or animal-derived stem cells
Swine gelatine
Animal by-products that hurt or harm the animal when extracting (rooster-comb hyaluronic acid)
Animal-derived by-products from swine and carnivorous animals
GMO ingredients
Ingredients tested on animals

This list is not comprehensive but these are some of the main principles and laws to qualify as a Halal brand.

What Are Halal-Certified Skincare Brands?

Halal-certified products need to comply with Halal standards of manufacturing, packaging, distribution, and similar and acquire a Halal certification from a trusted and globally-recognized authority.

For instance, all NUME-Lab Switzerland products are certified by Halal Services in Switzerland.

The HSC Halal certificate is recognized by LPPOM MUI (Indonesia), JAKIM (Malaysia), MUIS (Singapore), CICOT (Thailand), UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other respected Halal authorities around the world.

Halal Cosmetics Myths vs. Truths

Since Halal skincare is widely known in South East Asia, in Europe started gaining mainstream popularity fairly recently, and it’s still a largely misunderstood concept. So, let’s bust some myths:

Halal equals vegan

Truth: Not all vegan products are Halal since they can still use non-Halal (Haram) ingredients such as alcohol. Also, not all Halal products are vegan since Halal allows the use of certain ethically sourced animal by-products such as snail mucin extracted with SPA treatments or honey.

Myth: Halal skincare is used only by the Muslim population

Truth: Everyone can benefit from Halal skincare. If you want to support the environment, reduce your carbon footprint, and avoid harmful ingredients, Halal-certified skin care is a great option to consider.

Myth: Snail mucin extract isn’t Halal

Truth: Under Halal regulations, snail mucin extract is permitted when is not eaten, has no blood (snail mucin is the excretion from a snail), and as an ingredient only if it’s harvested ethically. That’s why here at NUME-Lab Switzerland, we treat our snails with SPA treatments to collect mucin. As a result, we have qualified and acquired our Halal certificate.

Myth #4: Man-made = bad, natural = good

Truth: Not everything that’s natural is good, and not everything that’s artificial or made in a lab is bad or toxic. This is a point you have to remember. The origin doesn’t matter, the effect on the body matters.

Myth: Halal is a passing trend

Truth: Halal has been used in Muslim countries for ages, and this is definitely not a new concept or a passing trend. As we’ve mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Halal cosmetics market is expected to grow steadily in the years that come. As a result, Halal skincare now enjoys a huge demand on the K-beauty market and starts growing globally.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Halal skincare uses clean, ethically sourced, and pure ingredients
Halal doesn’t support animal cruelty or animal testing
The use of alcohol (ethanol) is forbidden
Halal certifications are acquired after a complete examination of the manufacturing and distribution process
Halal isn’t the same as vegan
Halal is used by everyone, not just the Muslim population
Halal skincare is beneficial, non-waterproof, and non-occlusive
Halal skincare is very close to the Clean Skincare concept but has clear standards

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