Ready, set, paint! Why Indian women are opting to use halal make-up

Most conversations around halal usually revolve around food But India is slowly making room for a fastgrowing cosmetic industry thatrsquos also halal Pegged at Rs 15000 crore the halal makeup industry is not just targeting Muslim women who want to use products made from items and ingredients permitted by Islamic law but also women drawn to a crueltyfree lifestyle Social media influencer Zakera Bagban 27 says she does not need to worry about praying while wearing halal skincare products and cosmetics PicsAnurag AhireIba Cosmetics was the pioneer in halal makeup in India when it first launched in 2014 after being greenlighted by Halal India which certifies food tourism meat bakery and pharmaceuticals Today there are a variety of brands offering a range of products In fact around nine per cent of Halal Indiarsquos total certification has been in the cosmetic and personal care industry ldquoHalal is that which is permitted for consumption in Islam be it from the perspective of food or also as a way of liferdquo says Mauli Teli CEO of Iba CosmeticsInfluencer Anah Ashraf Shaikh 23 started using halal range of cosmetics three years ago She continues to use them as they are light on the skin and not made with ingredients forbidden in Islam like pig extracts or alcoholTeli and her sister Grishma 36 who is cofounder launched Iba to meet the gap for beauty products catering to Muslim women in India ldquoWe did market surveys and reached out to consumers across the country Halal beauty was the one unique thing that came up when we sought responses from Muslim women They wanted to wear makeup put nail paints and use hair colours but they were bound by religious ideals and wanted products that were halal In essence they wanted to be sure the products had no pig fat or alcohol and were wuzufriendly for them to perform their daily namazrdquo Wuzu is ablution done prior to offering of every namazmdashone of the criteria is that water should touch every part of the skin being washed Makeup thatrsquos wuzufriendly implies that the product does not leave a nonpermeable cast on the skin A coat of nail paint often disregards this important requirement as water is not able to seep through itDr Geetika Mittal GuptaTeli claims that ldquoa lot of consumers said they donrsquot apply nail paint or do so when they are menstruating and cannot offer namazrdquo ldquoWe tied up with French company Fiabila that has a patented formula for breathable nail colour They use very few chemicals and the formula has a molecular structure that allows water vapours to pass through the coatingrdquoItrsquos what led influencer Zakera Bagban 27 to try halal cosmetics ldquoI no longer need to worry about having makeup on when prayingrdquoDr Jaishree SharadMaulana Sufyan Nizami who is spokesperson of Lucknowbased seminary Darul Uloom Ferangimahal however has his doubts ldquoWomen using the nail paints will have to physically verify these claims After application they should see if water is really passing through the coating or not for the product to be called permissible for wuzu As far as other halalcertified beauty products go itrsquos okay to use them if they do not use elements from animals or processes which may be out of the purview of halal processingrdquoAnkit MahajanTwenty threeyearold Anah Ashraf Shaikh is a fashion and lifestyle influencer with 17 million followers on her Instagram Shaikh has been using foundation concealer lipstick kajal compact and eyeliner among other things from the halal beauty segment ldquoI started using products from Iba Cosmetics and later tried Zayn and Myza I donrsquot necessarily believe in halal nail polish because of namaz requirements but I am satisfied that the other products are halal and donrsquot have any elements of pig or alcohol The halal certification adds to the trust They are of superior quality too light on the skin and did not give me any breakoutsrdquoMauli Teli and Grishma Teli launched Iba Cosmetics for clients keen on using halal cosmetics and skincareSingaporebased conglomerate of brands Believe PTE Ltd recently made a huge investment of 10 million in Iba Cosmetics According to its CEO Ankit Mahajan halal beauty is projected to be a ldquo80 billion market globally by 2025rdquo ldquoWe are catering to a targeted audience so that they can look and feel beautiful without compromising on their belief system Investing in a vegan and halal brand is our way of serving our consumers even betterrdquoAesthetic physician cosmetologist and founder of ISAAC Luxe International Skin and AntiAging Centre Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta agrees ldquoThe concept signifies a sustainable clean and ethical approach to skincare The terminology has had a positive impact on the beauty segment and because of it more and more skin products are being manufactured as crueltyfree veganfriendly and following purity concepts while processing developing and distributingrdquo She adds ldquoBeauty products are now tilted towards ethical sourcing Due to their purity and consistency halal products are rapidly growing in the market spreading to nonMuslim consumers toordquoHalal beauty products are said to be waterpermeable and breathable and comply with Islamic beliefs around halal ingredientsBut cosmetic dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad is not convinced ldquoIt is heartwarming that these products are neither tested on animals nor use any animal matter Alcoholfree products mean lesser chances of irritation and dryness of the skin too But water permeable and breathable cosmetics or skincare products make little sense Skin has its own defence mechanism and if you use the right skincare products meant for your skin type you wouldnrsquot really have to use breathable productsrdquoMaulana Sufyan NizamiShe further states that ldquopig matter fatty acids alcohol are used for better penetration of a cosmetic or a skincare productrdquo ldquoWithout them one has to rely on nanosized particles or even tinier molecules which could lead to penetration of harmful ingredients into the skin Whether halal or not makeup can be skinfriendly if the chemicals or ingredients used are either harmless or are present in such low concentration that they do not damage the skinrdquo she says