Don’t sleep on the world of Halal beauty

It’s not a fad – it’s fundamental

March 07, 2021

Unfiltered

Photography - Elvin Fernandez

Contributor - Amy Wilkinson-Lough

Finally! It’s about time the world woke up to the Muslim consumer market with a label that’s clear and easy to read and speaks to this increasing population that’s more diverse ethnically, geographically and economically than ever before. What began as a positive step forward for smaller brands has now become the kind of hype we can get on board with as large companies open their eyes to the opportunities of providing products for a much wider audience.

Halal is an Arabic term, meaning ‘permissible’ (in contrast to haram: unlawful, forbidden). Halal is one of the principles of morality as per Islam and refers to anything that is considered lawful by Islamic law. Islam prohibits the consumption of pork, alcohol, and blood. Products that contain one or more of these ingredients are considered to be ‘haram’ or forbidden. In the past few years the term has begun appearing next to the labels for ‘vegan’ and ‘cruelty-free’ – all of which you’ll find here on Project bYouty.

Steering clear of alcohol and animal products, notably pork – these are the first obvious take-aways one might quickly gather when they think of the hallmarks to define what makes a product fall under the Halal Beauty category. Halal cosmetics and skincare must also be free from GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) that are deemed unclean in Islam. And the truth is, there’s so much more to this increasingly popular sector of the beauty industry and surprisingly enough it’s reach is going far beyond the Muslim community.

Beyond ingredients, halal also stresses the significance of a holistic lifestyle, trickling down to packaging, manufacturing and distribution methods. For example, halal beauty products must be handled with clean utensils and must be produced with materials that are not harmful to humans – umm, wouldn’t you agree this should be a common standard among all beauty brands? Shockingly enough, it’s not always the case.

For brands to enter the market with halal cosmetics and skincare lines, the truth of the matter is that they must first understand that this is not another trend that’s here today gone tomorrow. With a community of women whose reach is far and wide across the globe, Muslim women are instead an audience not to be ignored, but listened to and understood for what they want and what they need.