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Aisle guide
Cosmetics and personal care
A face cream is three checks: the fat or wax, the alcohol, and any animal protein. A vegan mark settles many of them. The word natural does not.
Two-minute bathroom check
- Animal fats and waxes. Lanolin is wool grease. Squalane is olive or shark. Glycerin and stearates are plant or animal.
- Then the alcohol. Alcohol denat is the cited split on perfume and toner. Phenoxyethanol is a different molecule.
- Then proteins. Collagen, keratin and hyaluronic acid inherit the same source question as the food aisle.
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Source-dependent
Alcohol Denat.
Alcohol Denat.: Status is widely debated. JAKIM considers it haram if base ethanol is from khamr. Some scholars permit it as it is no longer intoxicat…
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HalalE913
Lanolin
Generally accepted as halal. Typically derived from plant or synthetic sources with no prohibited ingredients.
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Halal
Squalane (plant/olive-derived)
Squalane (plant/olive-derived): Halal. Preferred source for halal cosmetics. Plant-derived squalane is now the industry standard due to sustainability…
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Halal
Squalane (shark-derived)
Squalane (shark-derived): Technically halal — fish and marine animals are halal in Islam. However, ethically controversial due to shark conservation c…
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Source-dependent
Collagen
The supplement aisle's fastest-growing powder is, chemically, gelatin's sibling. Same animals, same slaughter question, same default caution.
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Source-dependent
Keratin (unspecified source)
Keratin (unspecified source): Treat as mashbooh until source is confirmed. Request documentation from supplier.
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Source-dependent
Hyaluronic Acid (fermentation-derived)
Depends on process. Even fermentation-derived hyaluronic acid has halal-critical points in the growth media, modifying genetic material, enzymes, etha…
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Source-dependentE422
Glycerin (glycerol)
A sweet humectant that keeps foods moist. The molecule is identical whether it came from palm oil or pig fat — which is exactly why the source has to …
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DisputedE120
Carmine (cochineal)
A red dye crushed from cochineal insects. The majority of scholars and most certifiers rule it haram; a minority permit it. This is a genuine disagree…
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DisputedE904
Shellac
The shine on chocolate raisins, jelly beans and coated tablets comes from a resin secreted by the lac insect. Whether that makes it haram is a live di…
A procedure for reading a pack - not a product certification and not a fatwa. See the methodology.