The Arabic word halal means "permissible" and refers to an action or product that is permissible under Islamic law. It mainly refers to food and its preparation but also medicines, personal care products and cosmetics must be halal for devout Muslims.
The production
Important for the production of cosmetics is that the products are vegan and not tested on animals. Also in the lubricants, running oils and greases in production machines and filling machines may not contain animal products, just as little in cleaning & disinfecting liquids.
Alcohol of unknown origin must not be used. According to various jurisdictions in Islam, the use of synthetically produced and 100% pure alcohols in cosmetic products is allowed. However, if the alcohol is derived from fermented grapes, for example, it is not permitted.
Why water permeability is so important
Another point concerns religious ablutions, which Muslims perform several times a day in preparation for prayer. During this process, the hands, including the nails, are completely cleaned, which would not be possible if normal, non-breathable nail polish were worn. Conventional nail polish is usually not water permeable, which means that the nail polish must be removed before each prayer in order to perform the ablution correctly. This is very time consuming!
How does water permeable nail polish work?
The secret lies in the unique molecular structure of the polish, which consists of water-based ingredients such as natural resins and an advanced polymer. During the drying process, the nail polish forms a porous lattice structure that provides rapid water as well as oxygen permeability. These biochemical characteristics can be tested in laboratories and the nail polish is thus certified halal.
A specific test procedure is used for this purpose. If oxygen can permeate a foil, hydrogen, which is bound to oxygen, can theoretically also be transported with the oxygen, so that water is transferred from one side of the foil to the other. Thus, the film is "breathable." For halal nail polish certification, this process is performed with a nail polish foil sample.
