What is the Halal Certification Standard for Impermeable Cosmetics?

Assalamu’alaikum Halal-Mu

Currently, there are many cosmetic products circulating that are impermeable to water or we can recognize them as waterproof so that they can prevent water from entering the surface of the skin that must be washed both during ablution and hadas bathing.

What is the certification process? Is it halal to use?

Cosmetics are materials or preparations intended for use on the external parts of the human body (epidermis, hair, nails, lips and external genital organs) or teeth and oral mucous membranes primarily to cleanse, perfume, change appearance and/or improve body odor or protect or maintain the body in good condition.

Impermeable cosmetics are cosmetics that when applied to the skin, hair, nails or lips, water cannot directly touch them. The characteristics of impermeable cosmetics are tested by applying a sample of cosmetics to an indicator to indicate if water can pass through the dry sample.

Legal Provisions

1. The use of cosmetics is permissible (mubah) as long as it does not contain impurities and/or is not harmful.
2. The use of impermeable cosmetics is permissible (mubah) as long as it does not contain impurities and/or does not cause harm.
3. The use of impermeable cosmetics must fulfill the following conditions: Impermeable cosmetics must be cleaned and removed first from the body parts that must be purified before the user purifies from minor and major impurity; If the impermeable cosmetics are not cleaned and removed from the parts of the body that must be purified before the user purifies himself from minor and major impurity, his purification is not valid.
4. Impermeable cosmetics can be certified halal with the following conditions: There is an explanation or information that the product is impermeable cosmetics; There are clear instructions for use for Muslim consumers, to clean and remove the cosmetics from members/parts of the body that must be purified before the user purifies from minor and major impurity.

Based on scholarly opinion

• Imam An-Nawawi in Al-Majmu’ Syarh Muhadz-dzab, Volume I, Pages: 467-468: “If there is wax, potion, lotion and the like on the parts of the wudoo‘that prevent water from entering them, then the wudoo’ is not valid, whether it is much or little. But if there are traces of putty and color on the hands and other parts of the body, without any substance, or traces of liquid oil that may touch the skin and flow onto the parts of wudoo’, but the water does not get on them, then the wudoo’ is valid.”
• Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Abil ‘Abbas a-Ramli in Nihayah al-Muhtaj Ila Syarh al-Minhaj explains that it is obligatory to wash away anything that may prevent water from reaching the parts that are required to be washed in wudoo’: “It is obligatory to wash the tear ducts, and if they are covered with clumps of eye debris that prevent water from reaching the parts that must be washed, then it is obligatory to clean and wash them.”

Hope this helps

Halal is Our Need, Our Quality and Our Choice!

Source: MUI Fatwa Number 60 of 2020