Beauty products against Islam religion

Layla Mandi representing OnePure

Layla Mandi, a Canadian makeup artist who converted to Islam, is on a mission to help Muslim women do away with using cosmetics that are against Koranic beliefs.

Mandi says, women who use skin creams with alcohol and pig residues are violating Islam's teachings.

“There are pork derivatives and alcohol in most cosmetics products, so Muslims should really use something else,” says Mandi.

Under the concept of halal, which means “lawful” in Arabic, pork and its by-products, alcohol and animals not slaughtered according to Koranic procedures are all forbidden.

According to Mandi, fatty acids and gelatin used in moisturizers, shampoos, face masks and lipsticks as well as other items are often extracted from pigs.

Mandi has developed her own cosmetics brand, OnePure, in hopes to help solve the issue.  OnePure is made especially for the women of Islam who want to abide by their Koranic beliefs.

Touted as the first halal cosmetics brand in the Middle East, OnePure products are certified in Malaysia by an Islamic body that also certifies meats and other consumer goods for Muslims.

Some speculate that halal cosmetics are a marketing ploy that feed on the need of some for religiously-correct products.

Noura Hamdi, marketing manager at a Body Shop in Dubai suggests that many products are not made by using animals, and adds that the alcohol contained in the cosmetics and skin care products sold in her shop is not pure alcohol.

“The customer is not going to drink it. It's something to apply on your body or clothes so it's not related to halal or haram or religion,” Hamdi said. “The issue is not whether it's halal or haram, it's more about the benefits of the product.”

But a senior cleric at the United Arab Emirates' Dar al-Iftaa, which issues fatwas, or religious edicts, disagreed.

“If any of the cosmetic products contained pig derivatives or alcohol they should not be used because this is contaminated (products) on one's body,” said the cleric, who is not authorized to identify himself in his task in answering Muslims' queries by telephone. [source]