As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.
Chances are you're probably familiar with vegan, clean, and cruelty-free makeup products, but the term "Halal-certified" might be new to you. That's because as a category in the mainstream beauty space, Halal-certified brands are still far and few between, but that's slowly changing.
When a brand is Halal-certified, that makes it "permissible" in Muslim culture. This means the products are manufactured and formulated in a way that is compliant with Islamic standards. Similar to when a brand is deemed "cruelty-free" or "vegan" there is a list of criteria that beauty brands have to meet to obtain the Halal-certification. For one, there is a list of forbidden ingredients that are not allowed to be used in product formulations, like pork, and there are also rules for how animal-derived ingredients are obtained. With that in mind, it's important to note that not all Halal-certified brands are automatically cruelty-free or vegan, but some are.
Lyda Beauty founder Lida Djarar Fischer recently explained to POPSUGAR why this is important. "As Muslim women, we pray five times a day, and before we pray, we have to wash our hands and face to be clean," she said. "Imagine how much work it is for a woman wearing makeup to wash it off and put it back on five times a day. But when the makeup is Halal-certified, that means it's permissible, so you don't have to keep washing it off."
Regardless of your background or practice, this type of diversity and representation in the beauty industry is important. Ahead, we're rounding up a few Halal-certified makeup and nail polish products and brands for you to discover.