Which Nail Polish is Really Halal?
For Muslim women who are looking for halal nail polish, there has been a surge in breathable and halal brands all claiming to be wudhu friendly, water permeable, and safe for the purposes of making wudhu (ablution). Unfortunately, many of these major brands of breathable nail polish have found ways to get halal certifications without actually proving that their products work. Even worse, some have blatantly lied about their products claiming that they are safe for wudhu, when in fact they do not work at all.
Our team of investigators decided to contact the various brands, their certifying agencies, and even the testing labs to see which brands of nail polish are really halal. You may be shocked at the results.
Is Orly Breathable Halal?
Orly Breathable is NOT halal. This brand claims that oxygen and water vapor can pass through its formula.
Orly Breathable gets its halal certification from the Islamic Society of Washington Area (ISWA) which is regulated by the AHF (American Halal Foundation). We asked them if the Orly Breathable formulation is water permeable and can be used for the purposes of wudhu.
They responded with the following:
“The Orly halal certification is limited to the ingredients and does not confer certification to its suitability for ablution.”
This means that Orly breathable is not halal and can not be used for the purposes of wudhu.
Is 786 Cosmetics Halal? Which Nail Polish is Really Halal
786 Cosmetics is NOT halal. They are a breathable brand of nail polish that gets their testing done from SGS labs and claims that the lab tested and verified their nail polish for water permeability for the purposes of wudhu (ablution).
However, after contacting SGS labs and asking them about the methods used as well as whether or not 786 is suitable for wudhu, they responded with the following:
“The test would not be able to determine if a product is completely permeable to water to the extent you describe.”
786 Cosmetics gets their halal certification from an organization called the IDCP (Islamic Dawa Council of the Philippines). Their halal certificate on their website states that the formula is only certified for ingredients and manufacturing process - but not actual water permeability.
When we tried contacting IDCP to ask them whether or not the product allows water to pass through, they refused to answer our emails.
Is Maya Cosmetics Halal? Which Nail Polish is Really Halal
Maya Cosmetics is NOT halal. This breathable brand of nail polish also gets their halal certification from the IDCP (Islamic Dawa Council of the Philippines). Their halal certificate on their website states that the formula is only certified for ingredients and manufacturing process - but not actual water permeability.
They also have a certificate from IFANCA (The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America). This certification does not state whether their nail polish is certified for water permeability or just ingredients. When we tried to contact IFANCA and ask them about whether or not water can actually go through the nail polish for the purposes of wudhu, they refused to respond to our emails.
Is Vivre Cosmetics Halal?
Vivre Cosmetics is NOT Halal. They are a breathable brand of nail polish that also gets their testing done from SGS labs and claims that the lab tested and verified their nail polish for water permeability for the purposes of wudhu (ablution). However, after contacting SGS labs and asking them about the methods used as well as whether or not it is suitable for wudhu, they responded with the following:
“The test would not be able to determine if a product is completely permeable to water to the extent you describe.”
They also get their manufacturing facility certified by the Islamic Society of Washington Area (ISWA) which is regulated by the AHF (American Halal Foundation) which only certifies nail polish for ingredients and not water permeability (same as Orly Breathable).
This means that Vivre Cosmetics is not halal and can not be used for the purposes of wudhu.
Is Mersi Cosmetics Halal?
Mersi Cosmetics is NOT halal. This breathable brand of nail polish gets their halal certification from the ISA (Islamic Services of America). We contacted them to ask how they test Mersi Cosmetics nail polish for water permeability. Although they responded that they issue halal certification, they refused to explain how they tested the polish. This raises some suspicion as to whether or not they actually do the testing themselves, or simply give the certification based on ingredients like other brands.
Mersi Cosmetics also gets their testing done by SGS labs. However, as mentioned before, after contacting SGS labs and asking them about the methods used as well as whether or not Mersi is suitable for wudhu, they responded with the following:
“The test would not be able to determine if a product is completely permeable to water to the extent you describe.”
Is Inglot O2M Halal?
Inglot O2M Breathable is NOT halal. They are a breathable brand of nail polish that gets their halal certification from an agency in Poland called Liga Muzulmanska (Muslim League in Poland). When we reached out to them to ask them how they certify Inglot breathable nail polish they replied with the following:
“Yes, we certificate inglot cosmetics but the breathable nail polish was examined by inglot specialists so for more specific information you need to contact with them.”
This means that they did not test the nail polish themselves, but simply took Inglot’s word for it. And most breathable brands simply get their certification for the ingredients and not the water permeability.
Is Nailberry London Halal?
Nailberry London L’Oxygéné is NOT Halal. This breathable brand of nail polish states on their website that
“The L’Oxygéné range has been developed to be free from both Alcohol & Animal Derived ingredients”
This means that the products are only halal certified for ingredients and not water permeability. They receive their certification from Islamic Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) which is located in Saudi Arabia.
Tuesday in Love is the ONLY Halal Nail Polish that Works
Unlike breathable brands of nail polish, Tuesday in Love is the only halal nail polish that lives up to the requirements of being fully water permeable and safe for the purposes of performing wudhu. The water is able to permeate through the nail polish almost instantly, and there is no need to rub the water. This means that you can perform wudhu normally and know that water is reaching the nail beds. Tuesday in Love products are halal certified by ISNA Canada and Halal Certification Services of Canada (HCSC) for water permeability and ingredients. Both agencies do the water permeability testing themselves and do not rely on third parties to test the products. They are also happy to provide information on their testing methods, protocols, and certification requirements.
If you have any questions you can contact HCSC at info@halalcertificationcanada.com or ISNA Canada at halal@isnacanada.com
Aoife Leader on Jan 18, 2024
Thank you so much for this very informative article. I have been so confused about which nail polishes are truly wudhu friendly, can I ask you about some more, Mavala, Lena, Zoya and Sienna? Would you know if these are wudhu friendly or not? I’m sorry to ask, but I live in Ireland and am trying to compare all possibilities as both nail polish and shipping can be very expensive. Could you also advise me regarding your company’s shipping to Ireland charges please? Thank you so much again.