Guides and news

Decoding the INCI list of a cosmetic

The INCI list (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) is the official ingredient list of a cosmetic product. It follows a decreasing order of concentration. Here are the key points:

• Ingredients above 1% are listed first, in decreasing order.
• Ingredients below 1% may appear in any order.
• Colourants are listed last, with their CI number.
• Alcohol denat. (denatured alcohol) is haram according to the majority of scholars.
• Carmine / CI 75470 comes from insects — not halal.
• Glycerin may be plant or animal — look for the vegan label.

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Alcohol in cosmetics: what you need to know

Alcohol is everywhere in cosmetics (perfumes, gels, deodorants...). But not all alcohols are haram. You need to distinguish:

• Ethanol / Alcohol denat. — Fermentation alcohol, haram according to the majority.
• Cetyl alcohol, Stearyl alcohol — Plant-based fatty alcohols, halal.
• Benzyl alcohol — Preservative, generally accepted for external use by some scholars.

The general rule: external use is less restrictive than ingestion, but scholars differ. Prefer certified products to avoid any doubt.

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Halal certifications for cosmetics

Several bodies certify halal cosmetics in France and internationally:

• HMC (UK) — Halal Monitoring Committee, very strict.
• JAKIM (Malaysia) — International reference for Asian products.
• IFANCA (USA) — Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America.
• AVS (Singapore) — Islamic authority of Singapore.
• ARGML (France) — French halal certification association.

Sur Open Beauty Facts, cherchez le tag en:halal dans les labels d'un produit.

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Halal and vegan: similarities and differences

A vegan product may not be halal (it may contain alcohol) and a halal product may not be vegan (it may contain animal ingredients from halal slaughter). However, both approaches share:

• Refusing ingredients derived from pork.
• Attention to where ingredients come from.
• Traceability of raw materials.

Many Muslim consumers choose certified vegan products as a practical alternative when there is no halal certification.

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