Welcoming Ramadan with Perfectly Polished Nails
DUBAI – Just because Ramadan is here, it doesn’t mean we Muslim women are going to embrace our frumpiness. As the Muslim community fasts from sunup to sundown, parties and glamour still rule the evening.
Traditionally, women had to avoid nail polish because it prevented water from purifying during hands during ablutions. But the modern Muslim woman can observe fully with a manicure and a pedicure. One reason is that the beauty and personal care industry is finally taking notice that Muslim women carry pocketbooks.
The first cosmetic outfit to do so was Inglot. Established in Poland in 1983, the company began selling Halal nail polish in 2012 because it recognized that Muslim women want to be just as glam as ever, and are looking for makeup that is ritually clean by the religion’s standards. The breathable nail polish permits water to purify during ablutions, unlike other products that do not permit the water to pass through to the nail.
Photo by Eluxe Magazine
Halal makeup, like other products, must be ritually clean, or manufactured, produced, and composed of ingredients permissible under Islamic Sharia law. That means no pork, no alcohol, and no blood can be part of the composition of the product.
“I personally prefer [Halal products] over any others,” said Mona, an advertising student at the American University in Dubai. “They don’t make me feel guilty, and the quality is usually really satisfying.”
Though ritually clean products may be good for some, a makeup artist at the Inglot shop at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai said it’s not just Muslim women who buy the breathable nail polish.
“Women who are interested in their health also buy Inglot nail polish,” said Disha. “Because it does not have formaldehyde or other cancer-causing chemicals.”
The nail polish is a bit pricey. A typical bottle can set a girl back $20. Of course that’s good for the market where the business of ritually okay makeup is part of a Halal market that is worth, according to the Khaleej Times, at least $2.1 trillion, and growing.
Still, most women around here don’t like to do their own nails. Instead, they prefer to go to salons where professionals give manicures and pedicures. At the salons, they use another brand that makes breathable nail polish, Lyn, which is also available online.
Photo from Lyn Online
Whatever shade the young women choose, they can now let their perfectly manicured fingers do the walking -- across the Iftar table at sunset.
