What to look out for in your makeup & personal care products?

While we are all for beauty in its most real sense, we come across a lot of products that may or may not agree with what we genuinely want. From the SPF values in sunscreen to the ingredients that go into making a lipstick, we tend to compromise. In the pursuit of perfect coverage or intense colour, the extent of the compromise is often ignored. Let us have a look at what exactly goes into making generic makeup products and what we should look out for.

Animal Cruelty Free: First thing to lookout for while choosing makeup products is the label that says ‘Animal Cruelty Free’. If the label does not say that, chances are that the product has been tested on animals. This includes testing for allergies, side effects, mutations over a period of time in which the animal is tested on multiple times, without any cognisance to their welfare. You don’t really want that on your conscience, do you?

Animal-Derived Ingredient Free: In most cosmetics, animal products such as their fat, body acids, chemicals released via skin or wool, bones and more are used in creating raw ingredients for cosmetics such as lipsticks and more. The label usually says, ‘Animal-Derived Ingredient Free’ or better yet, ‘100% Vegetarian’.

Lanolin Free: Lanolin is a waxy substance derived from sheep. It is used as a moisturizing agent in cosmetics from lipsticks to lip colours to even general moisturizers. This is again a part of the animal derived ingredients list that are used in creating cosmetics.

Carmine Free: Carmine or Cochineal Dye is a colour derived from a kind of scaled insect that is dried, powdered and then processed to form a deep-red colour for cosmetic products. Sometimes it is also used as a food-colouring agent.

Beeswax Free: Beeswax is an ingredient that has been used since the ancient times for waterproofing and making candles. Incredibly, it is also used in modern times in cosmetics ranging from lotions to soaps to lipsticks and lip balms. In creating beeswax, the hive, pupae, cocoonsand bees themselves are processed and made into cosmetic products.

Alcohol Free: Alcohol has been used since a long time in deodorants and body sprays to not only dilute the fragrance compounds but also to act as an anti-bacterial agent. There are two problem with using alcohol as an ingredient in body sprays. First off, its almost 98% alcohol versus 2% fragrance in a generic deodorant spray. So that means you are spraying more alcohol on your body rather than the fragrance itself. This can cause adverse reactions on your body ranging from a burning sensation to severe localised dehydration of skin, leading to rashes and other problems. Alcohol Free body sprays are much gentler on your skin and contain more fragrance and better anti-odour ingredients to help you keep going through the day. Just watch out for the ‘Alcohol Free’ symbol on your deodorant bottle to know it is so.

Halal Certification: Halal is a way of life that followers of the Islamic faith adhere to while choosing cosmetic products. The rules stipulate some najis ingredients which are bad for your body and other Halal ingredients which are permissible for your mind, body and soul. If the product is Halal Certified, you will find the ‘Halal Certified’ mark on the label. Brands get this symbol only after rigorous testing by Islamic Certification bodies around the world. So, it is safe to say that if a product has the Halal Certified symbol, it will not harm you.

These are some of the pointers to help you out in choosing the makeup that is perfect for you. Most of the times, brands will call out the properties of their products up front. Leafs is such a brand that not only takes into consideration these ingredients, but more in creating their products. You can have a better look at Lafz halal makeup & personal care products to know more. After all, our beliefs are what make us, don’t they?.

Faith in expression is a blog that transcends the ambiguity of daily life and gives you accurate answers that combine scientific acuity, artistic expression and matters of faith that will help you better follow your heart and be yourself in every way. Made for everyone who Believe.