A Makeup Business

Beauty and adornment is the nature of women. Shari’ah also encourages women to beautify themselves for their husbands. If a woman adorns herself within the limitations of Shari’ah, that is an act of virtue. But if she trespasses the limits of Shari’ah, it will be a vice. In an environment which constantly emphasizes the physical form through various media, women are constantly faced with an unattainable standard of beauty. Although Muslim women are falsely classified as oppressed based on their modest dress, they are in fact liberated from such objectification by the society around them. This modest appearance, which includes veiling, highlights a woman’s personality and character instead of her physical figure and promotes a deeper appreciation for who she is as a person. 

However, Islam is not adverse to women adorning themselves for their husbands and exemplify her beauty and elegance using permissible means. If fact, Islam encourages this. In this way she will appear more beautiful and alluring to him. Just as clothing wraps a person, a woman should beautify herself so that she wraps her husband’s attention away from Haraam.

Since seeing that the Shari’ah has encouraged the wife to adorn herself for her husband, it is fundamentally permissible to apply makeup, subject to the following conditions:

• There are no Haraam substances found in the makeup. Many cosmetics found today contain Haraam substances, hence, one should make sure that these are not found in the particular brand one is using.
• The makeup is utilized solely for the husband. The woman should not expose her face in public in front of strange men.
• The makeup does not form such a layer on the skin, which prevents the penetration of water during Wudhu and Ghusl. If water does not penetrate, then one will have to wash it off before making Wudhu and performing Salaah.
• The makeup does not deceive people who will be affected by the deception. Today, women are in the habit of using foundation on their faces, to make their skin appear fairer then it really is. If a girl does this for a proposal, this will not be permissible.

Regarding a makeup business or a beauty parlor, a person once asked Mufti Muhammad Yusuf Ludhyaanwi Rahimahullah this, to which he replied:

“Women are permitted to beautify and adorn themselves provided they do not go beyond the boundaries of Shari’ah. But the occupation in the beauty parlours of today’s times is not permissible due to certain wrongs, which can be summarized as:

• In some places, men do this job, this is pure immodesty.
• Certain women show off their beauty in public places, which also constitutes immodesty.
• After coming out of a beauty parlour, it is difficult to differentiate between men and women. Whereas copying the opposite sex is a means of curse from Allah Ta’ala.
• In such beauty parlours, there are many other shameful occupations being carried out privately.
• It is proven from experience that people who work in such places do not have much concern for their Deen and Imaan, therefore this outward adornment becomes a means of spoiling the spirituality.

We strongly discourage you from taking up this as your occupation and running this business. However, if you apply makeup for Muslim women in the confines of your home, not breaking any of the commands of Allah Ta’ala, and you are 100% sure that they are only applying this to adorn and beautify themselves for their husbands, then it will be permissible.