What is the Ruling on Hyaluronic Acid?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
If hyaluronic acid is produced or derived in any of these ways, would it be haram to use, including in lip products which you can consume?
Consider, for example, one vegan version of Hyaluronic Acid that is made using genetically manipulated Bacillus.
Bacillus subtilis is a bacteria that is found in the soil and the gut of humans and some types of animals. This is modified (mainly in Chinese factories) by deleting certain genes, then inserting a gene from Streptococcus equisimilus, then cloning.
Another vegan Hyaluronic Acid is made (again mainly in Chinese factories) through the fermentation of Streptococcus zooepidemicus, a bacteria commonly found in the bowels and lungs of horses with influenza.
Answer
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) goes through a chemical transformation. Therefore it will be permissible to use such products that contain this ingredient.
HA used in beauty and skincare products is primarily made by bacteria in a lab via a process called fermentation.
If you are unsure, or not assured, or will suffer from doubts and misgivings, then avoid using such products. Try to find alternative care products that do not use these types of ingredients. [Taqi Usmani, Fiqh al-Buyu’]
Related Answers
- The hype on hyaluronic acid – Harvard Health
- Is It Permissible To Use Products That Contain Stearic Acid? – SeekersGuidance
- Is It Permissible to Use Cosmetics and Body Care Products That Contain Animal Ingredients? – SeekersGuidance
- Are Products by Dove Companies Permissible to Use? (seekersguidance.org)
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
