Are these so-called Halaāl nail polishes Halaāl?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

In principle, for the wuḍū' to be valid, the entire limb needs to be washed. This includes the nails when washing the hands as well. Traditional nail polishes and enamels are formulated with tightly stacked molecules, with particles virtually fused together once polish is dry, making the nail-polish impermeable, hence hinders the water from reaching the nails. This means that the primary condition of making the entire limb wet is not fulfilled. Wuḍū' with such a nail-polish applied on one's nails is thus invalid.

Recently, a couple of cosmetic companies have introduced "breathable" or "water-permeable" nail-polish. They claim that these nail-polishes are formulated differently, keeping molecules suspended in a brick-like pattern. When nail polish is rubbed, the suspended molecules move just enough to allow water particles through. If the claim is correct, and water reaches every millimeter of the nail, then the condition mentioned above for the validity of wuḍū' will be fulfilled and the wuḍū' will be valid. However, if the reality of permeability from these nail-polishes is any different than what has been mentioned above, then the condition will not be fulfilled, and the wuḍū' will not be valid.

Bear in mind that there has been much criticism regarding many of these "water-permeable" nail-polishes. While we understand our sisters' need for a viable alternative to conventional nail-polish, we also iterate that the issue of wuḍū' is an essential and significant one for our religious and spiritual wellbeing. We suggest you contact your local Muftī's and ḥalāl committees to conduct an experiment on these products and see if they approve these products to be suitable to Islamic principles.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Abrar Habib

Student - Darul Iftaa

New York City, New York, USA

Checked and Approved by,

Mufti Ebrahim Desai.