On her TikTok, Maham Ayaz, also known as @eggdelivery, regularly tests the water permeability of halal nail polish. In a video that received 27,000 likes, Ayaz lay small portions of nail polish film on a paper towel before applying six to seven drops of water to each.
After a five-minute wait, she announced the verdict: The paper towel remained dry. None of these products let water seep through despite advertising to the contrary.
The flow of disappointed users in the comment section revealed the stakes: Making sure water can reach the surface of the nail tip at any time, even with a manicure, is important to many Muslim consumers.
When performing wudu, the ritual purification before each of the five daily prayers, some claim the cleansing isn’t complete unless the water reaches all parts of the face, hands, arms and feet. Including the nails.
Tapping into this booming market, many nail polish companies developed water-breathable formulas in the past 10 years, also known as wudu-friendly nail polish. But there is yet to be an official standard in the halal certification industry to rate the efficiency and reliability of these products.
Source: Halal nail polish raises complex discussions among Muslim consumers