Thursday 23 Rabi‘ al-awwal 1446 - 26 September 2024
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Is Selling Makeup Prohibited in Islam?

Question

What is the ruling on selling perfumes, accessories, cosmetics and clothes to women who may use them when going out of the house where men will see these things?.

Summary of answer

Selling makeup in Islam is permissible under certain conditions. If the seller knows that the buyer will use the makeup for prohibited purposes, it becomes impermissible. However, if the makeup is sold for permissible adornment, or if the seller is unaware of the buyer’s intentions, then selling it is allowed.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

The ruling on working in such places depends on the details.

  • If you are selling these cosmetics to people who you know will use them for the purposes of prohibited wanton display, then it is not permissible.
  • If you are selling them to people who you know will use them for permissible kinds of adornment, then it is permissible.
  • If you do not know anything about the person who is buying them, then the basic principle is that it is permissible.

It is not permissible to sell cosmetics if the vendor knows that the one who buys them is going to use them in ways that Allah has forbidden, because that is a kind of helping in sin and transgression. But if he knows that the purchaser is going to use the cosmetics to adorn herself for her husband or he does not know anything, then it is permissible for him to deal in them. (End quote from Fatawa Al-Lajnah Ad-Da’imah, 13/67)

For more details, please see the following answers: 82338, 75007, 10203, 225692.

And Allah knows best.

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Source: Islam Q&A