If there is snail slime in a cosmetic product, would it be permissible to use?

· 15 Jumada I 1439 AH1 min readFatwa 39538English
Jurisprudence and Rulings (Fiqh)

Question

Assalamoalikum,

If there is snail slime in a cosmetic product, would it be permissible to use?

Jazakallah

Answer

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

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

Snails discharge slime, a kind of mucus, which are used in some cosmetics.[i]

Is it permissible to use such cosmetics?

Snails are bloodless creatures.[ii] The rule regarding bloodless creatures is that their secretions are pure; hence, snail slime will be considered pure.[iii] One may apply such products on their body with the condition that the cosmetics are devoid of actual impurities.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Tahmid Chowdhury

Student Darul Iftaa

New York, USA

Checked and Approved by,

Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

[i]

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/snail-slime-skin-creams-becoming-popular-in-the-united-states#modal-close

[ii]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulatory_system_of_gastropods

[iii]

النتف في الفتاوى للسغدي (1/ 37)

وَعند الْفُقَهَاء الْهَوَام على وَجْهَيْن

مَا لَهُ دم سَائل مثل الْفَأْرَة والحية والوزغة والقنفذ فان مَا يخرج

مِنْهَا وسؤرها مَكْرُوه وان وَقع فِي المَاء يَجعله مَكْرُوها وبولها نجس وَمَا لَيْسَ لَهُ نفس سَائِلَة فان مَا يخرج مِنْهَا طَاهِر

Answered by
Tahmid Chowdhury
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Ask AskImam

Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah (AskImam). It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, ask the issuing Darul Ifta directly.