Women Wearing Makeup

As far as Islamic Shari`ah is concerned, a Muslim woman is allowed to wear makeup in a moderate way in the presence of her husband, mahrams (Arabic for: relatives to whom a woman cannot marry) or women-only gatherings. A woman should be keen not to be excessive in wearing makeup or spending too much money on it.

Sheikh MuhammadNur Abdullah, former president of the ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) and member of the Fiqh Council of North America, states: Wearing makeup in general is part of zeenah or beautification, which is forbidden to be shown to non-mahrams. Therefore, a woman cannot wear makeup outside her home. But in general, a Muslim woman should be modest when she goes in public.

As for wearing makeup in her house or to beautify herself for her husband, a woman should be moderate and should not take extremes in anything. If she maintains this level of moderation, there will not be any harm in sha’ Allah.