Three years ago, when sisters Mauli and Grishma Teli decided to give India its first Halal (permissible under the Islamic law) beauty brand, what propelled them was an observation that several young Muslim women in Ahmedabad – where they are based – were refraining from painting their lips and nails.
“We learnt that at the time of ‘Wuzu’ or the process of cleansing oneself before the daily prayers, conventional nail paint prevented water from touching the nail bed, rendering the ritual incomplete. This naturally made non-soluble nail polish Haraam (forbidden by Islamic law),” says Mauli.