A new halal oasis for make-up lovers in the Netherlands

Photo: Fatima Albaki of Fatima’s Oase / Courtesy of Fatima Albaki

In the Netherlands, where halal makeup is not very easy to source, Fatima Albaki offers a haven for the discerning consumer. For Muslims searching for the perfect manicure that will allow them to complete their ablutions during prayers, Fatima’s Oase, (“oasis” in Dutch), an online makeup shop, offers a solution.

Fatima is the sole distributor for Tuesday in Love, a halal-certified makeup brand from Canada. Her story as an entrepreneur started when she was let go just three weeks into a new job at an employment agency. Sitting at home with nothing to do, she decided to start something for herself.

“So I went back to school. I started distance education, learning how to do pedicures, massages and hairstyling,” Fatima told My Salaam. She launched her beauty business in 2012, but it was an article in 2013 about halal nail polish that made her realise that there was an untapped segment in the Dutch cosmetics market.

She started researching make-up brands that offered halal lines. “I heard about Tuesday in Love from one of my clients. I looked them up, wrote to the company, and a month later, I had a contract.”

Initially, the products offered on Fatima’s Oase were limited to nail polishes, but lipsticks are now available as well. The company gets a new halal certification for their products each year.

Photo: Some products from Tuesday in Love / Courtesy of Fatima Albaki

A lot of halal cosmetic lines are also marketed as vegan and kosher. Fatima said that she sees the potential to position the products she sells as vegan and kosher as well as halal, as they all share the same principles of animal-free and cruelty-free products. “For now, I cater to the Muslim market, as there is so much growth potential here. I have the sole distribution rights for Tuesday in Love, which has grown a lot internationally. Initially, my clients for halal cosmetics were also from Germany, Belgium and France. But now France has its own distributor for the brand.”

Fatima is eager to tap the halal market by supplying to major cosmetics and drugstore chains in the country. At $14.8, the nail polishes cost considerably more than the drug store brands. The lipsticks are under $23.7, which places them in the mid-range bracket.

However, despite the huge market, her pitches to companies to stock her products in stores have not yielded results so far. “Muslims buy a lot. We buy gifts for each other for Eid and other festivals; we buy things for our families and friends. So, as a target group, the halal market is very big,” said Fatima. She believes that companies are not yet ready to commit to a line of products exclusively for Muslims.

But now that major Dutch supermarket chains such as Albert Heijn and Jumbo have recently started halal sections in their stores, Fatima is confident that it is just a matter of time before drugstores and cosmetics stores follow suit. And she will be ready.

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