It should come as no surprise that we love our natural soap and shampoo bars; almost goes without saying. Our colleagues will have the same and secretly we like some of their products (don't tell anyone ...)

Yet all our handmade soaps and the shampoo bars made with the cold method have something special that others don't. Of course they are made for everyone and not special to anyone. But they do have something for a special group of people: a real HALAL certification!

Roughly 25% of the world population is Muslim and in the Netherlands that is an estimated 5 to 6%. And 5% of more than 17 million people means that there are roughly 850,000 fellow nationals who need products that meet the values set by their beliefs. Then why is there so little?

Halal certification is an official recognition that a product has been manufactured in accordance with Islamic Sharia law. This means that it must not contain traces of pork, alcohol or blood and must be made on factory lines without the risk of contamination, including through cleaning.

Because we make our soap and some of the shampoo bars in Indonesia, where more than 85% of the population is Muslim, our products are Halal certified. And may we mention the Halal certificate because our production was and is checked on the spot.

Halal soaps and shampoos are important. Being hygienic is not only considered a good practice in Islam, but it is in fact a priceless precondition for the performance of certain rituals and obligatory religious duties.

Islam places so much importance on cleanliness, which makes it an essential part of the faith and Muslims uphold its value. One way to achieve this is to shower regularly.

That said, it is of course not the case that these soap and shampoo bars are only for Muslims, the great thing is that there is an extra check so you can be sure that no animal ingredients and alcohol have been processed. That's good news for vegans and vegetarians too. The check is also carried out on the ingredients, which provides extra security.

Elicious combines these special values with modern products that are plastic-free and packaged plastic-free, are biodegradable and also attractively priced.