Question:
Could you let me know if citronellol and geraniol alcohol found in astral moisturizing cream is halal or haram.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
According to Hanafi Madhab the prohibition of khamr refers to alcohol derived from dates and grapes. The alcohol derived from other sources are subject to conditional permissibility . External use of such alcohol such as in cosmetics and perfumes is permissible.
“Geraniol is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol. It is the primary part of rose oil, palmarosa oil, and citronella oil (Java type). It also occurs in small quantities in geranium, lemon, and many other essential oils.” [i]
“Citronellol, or dihydrogeraniol, is a natural acyclic monoterpenoid. Both enantiomers occur in nature. (+)-Citronellol, which is found in citronella oils, including Cymbopogon nardus (50%), is the more common isomer. (−)-Citronellol is found in the oils of rose (18-55%) and Pelargonium geraniums.” [ii]
Both the above alcohols are permissible in the cosmetic usage (such as astral moisturising cream).
And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Faisal bin Abdul Hameed,
Montréal, Canada
[i] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraniol