Is Propylene Glycol Permitted to Use and Consume?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: As salam alaykum,

Is propylene glycol permitted to use and consume?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray that this message finds you well, insha’Allah.

While the drinking of alcohol as an intoxicant is clearly impermissible, Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah be pleased with him) held that non-wine alcohol— i.e. that from other than grapes, dates or raisins— is permitted to use and consume with the following criteria:

(a) it is not used as an intoxicant;
(b) it is not used as intoxicants are used (i.e. for alcoholic consumption, even a little);
(c) it is not used in an amount that intoxicates; and
(d) it is not used in vain (lahw).

The reasoning is that such alcohol is not considered to be unlawful wine (khamr), and is thus permitted to use with the aforementioned conditions. This position is a great mercy in a time when synthetic alcohols and the like are prevalent in numerous food items and cosmetics.

Please also see the following links for details: Using Perfumes, Deodorants, After Shave With Alchohol and: Did Imam Abu Hanifa Distinguish Between the Legal Rulings for Wine and Beer? and: Can We Use Deodorants, Creams, and Perfumes That Contain Alcohol?

And Allah alone knows best.

wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani