Meet Jordan Karim, Whose Halal Skincare Brand Pairs Inclusivity with Innovation

About a month ago, we kicked off Get the Goods, our pitch competition for upstart, woman-led brands in partnership with e-commerce investor Clearco. Hundreds of incredible brand founders applied, and three finalists were chosen: accessory line The Silk Labs, shade-inclusive underwear line Naked Rebellion and Flora & Noor, the only halal-certified skincare brand in the U.S. that's also vegan and cruelty-free.

Karim worked out as a research chemist and then a pharmaceutical skincare consultant for 9 years. "I loved skincare, and seeing patients get efficacious results. However, none of the skincare was vegan, halal, cruelty-free, or aimed to truly target the skin concerns of those with melanin-rich skin," she says. Plus, Karim's son was dealing with eczema, which only highlighted the lack of truly clean products in the market.

What does it mean for a brand to be halal certified? Products cannot contain alcohol or animal byproducts. "

Halal beauty is so important because there are billions of Muslims with great purchasing power in the U.S." says Karim. "As a Black Muslim woman, there are so many brands in the market with ingredients that I could not personally use. That prompted my question, what if I could create something that was inclusive of everyone, with ingredients that go past being cruelty-free or vegan?"

Karim started her brand in 2020 in Chicago. Her first product, the Oatmeal and Shea Body Butter, was targeted to treat her sons eczema. Her first success was seeing the Vitamin C Resurfacing Toner sell out in 48 hours after being restocked.

Another proud moment came when Karim met thousands of Muslim women like herself at Flora & Noor's booth at the MAS Convention in Chicago (an event where 10K+ Muslims gather together every year to learn, meet one another, shop and have fun). "They said, 'Wow, I have no idea why no one has created this for us in the US and why it took so long,' 'I have been waiting for this.'"

Values are the core of everything Karim does. "My business values are to be good to people and good to the planet. Being good to the people means representing my community, creating products that are inclusive, boosting community morale and creating more opportunities. Being good to the planet means consciously creating formulas that are halal certified, cruelty-free and 100% vegan."