Stearic acid in medicines
This information resource can help you understand how stearic acid is used in medicines, the concerns around its use in medicines for the Muslim community, and whether its use in medicines is halāl (permissible) or harām (prohibited) in Islam.
This resource is for the Muslim community (including patients, carers, parents and members of the public). All healthcare professionals (HCPs), their teams and anyone involved in delivering care and support (across all care settings) to Muslim individuals, may also find it useful. It can be used to support person-centred and informed decision-making around taking medicines that align with an individual’s Islamic values and beliefs.
Stearic acid
Stearic acid is a saturated fat.1
Stearic acid can be sourced from plants and animals: 1, 2
How stearic acid is used in medicines
Stearic acid is an excipient used to make medicinal tablets, capsules and powders.2
Stearic acid is used as:
- A lubricant in capsules and tablets – to prevent the ingredients inside the capsule from sticking to each other and to the machine used to make them
- A binder in tablets
- An emulsifier and solubilizer in topical creams and ointments
- A release agent – to delay the breakdown and absorption of medicines until it reaches the correct area of the bowel.2
Why this is important
For the Muslim community
For the Muslim community, it is important to check if your medicine contains stearic acid and clarify its source to help you determine if your medicine is Islamically permissible to take/use. To find out if a medicine contains magnesium stearate, see the section on ‘Checking medicine information’.
If stearic acid is used in medicines, then it may be derived from animal sources, such as cows that were not Islamically slaughtered, or from other harām sources such as pigs. In practice, most of the stearic acid used today in medicines are found to be from plant sources rather than animal sources. However, it is best to check. Cross-contamination may also occur during the manufacturing process if stearic acid is processed in facilities that handle harām sources (e.g. alcohol/pork). Therefore, it is important to check for halāl certification to ensure halāl-compliant manufacturing. To find out about the source of stearic acid and for halāl -certification, see the section on ‘Checking medicine information’. For further information on the permissibility of stearic acid, see the section on ‘Is stearic acid halāl or harām?‘.
For HCPs
For HCPs and anyone involved in delivering care and support, it is important to:
- Understand which ingredients and/or excipients in medicines may be a concern for practising Muslims and why. For further information, see our resources under ‘Ingredients and excipients in medicines‘
- Have open discussions with individuals about their personal values or beliefs that may relate to their care and support where possible – e.g. some individuals may wish to avoid certain ingredients/excipients in medicines due to religious beliefs, others may not be as practising or have the same beliefs, so it is important to ask
- Discuss ideas, concerns and expectations – e.g. during consultations, you may be asked to help individuals to understand whether certain ingredients/excipients are present in their medicine(s), its source, and whether it is likely to be considered permissible in Islam/suitable for a halāl diet
- To find out how to check if a medicine contains harām ingredients and/or excipients, see the section on ‘Checking medicine information’
- For further information on the conditions of when it is acceptable for a practising Muslim individual to take/use a medicine that contains harām ingredients and/or excipients, is derived from harām sources, or where there is cross-contamination with harām sources, see our resource on ‘What to do if a medicine contains harām ingredients and/or excipients’.
- Respect and support individuals in making informed decisions about their treatment
- Understand that you may be asked to explore alternative formulations that meet the individual’s religious requirements (where available), alternative companies that make the medicine without a particular excipient/ingredient (where possible), or alternative treatment options for the condition (where clinically appropriate)
- HCPs may find the Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) resource on ‘Searching for presence or absence of an excipient in medicines‘ useful to help find alternative halāl medicines that don’t contain certain ingredients or excipients. For further information, see the SPS website
- There may be situations where you cannot prescribe/supply an alternative halāl medicine which you may need to explain to the individual. For further information, see our resource on ‘What to do if a medicine contains harām ingredients and/or excipients’, under the sections on ‘Hardship begets facility’ and ‘Limitations on prescribing an alternative halāl medicine‘.
Checking medicine information
You can check if your medicine contains stearic acid using the relevant product patient information leaflet (PIL) or summary of product characteristics (SPC) which is available on the electronic medicines compendium (emc) website. You may also find our resource on ‘How to find out if a medicine contains harām ingredients and/or excipients’ useful. If you are still unsure if a medicine contains stearic acid, speak to your local pharmacist as they are the experts in medicines.
You may need to contact the manufacturer to find out other information such as the source of stearic acid and halāl-certification. Please note that information regarding cross-contamination or potential contact with harām sources (e.g. pork/alcohol) is not always readily available from manufacturers.
It is important to remember that even if you find out a medicine contains possible harām ingredients and/or excipients, is derived from harām sources, or that there is cross-contamination with harām sources, this does not always mean it is prohibited to take/use. For further information, see our resource on ‘What to do if a medicine contains harām ingredients and/or excipients’. It includes the conditions of when it is acceptable to take/use a medicine in these circumstances. It can also be used to support person-centred discussions between individuals and HCPs, and help make informed decisions around taking medicines that are both clinically appropriate and align with an individual’s Islamic values and beliefs.
Is all stearic acid halāl or harām?
The table below summarises the ruling of stearic acid according to the four Sunni schools3:
| Source | Ḥanafī | Mālikī | Shāfiʿī | Ḥanbalī |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | ✅ Halāl | ✅ Halāl | ✅ Halāl | ✅ Halāl |
| Bovine (cow) | ✅ Halāl – if derived from a cow that was Islamically slaughtered. ❌Harām – if derived from a cow that was not Islamically slaughtered. | ✅ Halāl – if derived from a cow that was Islamically slaughtered. ❌Harām – if derived from a cow that was not Islamically slaughtered. | ✅ Halāl – if derived from a cow that was Islamically slaughtered. ❌Harām – if derived from a cow that was not Islamically slaughtered. | ✅ Halāl – if derived from a cow that was Islamically slaughtered. ❌Harām – if derived from a cow that was not Islamically slaughtered. |
| Porcine (pig) | ❌Harām | ❌Harām | ❌Harām | ❌Harām |
In summary, according to the four schools of thought, stearic acid derived from porcine is harām. Stearic acid derived from plant sources is halāl . Stearic acid derived from bovine is halāl only if the cow was Islamically slaughtered, otherwise it is harām.
If you are still unsure if a medicine is permissible to take/use, speak to your local Imam or trusted Islamic scholar (ideally who has relevant knowledge and expertise in the Fiqh of medicines).
Halāl alternatives
If you are seeking halāl products, look for halāl-certified bovine or plant-based sources of stearic acid (where available and possible).
Summary
- Stearic acid is a saturated fat sourced from plants and animals. It is an excipient used as a lubricant, binder and release agent in medicine tablets, capsules and powders
- For the Muslim community, it is important to check if your medicine contains stearic acid and to clarify if it is derived from harām sources or if there has been cross-contamination with harām sources, this will help you to determine if a medicine is Islamically permissible to take/use
- You can check if a medicine contains stearic acid using the PIL or SPC, alternatively you can speak to your local pharmacist
- If you are seeking information about halāl status or alternatives – do not stop, delay, change, or change the way you take/use your medicine(s) without discussing this first with the healthcare professional who prescribed/supplied it to you
- Always consult your healthcare professional if you have any questions and before making any decisions about your treatment.
- For HCPs and anyone involved in delivering care and support to the Muslim community, it is important to have open discussions with individuals about their personal values or beliefs that may relate to their care and support where possible
- Stearic acid derived from porcine is harām
- Stearic acid derived from plant sources is halāl – in practice, most of the stearic acid used today in medicines are of plant source
- Stearic acid derived from bovine is halāl only if the cow was Islamically slaughtered, otherwise it is harām
- You should follow the guidance of your school of thought (madhhab). If you have further queries about the permissibility of medicines, consult a qualified local Imam or trusted Islamic scholar (ideally someone who has relevant knowledge and expertise in the Fiqh of medicines)
- You can check if the following information is available from the relevant manufacturer(s) (manufacturers may have limited information):
- Source of stearic acid
- Halāl-certification – to ensure halāl-compliant manufacturing
- If you are seeking halāl products, look for plant-based stearic acid or halāl-certified bovine sources (where available and possible).
References and further reading
- Drugs.com (2018). Stearic Acid. [online] Drugs.com. Available at: https://www.drugs.com/inactive/stearic-acid-77.html. ↩︎
- Pharma Excipients. (2024). Introduction to Stearic Acid as a pharmaceutical Excipient. [online] Available at: https://www.pharmaexcipients.com/stearic-acid-excipient/. ↩︎
- Islamic Perspective on Stearic Acid by Shaykh Dr Rafaqat Rashid ↩︎
