KOSHER
COSMETICS

TWO COMPANIES IN THE
NEW YORK AREA
PRODUCE MAKEUP THAT
CARRIES KOSHER
CERTIFICATION.

BY REBEKAH GROSSMAN

Adwe makes an assortment of kosher
products, from lipstick and pressed
powder in a compact to toothpaste.

148 FALL '87

A

dwe and Shabat are not
as well known as Rev-
lon and Estee Lauder in
the world of cosmetics
but they have something neither
of those household names
have. Kosher certification.
Adwe and Shabat are both
New York-based companies that
produce kosher cosmetics.
Kosher makeup contains no an-
imal products, and does not
dye the skin at all. The national
cosmetic brands are permis-
sible to use by kashrut stan-
dards, but the production of
these cosmetics is not overseen
by a rabbi who can certify that
the product has been produced
in a completely kosher
environment.
Who wears kosher cosmetics
and why? According to Rabbi
Moshe Heinemann, of Balti-
more's Vaad Hakashrus, "some
people are of the opinion that
anything smeared on the skin
and absorbed into the skin
must be kosher material and
have kosher ingredients.
"These are mostly extremely
Orthodox women, but even the
more liberal Jews take special
consideration around the High
Holidays and Shabbat. Lipstick
is often the greatest concern
because half of lipstick will be
eaten with food."
Adwe, located on Long Is-
land, NY., is the larger of the
two companies. Adwe primarily
produces non-kosher products
but does put out a smaller line
of kosher products that are
suitable during the week but
are not intended for use on
Shabbat or holidays. "You could

apply them before Shabbat and
hope they lingered, but that's
all," says Rabbi Shimon
Schwab, who oversees produc-
tion of Adwe's kosher products
and certifies them.
Soon after Adwe was founded
in 1938, Alfred Wesel, the com-
pany's president, was ap-
proached by a rabbi of his ac-
quaintence who asked that the
company develop kosher cos-
metics for use by his
congregants.
"We began our kosher line in
1941," Wesel recalls. "It was
hard. You had to have every-
thing separate, everything spe-
cial. It took years to find all of
the right ingredients and to pre-
pare the work environment.
Originally, we produced the ko-
sher products completely as a
service, but now it partly pays
for itself."
Adwe's kosher products in-
clude five shades of lipstick,
rouge, cream blusher, pressed
powder (which comes in a mir-
rored compact), hand cream,
baby powder, mouthwash, tooth-
paste, soap, dishwasher con-
centrate, and nail polish.
Prices are comparable to na-
tional brands. And as for the
products' purity, "you could put
our hand cream on your bread
and eat it if you wanted!" says
Wesel.
Chaskel Borenstein, of
BORENSTEIN'S BOOK AND
MUSIC SHOP in Oak Park,
sells Adwe products. "I sell a
fair amount of the lipsticks and
creams. Around Pesach the
toothpaste and mouthwash are
big sellers."