Q&A: Benefit Prohibitions in Cosmetic Products
Benefit Prohibitions in Cosmetic Products
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I understood that some cosmetic products contain olive oil that may come from olives of orlah, which are prohibited for benefit. Is it permitted to benefit, say, from a hand cream that contains orlah olive oil because it is unfit even for a dog’s consumption? Or since I saved olive oil that is not orlah, is there monetary benefit here from the orlah oil?
Answer
There is no indirect benefit here to you from the orlah oil, only to the seller. He saved the kosher oil, not you. For you, it makes no difference what kind of oil is in there. By the way, orlah does not transfer its status to the money received for it (Mishnah in Kiddushin); however, according to Rashi it does transfer that status for the owner himself. But the orlah itself is indeed prohibited for benefit, and if it is not nullified then it is forbidden. True, it is not fit for eating, but anointing is like drinking (see Pesachim 25a regarding anointing with orlah oil, which is forbidden). Again, if there is nullification here, then there is no concern. And if you do not know whether there is orlah there, that combines as a doubt.
Discussion on Answer
Simply speaking, what is forbidden in anointing is what is fit for anointing, and not necessarily for drinking.
I don’t think there is a price difference.
There is a rule of nullification of prohibitions in a majority. The question is whether all the rules of nullification are met (there is a sufficient permitted majority, the forbidden substance is not perceptible in taste and not identifiable, etc.).
Regarding the rule that anointing is like drinking: from what I know, that comes to forbid anointing with things that are forbidden for eating/drinking as well, but something that is not forbidden for eating/drinking (because it is unfit even for a dog’s consumption, like hand cream) is also not forbidden for anointing—is that not so?
As for what you said, that only the seller saved the kosher oil and not me: theoretically, that could let him lower the product’s price (if orlah oil is cheaper due to flooding the market because it can’t be used for eating, perhaps). Once he lowers the price thanks to using the orlah oil, that gives me benefit.
As for what you said about nullification, why would there be nullification here? How is this different from a dish that I prepare with orlah oil?