Due to the growth of purchasing power, Muslim consumers today spend more on cosmetics and personal goods. The markets are growing fast and rase up enough attention to the cosmetics industry. Halal Cosmetics which is Muslim consumers now prefer to choose becomes the most important qualification for entering the markets. In this article, you will know the concept of halal cosmetics and what is the halal certification that could help your brand to get attention from Muslim consumers.
What is Halal?
First of all, halal is a word represent the Muslim culture and religion. Halal originates from the Arabic word namely halla, yahillu, hillan, wahalalan which means allowed or permissible by the Shariah law. As indicated in the Quran and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Surah AlMaidah:4 has mentioned in the Quran:
“They asked you what is lawful to them. Say: ‘The good things are lawful to you, as well as that which you have taught the birds and beasts of prey to catch, teaching them of what Allah has taught you, eat what they catch for you, pronouncing upon it the name of Allah, and fear Allah, Allah is swift reckoning”
The verse shows there are certain things are allowable or permissible in Islam. Muslims shall follow the rule during their daily life and prevent harmful things (Najs) to get consumed.
Halal Malaysia Portal has further defined the “halal” according to Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Order 2011 and Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) (Amendment) Order 2012 as follows:
i. When food or goods are described as halal or are described in any other expression to indicate that the food or goods can be consumed or used by a Muslim, such expression means that the food or goods are:
a. neither is nor consist of or contains any part or matter of an animal that is prohibited by Shariah law for a Muslim to consume or that has not been slaughtered in accordance with Shariah law and Fatwa;
b. does not contain anything which is impure/ najs according to Shariah law and Fatwa;
c. does not intoxicate according to Shariah law and Fatwa;
d. does not contain any part of a human being or its yield which are not allowed by Shariah law and Fatwa;
e. is not poisonous or hazardous to health;
f. has not been prepared, processed or manufactured using any instrument that is contaminated with najs according to Shariah Law and Fatwa; and
g. has not in the course of preparing, processing or storage been in contact with, mixed, or in close proximity to any food that fails to satisfy paragraph (a) and (b).
ii. When services in relation to the food or goods are described in any other expression to indicate that the services can be used by a Muslim, such expression means that the services in relation to the food or goods are carried out in accordance with Shariah law.
As the terms mentioned above, the term of ‘Halal’ is not limited to the ingredients or finished product, but also the manufacturing processes, storing, packaging as well as delivering the products according to the sharia law. The halal covers all consumables goods also include pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care products, toiletries, etc.
What is Najs?
Najs is the words opposite to halal, it means impurity such as blood, urine, and feces. In Shariah law, Najs is divided into three types:
i. Muhghallazah (severe) such as dogs, pigs and their descendants or birth from either one of them;
ii. Mutawassitah (medium): except for the above two, such as blood, pus, feces, etc;
iii. Mukhaffafah (light) namely urine of a baby boy who is solely on breastfeeding and has not reached the age of two years old.
The Halal Cosmetics
Therefore, the concept of halal cosmetics is becoming clear. The Halal cosmetics are products that must not have any human parts or ingredients nor containing any animals forbidden to Muslims and must be slaughtered according to Syariah law; no genetically modified organism (GMO) which are declared as najs; no alcohol drinks (khamar); no contamination from najs during preparation, processing, manufacturing and storage; and safe for consumers.
In brief, halal products must not contain:
- Human parts
- Animals forbidden for Muslims to consume, e.g. pork and boar
- Animals not slaughtered according to Sharia law
- Najiis (filth) e.g. fluids and objects discharged from human or animal bodies, such as urine, blood, vomit, etc.
- Harmful foods
- Alcoholic drinks and intoxicants
More importantly, its preparation, processing, manufacturing, and storage must also should be halal which brings us to the following topic: halal certification.
The Halal Certificate
According to International council of certification, Products with Halal certification are considered lawful as they guarantee halal on the origin of each ingredient, any equipment and the manufacturing process of the product.
This indicates the entire production chain must be Halal, it includes the maintenance and use of production equipment, including products used to clean and lubricate the equipment that must also comply with halal rules. Therefore, for a company operating in the cosmetic sector, they usually should create a special line for Halal products with dedicated production lines or schedule Halal production immediately after the new equipment.
SGS said, to get the certificate, a halal cosmetic factory shall involve a document review followed by an on-site audit, administered by technical and Islamic experts. The results are then reviewed by an impartiality committee which decides whether the halal certificate can be issued.
After the certificate is granted, the ‘Halal’ Logo shall be shown on the labels that the consumers can easily identify the products are halal and comply with Islamic Sharia law and halal rules.
References:
- https://icc-iso.org/index.php/en/certificates/12-halal-certification-in-the-cosmetics-sector
- https://www.sgs.com/en/news/2019/01/understanding-the-growing-global-market-for-halal-cosmetics
- http://macfea.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Artikel-4-JPM-jilid-30-Jun-2018.pdf
- http://www.halal.gov.my/v4/index.php?data=bW9kdWxlcy9uZXdzOzs7Ow==&utama=panduan&ids=gp1
