Halal cosmetics are gaining ground

The market for Halal cosmetics is growing worldwide. At the international Natural and Organic Conference in October in Berlin an expert provided information on certification criteria, banned ingredients and interfaces with natural and organic cosmetics. Devout Muslims pay great attention not only to what they eat and drink but also to which products they use for skincare. Halal is the term used for everything that in this respect is permitted under Islamic law. The market for these products has been growing for years. According to forecasts, by  2050 around 30 % of the world’s population will belong to this religion.

Organic companies are reacting to the Halal trend
Surveys carried out at NürnbergMesse  BioFach & Vivaness reveal that organic companies are reacting to this trend. In 2013, 273 exhibitors said they had Halal products in their assortment. In 2015 the number had risen to 393, about a third more. But as Barbara Böck from NürnbergMesse points out: “This figure represents what the companies themselves have said – it doesn’t tell us how many items in their product ranges are in fact Halal.” She adds that enquiries have not yet been made about this category for Vivaness. But, without doubt, Halal cosmetics are a growth market. The online specialist magazine Cosmeticsbusiness  refers in its January edition to prognoses of the market research company TechNavio, according to which the anticipated annual growth rate of Halal cosmetics is
13.7 %.

The details for Halal critical ingredients are complicated
The opposite of Halal – what is permitted - is Haram, which is what is forbidden. This category includes all products connected with pigs, the flesh of beasts of prey, blood and all intoxicants like alcohol and toxic substances. There are also many other religious rules. For example, animals have to be slaughtered in a prescribed manner. For Halal cosmetics this means that they must not contain any banned substances – in other words, any ingredients derived from banned animals or from animals not slaughtered in the prescribed way. As we can see from the list of Halal critical substances, in some cases, these stipulations affect the manufacture of natural and organic cosmetics. The issue is made more complicated by the regulation that raw materials must not at any time come into contact with banned materials  – for example, in filling facilities where cleaners have been used that contain alcohol.

Halal critical ingredients in cosmetics are:
• Hyaluronic acid from chicken combs
• Red dye from  the cochineal scale insect
• Collagen from animal raw material like chickens’ feet and animal horn
• Glucosamine from connective tissue, cartilage and joint fluid
• Ambergris from the digestive tract of sperm whales
• Protein from the placenta of humans or animals
• Elastin from animals
• Stearic acid from animals
• Guanine from fish scales  
• Panthenol from animal material
• Keratin from horns, hooves, feathers, quills or hair
• Shellac from the scale insect Laccifer lacca
• Alcohol

Whether a cosmetics product is given a Halal certificate is a decision that always involves an Islamic cleric. “We examine all the ingredients of a product, especially the preservatives, debonding agents and stabilisers, the origin of raw materials, the whole manufacturing process in every detail and all cleaning materials and the grease for machines,” says Farhan Tufail, the Managing Director of the certifier Certification Services Switzerland at the Berliner Natural and Organic Cosmetics Conference. But he added that generally applicable standards and standards recognised in all Muslim countries for Halal certification for cosmetics and toiletries don’t exist. The logos in current use are often based on the Malaysian Standard, passed in 2008 by the Malaysian government.

Vegan natural and organic cosmetics – an alternative?
Animal ingredients are banned in vegan natural and organic cosmetics, which means that practically all Halal critical substances are excluded. However, the alcohol (Ethanol), that is often used as a natural preservative, is problematic. It is taboo for devout Muslims. The ban covers alcoholic plant extracts and derivatives. Depending on interpretation, sometimes the use of synthetic alcohol is permitted. The crux of the matter is that synthetic alcohol is not permitted in certified natural and organic cosmetics. Instead, the manufacturers use expensive, undenatured and drinkable alcohol. But there is a certain leeway. “The Malaysian Standard permits, for example, 0.5 % residual alcohol in a product,” says the expert, Mr Tufail.

Muslims want pure, safe and high-value products
On the whole, natural and organic cosmetics and Halal go together well, because the ethics of natural and organic cosmetics take many of the values of Islam into account. For example, the dignity of all creatures, fair treatment of each other, high product quality that is as natural as possible, no animal testing and sustainable, non-damaging processes like organic agriculture. The approach to genetic engineering ranges from critical to rejection, and this applies to substances that can irritate or harm the skin. What Muslims want are pure, safe and high-value products.