The global market for Halal products is growing at a remarkable pace which has led to increasing customer awareness on the need for Halal-based cosmetics and beauty products. A corresponding surge in demand for these products has been noted among the Muslim and many non-Muslim countries. According to a recent survey, cosmetic and personal care products form an increasingly significant part of the approximately AED551 million ($150 million) annual market for halal products in the UAE. In the Middle Eastern region, the market size for halal personal care products is estimated to be worth approximately AED2.06 billion ($560 million.) “While the hospitality, food, packaging, banking and finance industries are already devoting a lot of attention to the development and delivery of Halal or Shariah-compliant products and services, the demand for Halal cosmetics and beauty products has been relatively slower to take off,” said Ahmed Pauwels, chief executive officer of Epoc Messe Frankfurt, organizers of Beautyworld Middle East 2010, the largest networking platform for the beauty and wellness industry in the region. “But this trend is rapidly changing, with growing consumer awareness and the drive for quality ingredients, making the market for Halal and Shariah-compliant personal care products a high-growth segment with tremendous potential,” he added. “Consumers in Asia, especially Malaysia and Indonesia have been the first in driving demand for Shariah-compliant health and beauty products, with Malaysia last year drafting a Halal certification standard that evaluates the content, modes of production, storage, handling and packaging for cosmetics and beauty products,” Elaine O'Connell, senior show manager, Beautyworld Middle East pointed out. “Customers in the prosperous and high-growth markets of the Middle East are becoming increasingly selective of the quality and content of the products they use, and this is reflected in the surge in demand for Halal-certified beauty products.” Responding to the latent demand, local health and standardization authorities in the GCC are increasingly working with recognized international Halal certification authorities, to screen health and beauty products for their compliance with Islamic principles. The development of a global standard for Halal cosmetics is currently underway.
