South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday it will step up a “halal cosmetics certification support” program as the global market for halal beauty products expands.
Halal cosmetics are products certified as produced, processed and distributed in line with Islamic law for use by Muslims. The market is projected to grow to $129 billion in 2027 from $84 billion in 2022, the ministry said.
With regulations tightening in major countries — including Indonesia’s move to require halal certification labeling — differing standards by country have added to the burden on small and midsize companies, the ministry said.
To help, the ministry plans to select 30 companies preparing for halal certification and provide tailored on-site consulting. It will also run hands-on training courses at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels twice a year, and hold seminars with invited overseas experts to share policy changes and the latest trends in key export markets.
The ministry said it will produce and distribute country-by-country halal certification guides for major Middle Eastern markets such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In key export markets including Indonesia, it plans to support expanded mutual recognition agreements, or MRAs, between local certification bodies and private certification organizations in South Korea.
The ministry said some smaller firms have abandoned certification because they lacked information and struggled to obtain documentation from suppliers for the many ingredients used in cosmetics.
To reduce that burden, it will provide information on about 4,000 halal-compliant ingredients based on Indonesian regulations and build a database integrating halal-certified ingredients, company information and halal regulatory information for 10 major countries. It also plans to offer an AI-based “cosbot” search service using the database.
“We will expand support so domestic cosmetics companies can respond effectively to changes in the global regulatory environment and enter the growing halal market smoothly,” the ministry said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.