The rise of halal cosmetics: a blend of beauty and faith

Often, we come across the halal stamp on cosmetics, don’t we? If you too, like us, want to stay ahead of the game when it comes to the world of beauty products, then here’s a crash course on what entails halal cosmetics and why was it the buzzword at the recently concluded Beautyworld Middle East hosted in Dubai. The beauty trade exhibition discovered that there is a growing share of USD150 million on the annual market for sharia-compliant products such as cosmetics, perfumes and personal care in the UAE alone. “Muslim women have long been among those who spend the most on beauty. But when it comes to buying products that conform to Islamic rules, they have always had to pay a higher price. That’s why the halal cosmetics market, made up mostly of niche brands, was worth $23 billion in 2018,” said Katarzyna Lechowicz, CEO, BOSQIE, a Polish beauty brand that was present at the exhibition. “We want to provide our customers with high quality, clean, natural products of great value, that will be safe and effective for use, as well as be inclusive to their beliefs.” We dig deeper to know what’s on offer and how.

Why was the halal beauty range not in prominence so far?

“Mikyajy was already halal-compliant but last year we decided to take the extensive journey to become halal-certified, meaning certifying the entire production process. It was a massive strategic decision and we needed to ensure that it was relevant in the market,” said Jim Ragsdale, Deputy CEO, Mikyajy. Interestingly, Mikyajy conducted market research to determine their consumers’ needs and found out that their customers associate halal products with hygienic and pure products. “What’s interesting is that when we surveyed our Gulf customers, the responses they came back with made us realise that, for them, halal is kind of proxy for what customers elsewhere in the world are calling clean or sustainable,” added Ragsdale. Their first experience with halal-certified products was with a nail enamel line which proved to be a success. The customers have also indicated that while they want to buy halal-certified makeup, they are not willing to compromise on the product’s quality of performance in terms of longevity and steadfastness and resistance to heat and humidity, especially for this part of the world.

Who is the target audience of this range?

Interestingly, in Poland, halal is not a well-recognised term. “But we do believe in providing our customers with only the best products and hence we use only wholesome ingredients, strict manufacturing and production regulations that strike a balance between beauty and faith,” added Lechowicz. “From an upstart pioneering Khaleeji brand in the ’90s, we have evolved and pushed our boundaries with Gulf customers’ needs in mind. With the launch of Mikyajy’s Halal range, we bring our Middle Eastern customers beauty in its purest and cleanest form without compromising on performance or longevity of wear thus empowering them and making them confident in their choices,” said Ragsdale.

Halal cosmetics are here to stay and how

Lechowicz is convinced that halal products are slowly coming out of their niche, especially in the Middle Eastern market and Muslim majority countries; and more global brands would be launching a product line catering specifically to this customer base, and due to the increasing awareness in the beauty world. “It is expected that western countries will start to pick up on the trend, indicative of more innovation and the maturing of the halal cosmetics sector.” Blanka Chmurzyńska-Brown, general director, Polish Union of the Cosmetics Industry, another participant at the fair, explains, “Polish manufacturers have been able to shift into developing a robust range of natural, organic, and vegan products — no raw materials of animal origin are used. Furthermore, alcohol has been eliminated from regular skincare and is now only used in very specific products.”

purva@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai