EU: DSM receives halal certification for the majority of its personal care products

DSM’s Personal Care & Aroma Ingredients business unit, one of the industry’s leading suppliers to the personal care, home care and fine fragrance markets, today announces that following audits at its production sites in Vouvry and Aesch, over half its personal care portfolio is now certified as halal.

The halal certification is recognised by major Islamic authorities around the world.

DSM’s portfolio of halal ingredients includes skin actives, vitamins and UV-filters for a variety of personal care applications.

The results of this latest audit confirm that more than half of the company’s portfolio now qualifies for Halal certification.

The ingredients were approved by the Halal Food Council of Europe (HFCE), Brussels, which is recognised by the Indonesian Council of Ulama (Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI)), the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM)), the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) and the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA).

Interest in halal products is growing across the world

According to DinarStandard, a growth strategy research and advisory firm focusing on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries, the demand for halal-certified products is huge and growing rapidly, with around 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide and many millions of health-conscious non-Muslims taking an interest in halal products.

This interest goes beyond the food sector and is impacting the beauty industry, with global halal product launches accounting for 2.5% of all launches in the global beauty and personal care category in the period between January 2013 and Oct 2016.1,2

Because of its large Muslim population, the Asian Pacific region still dominates the halal product landscape, accounting for 72% of new halal beauty products launched between January 2014 and October 2016.

However, halal increasingly speaks to a wider, health-conscious consumer base seeking a holistic approach to their beauty and wellbeing products, including “all natural” products free from unwanted chemicals.

Halal certification also resonates with consumers, often in the younger age range, looking for vegan, natural, organic and ethically sourced products.

DSM will continue to expand its halal-certified portfolio

“At DSM we are committed to responding to the needs of Muslim populations with products certified pure in accordance with Islamic Law”, comments Stephan Heck, Senior Director Customer Quality Management at DSM.

“To meet the needs of customers seeking to highlight halal claims on their packaging, DSM plans to continue to expand its portfolio of halal-certified ingredients. Our aim is to obtain halal certification for all products in our portfolio that are compliant with halal requirements.”