Mibelle eyes opportunities for growth in APAC’s fast-growing halal beauty segment

Allied Market Research predicts that the halal cosmetics segment will see 15% increase year-on-year, putting the category on track to becoming a $54bn sector by 2022.

“​Mibelle Biochemistry has been active for many years in countries including Malaysia or Indonesia, and as such, have worked with many manufacturers of halal cosmetics. To comply with halal regulations we have certified some of our actives and prepared product documentations to comply with halal regulations,” ​said CEO of Mibelle Biochemistry, Fred Zülli.

Zülli highlighted that Islam was the world’s second-most widely practised religion with about 1.7bn Muslims representing 22.5% of the global population.

“These figures demonstrate the huge potential of halal cosmetics and the opportunities for growth,” ​said Zülli.

He added that 52% of Muslims fall under the 24 and below demographic which was driving the market with their strengthening buying power.

“​The cosmetic market in APAC is fast growing and offers companies, especially new brands, opportunities to launch new products and enter the market. The market is based on young consumers who have increasing purchasing power.”​

No longer niched

With the surging popularity of halal beauty, cosmetic companies no longer see it as a ‘niched’ market.

This year, leading tradeshow in-cosmetics Asia is shining a spotlight on halal beauty with a dedicated Halal Cosmetics Zone which will feature products from companies like Mibelle.

“In some countries, halal cosmetics has indeed outgrown its niche status. This is due to the fact that many product lines follow modern cosmetics trends, marketing stories and apply new active ingredients,” ​said Zülli

In fact, he believes halal cosmetics will eventually gain traction with non-Muslim beauty consumers.

“Halal products are manufactured under stringent rules and quality requirements. Therefore these products are also used by non-Muslim consumers who are looking for high-quality cosmetics which are certified by the corresponding authorities,” ​he said.

However, challenges remain for cosmetic companies that hope to capitalise on the halal cosmetics opportunities in the market.

For instance, said Zülli, Mibelle found it problematic trying to balance innovation with halal requirement.

“A challenge with halal cosmetics is the application of novel technologies. Initially, we found it difficult to answer the question of whether plant stem cells produced by our PhytoCellTec process are halal.”​

To overcome these obstacles, it worked closely with halal certification body JAKIM to analyse all of raw materials, technologies and processes in order to obtain halal certification.

Zülli stressed the importance of the company’s ongoing partnership with relevant halal experts and authorities.

“Mibelle Biochemistry will launch a number of new actives in the coming years and we will do our best to make these products to comply with halal regulations. For that, we have established our [relationships] with halal experts and authorities in Switzerland and abroad.”​