Fair-skinned; long, flaxen, or auburn hair; thin and toned bodies are the typical Western beauty ideals admired worldwide.
However, this centuries-old concept of beauty is undergoing a massive shift. Where markets were previously segmented by country, these are now categorized by social, cultural, and religious affiliations, thus opening up a new, larger, and multicultural slice.
New products also strive to capture the most prized essence of beauty — timeless, eternal.
In 2017 an article in Asia Research tagged the halal market as the next big thing. A few years later, market researcher The Insight Partners noted the shift and diversification of the global halal bath and body care. The shift celebrates diverse perceptions and attitudes about the world in the younger generation.
At the Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI), its Halal R&D Team embraces both ageless and multicultural beauty. It also added gender fluidity in its new oral, hair, body, and decorative cosmetics products.
The Team believes consumers generally trust products with packaging that explains the ingredients. Its Team Leader and concurrent officer-in-charge of the Standards and Testing Division (STD-ITDI), Ma. Rachel V. Parcon explains, “The basic and simple formulation of ITDI’s halal personal care products feature ingredients with clear information on their function, origin, and quality.“
Beyond halal
However, “We are going beyond strict, religious compliance in the processing of DOST-ITDI’s eight new bath and body care products,” added Parcon.
“We are pleased to announce these beauty gems, which we hope will satisfy our consumer’s search for ‘timeless, everliving’ products that are not bound by old perceptions of beauty. These consist of an herbal, fluoride-free, whitening toothpaste; shampoo with hair-growth promoting properties in four variants: liquid clear, liquid pearlized, clay, and bar; whitening bath soap for dry skin; moisturizing lipstick and moisturizing lip balm,” she elaborated.
DOST-ITDI produced these using raw materials that conform to the MS 2200-1 (2008): Islamic Consumer Goods – Part 1: Cosmetic and Personal Care – General Guidelines (current and cGMP ISO 22716).
These also comply with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Guidelines on Limits of Contaminants for Cosmetics, such as phthalates, carcinogens, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), allergens, and irritants, among others.
Currently, some bath and body products could easily include multiple toxins that fit into any of those categories or several of them.
Halal Philippines market snapshot
Currently, the global halal market continues to develop at 20% annually. In 2019, the Philippine trade agency estimated its value at $3.2 trillion primarily because of a burgeoning Muslim population, which according to Pew Research Center, is expected to increase by 70% – from 1.8 billion in 2015 to nearly 3 billion in 2060.
Elsewhere, like in the Philippines, the halal personal care market is hampered by limited availability and accessibility of halal bath and body care products. Parcon laments, “There are hardly any halal-certified manufacturers accredited by the Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines (IDCP).“
DOST-ITDI is thus targeting and will serve the preference shifts of Pinoy non-Muslims toward patronizing products that are guaranteed to have passed international halal standards from preparation to packaging and handling.
It will capitalize on the typical characteristic of Filipino consumers being patrons of the middle market. The Institute of Export and International Trade (IOEIE) in the UK classifies this Filipino middle market-centered group alongside the “new emerging-market middle class,” where middle market firms are described as companies that occupy the range between small “Mom & Pop” businesses and major enterprises.
Thus, Philippine small to medium scale firms that might be interested in manufacturing DOST-ITDI’s halal personal care products are well into a rapidly developing market.
According to the IOEIE Filipino consumer report, “… when Filipinos like what they see, they buy it. But certainly, during sale periods, they’re bargain hunters, thus making the Filipino market have more potential than the other Asian markets.”
It elaborates on this, describing Filipino consumers based on their product preference for beauty, hygiene, health, and convenience. It said that 72% of Filipinas admitted that they would like to improve their hair and change their complexion, ” …. supporting the idea that Filipinas care about their looks.“
A 2009-2013 study by Kantar Worldpanel recorded that Filipinos generally prefer beauty products, particularly hair conditioners, moisturizers, and hand and body lotions – a preference leaning toward anti-aging products. They recorded an increase in whitening body lotion sales compared to non-whitening lotions due perhaps to the Filipino consumers’ definition of being fair as being beautiful.
Beauty Diversity and innovations
The year 2020 was an “Aha!” moment for the shampoo industry. A Los Angeles company launched a carbon footprint environmentally friendly innovation in shampoos. Their take on shampoo is to fashion it into bars – “… to make a solid shampoo that gives you the pleasure of your regular shampoo without the plastic.”
One may not realize the impact of shower products on the environment, but did you know that in the US alone, Lochtree USA reported that some 550 million empty shampoo bottles are thrown away each year?
However, it is not taking away traditionalists’ pleasure; it offers bottled shampoos in liquid clear or liquid pearlized variants that are hair growth promoting to boot. For those with age-related hair concerns like oily or dry and thinning hair, DOST-ITDI offers a hair-growth-promoting clay variant shampoo.
Further, DOST-ITDI is building up on factoring agelessness in its other products. These focus on providing consumers with a way to counteract the ravages of time on the skin. DOST- ITDI developed revitalizing and enriching bath soap for dry skin, but without that “hard to remove slick feeling on skin” associated with other bath soaps. Further, its decorative cosmetics include super, moisture-rich lipstick and lip balm. Finally, a fluoride-free herbal whitening toothpaste completes the cleansing routine.
Halal and tayyib personal care
With all these beauty innovations, DOST-ITDI added another mark of authenticity to its products. Parcon said that “All eight (products) do not only conform to halal rules. We have drafted a Halal Assurance System (HAS) that covers Halal Critical Control Points (Halal CCPs) to identify spots within the operation, preparation, or processing that otherwise might lead to a religiously unacceptable situation or ‘najasah/najis.’ “
On the other hand, the industry-based food safety protocol HACCP or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points ensures safety by controlling major food risks, such as microbiological, chemical, and physical contaminants.
Halal CCP is a HACCP-based quality assurance system that uses the HACCP criteria for safety, religious dietary requirements, and quality. This approach harmonizes and unifies halal processing with the quality assurance system of the food industry.
Parcon explains, “For good measure, we are outdoing ourselves. How? While the halal logo certifies that a product has rigorously followed the halal way of preparation or processing, it matters that it is ‘tayyib.’ “
Tayyib is often translated as “wholesome” or “good.” DOST-ITDI’s bath and body care surpass most commercially available brands in this aspect. Its raw materials are guaranteed nutrient-laden, healthy, clean, and ethically sourced. Further, our fruit and vegetable ingredients are organic, pesticide-free, and non-GMO.
Today, DOST-ITDI continues to explore the development and production of halal cosmetics. Thus, it encourages SMEs to engage in this emerging market, especially since a major implication of international recognition of halal certification of Philippine firms impinges on halal personal care trade and cosmetics exports in the ASEAN Region. #
