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IHI ALLIANCE AT HALCOS 2010

Posted on 30 June 2010

In April 2010, the first ever conference dedicated to Halal cosmetics, International Conference on Halal Cosmetics and Toiletries (HalCos) was held at Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur gathering subject matter experts and industry leaders to discuss the niche potential of the industry in the global Halal market. More than 15 speakers from Australia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and United Kingdom were present at the two-day international conference.

Officiated by Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, the conference saw panelists and audience tackling some of the pressing issues in the awakening of global awareness of Halal cosmetics as part of the mainstream beauty market that has an estimated value of over USD270 billion annually.

Speaking to reporters after the launch, Mukhriz said Malaysia has a huge potential to develop more brands for the export market. "Malaysian producers should not be solely looking at penetrating the regional or Muslim markets alone. If we plan at an early stage to enter the global market as a whole, we possess the potential to be competitive within markets, including Europe, United States and Australia as well," he said, adding that Halal cosmetics are gaining acceptance by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

CEO of IHI Alliance, Darhim Hashim presented a paper entitled “Modular Approach to Developing Halal Cosmetics Standard” giving an overview of Halal cosmetics potential and urging the need for proper regulation and harmonisation.

“Guidelines must be user-friendly and clear, given that most of the big players are non-Muslim owned multi-nationals,” explained Darhim. He later gave an update on IHI Alliance’s global Halal initiatives in developing a single standard aimed to be the guideline for Halal development in Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) member countries.

Halal Cosmetics and Toiletries is one of the draft modules of the ICCI-IHI Alliance Halal Standard set to be released at the upcoming 5^th World Halal Forum in June.

Another interesting topic presented at the conference was on the evolution of Halal industry and its future delivered by Hajj Abdalhamid David Evans from Imarat Consultants. Evans took the audience on the evolution of Halal industry that began with small establishments of Halal meat outlets by Muslim immigrants scattered around the world to the current scenario, where the industry is blossoming with opportunities especially in countries like Brunei and Malaysia where the government places vital support in developing the industry.