Easing access: South Korea will strengthen support for local cosmetics companies to obtain halal certification

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of South Korea will strengthen its halal certification support program to facilitate local companies to enter the growing halal cosmetics market.

Starting in July, the MFDS worked with the Korea Halal Industry Institute, a research institute, to carry out the program, which has been implemented since 2016.
According to MFDS, Muslims account for 24.7% of the world's population (about 1.9 billion), and the halal market is worth about 2 trillion US dollars and is growing steadily at a rate of 8.9% per year.

Accompanying this growth is the continuous expansion of the halal cosmetics market, which has brought about an increasing demand for halal certification. As part of the support program, MFDS will provide online training on halal cosmetics certification and licensing procedures for business operators seeking to enter the halal market. In addition, seminars and consultations with experts from halal certification agencies at home and abroad will be organized.

"The program will provide halal certification procedure training at more than 50 locations, hold consultation sessions at more than 10 locations, and hold at least three seminars." "We will continue to do our best to support domestic cosmetics companies so that they can lead the global market with their superior technical strength," the MFDS said.

In 2023, the agency conducted halal cosmetics certification procedure training at 73 locations, three halal cosmetics international seminars, provided on-site consultations to companies at five locations, and held three consultation sessions with overseas certification agencies.
Of the companies that participated in these activities last year, four are currently applying for halal certification and six are preparing to apply.

In its statement, the MFDS stressed that Indonesia is an important Muslim market in Southeast Asia and that the department is promoting mandatory halal certification for halal cosmetics distributed in the country.

By October 2026, halal cosmetics must obtain a halal certificate issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs Halal Product Assurance Organization (BPJPH), and halal-certified products must carry a halal label on their packaging.

These products include cosmetics and skin care products such as lipstick and lip balm, as well as personal care products such as mouthwash, toothpaste, body lotion, soap and nail polish.

The MFDS support project will play an important role in helping Korean companies prepare and meet these regulatory requirements.

On July 3, the agency held a meeting with Shin Jun-soo, Director of the Biopharmaceutical Bureau of the Food and Drug Administration, and Suitno (M.Ag), Deputy Minister of Research, Development and Training of the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs, to discuss cooperation measures on halal certification.

"In order to enable domestic cosmetics companies to actively enter the Indonesian market, we request the Korean Halal Certification Agency and BPJPH to conduct a rapid evaluation to achieve mutual recognition."