ABSTRACT
The ingredients of cosmetic products are the mixture of chemical substances derived from natural or synthetic sources. The substances are used as either active (functional) or excipient (additional) ingredients. The source of origin of the ingredients is a critical point for the determination of halal status. Halal is an Arabic word that means things or actions that are permitted by the Islamic law. A halal product can be interpreted as something permissible for consumption by Muslims. Thus, the objective of this study was to understand the critical points for the differences between halal and general cosmetics, and their classifi cations. This study also identifies issues related to the safety of cosmetic ingredients that may affect the halal status of a cosmetic product. The method used was document and content analyses. The main documents that were analyzed include Malaysian Standard MS 2634:2019, Manual Procedure for Malaysia Halal Certification issued by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia or Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), and Guidelines for the Control of Cosmetic Products issued by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency under the Ministry of Health of Malaysia. This study finding describes four critical points of differences, namely, (i) ingredient, (ii) processing, (iii) safety, and (iv) ethics and responsibility. The classification of ingredients is based on the origin of ingredients, and the safety aspect can assist in the determination of halal status. This study suggested the integration between the origin of ingredients, and the safety and ethical aspects in the evaluation of halal cosmetic to better describe the practical aspect of halal-tayyib in cosmetics. The integration of safety and halal, and ethics and responsibility are suggested to better describe the practical aspect of halal-tayyib in cosmetics.
