Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, receives Halal certifications for cosmetics effect and care solutions portfolio

• 284 products comply with several international recognized halal standards
• Origin of each individual ingredient and the supply chain of the products that are purchased and used adhere to religious prescriptions
• Growing demand for halal-certified ingredients in Islamic countries

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, today announced that the entire cosmetics portfolio as well as the Candurin® portfolio for food and pharmaceuticals have been certified according to several international recognized halal standards. Thus, their portfolio of halal certified products now also includes special effect pigments, cosmetic ingredients, functional fillers, and food colorants. The almost 300 products complement around 800 halal certified products, that are already offered by the Life Science business sector of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

“There is an increasing demand for halal products across the globe, more prominently in Muslim dominated countries. Our portfolio now offers a wide range of halal certified cosmetics products and solutions.” Dorothea Wenzel, Head of Surface Solutions at the Electronics business sector of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, explained. “Today, many customers have a particular high awareness regarding the ingredients of the cosmetics products they use, and we see that the importance of this aspect continuously increases.” The global market of halal-compliant cosmetic is expected to significantly grow in the upcoming years.

Halal products are sourced and manufactured with ingredients that are “permissible” under Islamic law. Along the entire value chain, strict guidelines for raw material purchasing, manufacturing, filling, warehousing, and transport are followed to ensure product purity in compliance with religious prescriptions.

Therefore, the production facilities of their manufacturing sites in Darmstadt, Gernsheim, Mollet, Onahama and Savannah had to ensure that they are producing in accordance with the individual halal standards.

For the certification, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, worked with a network of certification bodies across the globe. Halal Quality Control, Darmstadt (HQC) audited and certified the German sites Darmstadt and Gernsheim as well as Mollet in Spain. The U.S.-based site in Savannah, Georgia, has been certified by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), whereas the site in Onahama, Japan was inspected and certified by the Japan Halal Association (JHA).