As halal certification extends beyond food into personal care, oral products like mouthwash are becoming a key area for consumer interest. The demand for halal mouthwash is increasing as consumers become more aware of the ingredients in the products they use.
Initially, having halal certification gave access to the Muslim-majority market. With the increase in the population of Muslims in diaspora, even mouthwash manufacturers are finding it necessary to seek halal certification.
So, what does ‘halal’ mean, and how do you make your product halal certified? Here is a step-by-step guide on how to obtain halal mouthwash certification, explaining why it matters, and the challenges you may encounter during the process.
What Does "Halal" Mean in Personal Care Products?
The word halal is Arabic, meaning “the permitted or considered clean.” The Quran dictates what humankind should eat (halal) and prohibits certain substances completely or due to their preparation method.
Prohibited food and substances are considered haram. Consuming haram substances is contrary to the teachings of Islam. Muslim shoppers observing halal dietary laws will strictly avoid any product with haram substances or with unclear manufacturing practices.
Definition of Halal in the Context of Cosmetics and Oral Care
Halal personal care products are those that only use substances permitted according to Islamic dietary laws. It also shows that the manufacturer is following the Halal Good Manufacturing Procedures, which ensures the product is free from any contamination by haram substances
Halal vs Haram Mouthwash Products
| Halal-Certified Mouthwash | Haram Mouthwash |
Ainesosat | Uses only halal-permitted substances; free from alcohol and prohibited animal derivatives. | May contain alcohol, gelatin, glycerin, or animal-based ingredients from haram sources. |
Manufacturing Process | Produced in a facility that prevents cross-contamination with haram substances. | Risk of contamination with prohibited substances due to mixed-use facilities. |
Market Reach | Appeals to Muslim consumers globally and is welcomed in halal-conscious markets. | May not be accepted in Muslim-majority regions or by halal-conscious consumers. |
Consumer Appeal | Also preferred by non-Muslim consumers for ethical, vegan, and natural ingredient options. | May lack transparency in sourcing and ethical considerations. |
Importance of Halal Certification for Muslim Consumers
The importance of halal certification for Muslim consumers is that it assures them of ethical production and eliminates any guilty conscience when using the product. Muslims who strictly abide by halal practice are unlikely to buy a personal care product that contains a haram substance.
Step-by-Step Halal Mouthwash Certification Process
Halal certification is a sign of compliance with Sharia law, ensuring your mouthwash is free from ingredients that are haram. It opens doors to Muslim consumers, who seek halal-certified products for religious and ethical reasons. Non-Muslims also associate halal certification with high-quality and transparency.
The procedure is the same as for the halal cosmetic certification process. Here are the steps to follow in the halal certification process for mouthwash:
1. Ingredient Sourcing
Prohibited (haram) vs. permissible (halal) substances
You must ensure you use halal ingredients in mouthwash. The ingredients should not only be halal but must come from halal-compliant suppliers. The material handling during delivery, storage, and processing must also adhere to halal guidelines. Avoid haram substances like alcohol, pork-based products, blood, or ingredients sourced from animals that died before slaughter.
Common concerns in oral care (e.g., alcohol, gelatin, glycerin)
Alcohol, gelatin, and glycerin are common ingredients in mouthwash products. Alcohol is strictly prohibited. However, plant-based glycerin and gelatin are generally considered halal. If you are using animal-based gelatin or glycerin, you have to ensure that it is not from pork or permitted animals slaughtered contrary to Sharia provisions.
Verifying suppliers and raw material documentation
When selecting raw materials suppliers for your mouthwash, you need to ensure they comply with halal GMP standards. Halal compliance for oral care products demands that ingredients must be free from any contamination. The supplier must also be willing to provide necessary raw material documentation for verification during audits.
2. Manufacturing Process Review
To achieve a halal certification for mouthwash, inspectors will need to verify the manufacturing process. Halal compliance for oral care involves a manufacturing process review targeting:
Equipment sanitation and cross-contamination prevention
You must use permissible sanitising agents and set procedures during sanitation processes. Halal hygiene product approval requires a high level of cleanliness to prevent cross-contamination.
Dedicated production lines or thorough cleaning protocols
If you manufacture multiple products that contain haram substances, you require dedicated production lines. You will also need to maintain thorough cleaning protocols for shared equipment and processing lines to ensure Zero-contamination levels.
Compliance with Halal Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
Another thing that the auditors check is your adherence to halal Good Manufacturing Practices. GMP is a standard requirement in the pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors. However, being halal-certified requires more, including staff training on halal requirements and ensuring zero contamination.
3. Packaging and Labelling Compliance
After passing verification on the material and halal cosmetic manufacturing process, you must also follow the laid-down requirements when packing your halal mouthwash. The package material, preservatives used, and handling of the final product play a critical role in halal certification.
Approved packaging materials
You will need to use packaging materials that can’t contaminate your halal mouthwash. Some materials used for mouthwash packaging may contain prohibited substances or come from an environment that does not observe halal guidelines.
Label requirements
Your mouthwash label must display a halal logo from the certification body that issued the certificate. Some certification bodies are more recognised than others. The label should also contain other relevant information about the product’s ingredients and batch details.
Transparency in product composition
Ensure your halal mouthwash product label displays transparent information about the ingredients used. If a deeper analysis of the product composition reveals contamination with haram substances, you risk losing the certification. Also, it is going against the Muslim faith.
4. Third-Party Audits and Inspections
During the application process and after obtaining halal mouthwash certification, you will have third-party audits and inspections.
Role of halal certifying bodies
There are a variety of halal certifying bodies, some of which are specific to a particular region, while others are recognised globally. Their role is to ensure that manufacturers are following halal good manufacturing practices.
The leading halal certifying bodies in cosmetics recognised in the UK and USA are JAKIM, IFANCA, and HCA. Having their logo on your mouthwash gives the product a more competitive advantage in the Western market.
On-site audits and documentation review
Regardless of the certifying body you choose, it must conduct an on-site audit during the certification process. The inspectors will also perform a documentation review to verify the information in the application submission.
You will have to bear the inspection and audit costs, which include the inspectors’ and auditors’ transport and other incidental expenses they incur during the process.
Frequency of audits and recertification
Expect on-site audits and inspections during the halal mouthwash certification process. There will also be yearly or half-yearly audits for annual renewals to ensure you are maintaining your status. Some bodies may conduct unannounced spot checks to ensure compliance.
5. Final Certification and Market Approval
Once approved, the certifying body will issue you a certificate and permission to use the certificate logo. You need to display the certificate logo proudly to attract Muslim consumers who look for the halal logo when shopping.
The validity period of a halal certificate may differ depending on the body. However, international halal certifying bodies generally give a validity period of 3 years for pharmaceutical, OEM, and cosmetics products.
When you receive halal mouthwash certification, it may also provide access to halal-certified product databases. However, some bodies may require that a certain number of years pass before a product can be certified as halal or added to a halal-certified product database.
The database opens doors for your product, including recognition by Muslim governments and organisations, as well as tenders.
Why Halal Certification Matters in the Oral Care Industry
We use oral care products directly in our mouth hygiene. So, knowing that the product you are using does not contain prohibited substances will give you peace of mind. Halal certification for cosmetics and personal care products not only assures consumers of the ingredients in the formula but also demonstrates higher ethical standards.
Here are some key reasons why halal certification is vital in the oral care industry.
Consumer trust and market demand
When your product bears the halal certification logo, you will build consumer trust. Creating Muslim-friendly oral care products, such as halal mouthwash, helps target a broader market. Halal certification helps target the Muslim-majority market, both in the diaspora and abroad.
Non-Muslims are also embracing halal oral care products. As consumers become more familiar with halal certification, they associate it with ethics and good manufacturing practices, which builds trust.
Global halal cosmetic market trends
The global halal cosmetic market trends show positive growth. There is an increase in the Muslim population in the West, and having halal certification will give your product a competitive advantage.
In the Middle East and Asia, there is an increase in the middle-class population. The population growth and rise in disposable income levels indicate a broader market’s capability.
Ethical and clean-label advantages
The Internet and Global growth in the education sector have made information accessibility easy. People are becoming increasingly aware of the ingredients used and are becoming more selective. They are even observant of your manufacturing procedures.
Halal certification, associated with strict Muslim dietary laws, demonstrates a higher level of ethics. Due to its technical, sanitation, and cross-contamination reduction requirements, many people seek halal certified mouthwash for a clean-label option.
Challenges in Halal Mouthwash Certification
Some entrepreneurs may encounter some challenges with halal certifying mouthwash products. Conventional mouthwash uses ingredients, procedures, and systems that are haram. The main difficulties in halal logo labelling requirements are:
Alcohol-based ingredients in conventional formulas
Most conventional mouthwash formulas include alcohol as an ingredient. Alcohol, both as a substance in the formula or used for other purposes within the manufacturing line, contaminates your mouthwash product.
However, many mouthwash formulas do not use alcohol. You can look for a non-alcohol mouthwash formula or even one that uses other natural substances that are halal.
Difficulty in sourcing halal-compliant glycerin or flavours
Glycerin is a versatile ingredient with diverse applications in food, oral care, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. So, is glycerin halal in dental care products? The everyday use of glycerin in oral care products is as a sweetener or preservative. A critical concern among the Muslim community is the glycerin status as a halal ingredient.
Plant-based glycerin from palm oil or soybean is considered halal. The halal status of animal-based glycerin depends on the type of animal and its slaughtering status. The slaughtering of the halal animal must also follow Islamic law. In most cases, personal care products use plant-based glycerin, which is considered halal. There also exist synthetic glycerin and flavours.
The complexity of verifying every supplier in the supply chain
You may not have access to complete information regarding your supplier’s operations. Inspecting suppliers involves costs, and excessive scrutiny may be perceived as distrustful by the other party. However, you can seek your ingredients from an already established halal-certified ingredients supplier to minimise verification cost and time.
Ferrying of ingredients from the supplier to your premises must also meet halal rules. If you are outsourcing a transport company, it might increase the risk of contamination with haram items. The sanitation procedure of the delivery vessel may also pose a threat of cross-contamination. To ensure a smooth manufacturing process, consider contracting a halal mouthwash manufacturer to source ingredients and produce halal mouthwash.
Final Thoughts: Ensuring Halal Integrity from Start to Finish
The key steps in the halal mouthwash certification process include sourcing ingredients, reviewing the manufacturing process, ensuring compliance with packaging and labelling requirements, conducting audits and inspections, and obtaining the final certificate.
Here are some tips on how to make halal certified mouthwash:
- Ensure you use and source halal ingredients from suppliers that are compliant.
- Align your manufacturing process to meet halal standards.
- To achieve halal hygiene product approval, ensure you follow the laid-down sanitation and cleaning procedures.
- Maintain proper documentation of your inventory and manufacturing activities.
- Facilitate halal certifying bodies, auditors, and inspectors in their work.
- Ensure you use the halal logo on your product label and provide transparency of the ingredients.
Halal mouthwash certification doesn’t just aim at targeting the Muslim majority market. It demonstrates that your halal mouthwash adheres to ethical and inclusive production standards. Even non-Muslims are embracing products with a halal logo due to their association with cleanliness, transparency, and the offer of vegan and natural mouthwash options.
FAQ
Is alcohol-free mouthwash automatically halal?
No, alcohol free mouthwash may contain prohibited flavours or other substances. The factory may also fail to adhere to Halal Good Manufacturing practices.
How long does it take to get halal mouthwash certification?
The duration between application submission and certification may vary depending on the certifying body, logistics, and your compliance level. However, you can obtain a halal certificate within 8-12 weeks after submitting your application.
Which halal bodies are most recognised globally?
The most recognised halal certifying bodies globally are JAKIM, IFANCA, and HCA.
Can a product be both halal and vegan?
Yes, vegan mouthwash products can easily qualify for halal certification. Vegan products use ingredients sourced from edible plants, which are halal.
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