US beauty and personal care manufacturers are preparing for Indonesia’s upcoming halal requirement, which will apply to all personal care products entering the market from October 2026. The mandate is expected to influence not only product development but also facility operations and supplier relationships across the category.
“You don’t want to be in a situation where you are certifying right by the deadline and you still need to be working through labels,” said Mohammad Hussaini, director of the American Halal Foundation (AHF) in a video interview with CosmeticsDesign. He noted that companies “ought to give themselves a buffer in terms of the labeling before the deadline kicks in.”
Facility and product compliance requirements
Indonesia’s BPJPH system requires two levels of compliance: facility-level and product-level. Facilities must register to ensure controls that prevent contamination, while products must avoid non-halal animal derivatives and meet ethanol thresholds, with some exceptions for cosmetics.
Ingredient documentation varies by risk level, ranging from halal certification for certain animal-derived materials to specification sheets for single-origin, low-risk inputs.
Hussaini recommends brands secure certification by August 2026 to allow the 60-day window needed for final registration and label compliance.
‘What about CMOs?’
For manufacturers working with contract partners, the requirements extend beyond brand owners. As detailed by the AHF, CMOs must agree to undergo an audit, report any changes that could impact halal integrity, designate an internal halal coordinator and complete the certification process in order to receive a Halal Production Facility Registration.
According to Hussaini, these steps may require early coordination between brands and their outsourced facilities, particularly where shared equipment, material changeovers or documentation gaps exist.
Market implications beyond Indonesia
While Indonesia is the primary driver for many US companies, Hussaini said the commercial reach of certification extends far beyond it. “Indonesia is just one part, perhaps less than a tenth of the global market for halal,” he said, adding that “once you get certified…you’re really certified for the global markets so you can drive trust, brand growth, loyalty, you can access that globally.”
He also highlighted a combined audit pathway for halal and vegan certification offered under AHF’s parent company, Carat Global Assurance, which can reduce audit time and resource use by at least 20 percent.
Hussaini encouraged companies to evaluate their portfolios and supply chains now. “It’s really important to just understand what steps you need to take now, understand your portfolio, understand if this market going to be a greater part of your strategy, and if so, then take the steps to understand your supply chain and do the necessary work to bring it into compliance,” he said.
