Japan Eyes Halal Cosmetics Market

By Syed Iylia Hariz Al-Qadri Syed Izman KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- The Japanese cosmetics industry is keen to enter the halal markets in Muslim countries, says the Japan Cosmetic Industry Association. Its director of internal division Tetsuya Kambe said although demand for cosmetics products in Muslim countries is growing, the biggest challenge is to obtain halal certification especially for some of the ingredients used in the products. The association also sees cooperation with Malaysia as a good platform to venture into the halal market as the country is considered a global hub for the production and trade of halal goods and services, he said. "The halal industry is booming and the demand in Muslim countries for cosmetics products is also encouraging. "But we still need to study it, and we are still discussing the potential of the halal industry," he told Bernama at the Japan Beauty Week Seminar held at the residence of the Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia here Wednesday. Japan’s annual beauty and personal care market is worth about US$50 billion in size, second only to the United States (which is about US$70 billion), according to Euromonitor International. Although the cosmetics market in Japan is one of the most competitive in the world and is largely dominated by domestic manufacturers like Shiseido, Kanebo, Kose and Kao, these companies and consumers are still actively seeking innovative products from overseas. Meanwhile, Japanese Embassy economic affairs counselor and director Kohei Nakamura said Japanese cosmetic products could face greater competition in Malaysia when the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement comes into force. "(But) this is an opportunity to improve the quality of our products. We value our competition, it is going to be challenging but we think positively," he said. Nakamura said Malaysia imported Japanese cosmetics products worth two billion yen (US$17.84 million) last year. -- BERNAMA