Safe and Halal Cosmetics Preferences

Awareness of the important of halal cosmetics

The society awareness concerning the safety of cosmetics (make-up) application is improving in line with many revealing cases that evidently resulted from the outcome of dangerous cosmetic substances. However, this consciousness of the Muslim ummah to observe the Halal substances in cosmetics is still very low.
This awareness is far down lower than the awareness of the important of Halal cosmetics. Therefore, the cosmetic producer will not receive any complaint in regard to the hazardous substances. This matter has a positive correlation, in which cosmetic producers is not interested to enlist their product to get the Halal Certification. Some of cosmetics producers were trying to sign up their products, but slowly withdraw their objective to get Halal certifications.
Such condition will make the Muslim Community needs to be educated in order to choose their cosmetics. This knowledge is still not enough to determine their options since until today; there are not many cosmetic products that put their substance formation on their cosmetics labels. In general the producers only giving out the active substances, but many do not put any information at all. To face with this reality, the following are some preventive measure in choosing the safe and halal cosmetics.
1. The Legitimacy of Cosmetic Products.
To Choose the lawful cosmetic products, Consumers must look for the registration number on product’s label, which was endorsed by Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM) – Drugs and Food Monitoring Bureau. For the local cosmetics, cosmetics, the production code initial is CD, and for the foreign/imported cosmetics, the production code initial is CL. The Cosmetic products legality is a very important thing to be observed, since nowadays there are many cosmetics products that have very interesting benefit and price, hence not yet legally enlisted in BPOM, when that happen, it will make such products application side effects from dangerous substances is not held under the liability producers.
2. Products list composition.
With the cosmetic consumer’s knowledge of the cosmetic substances, consumers have several options to determine which cosmetics products which are safe and halal to be applied. The consumers must know what the substance formulas are used in cosmetics products. This information is provided by cosmetic producers, if they are truthful to put down the list of their substances in the cosmetics label. Unfortunately, not many producers have done such labeling substances information of their cosmetic products. They limit our knowledge to just put down the active ingredients, and some only put down the benefit without information of the substance used. To deal with this situation, the consumers must struggle to find away to find more information or to find the alternative products, which more enlightening.
3. Name and Address of the Producers
In any case that substance formula is not listed in cosmetic label; the Consumers could directly acquired information from the producers. This can only be done if the producers provided the complete information of their customer services that can be reached by phone, facsimile or e-mail. From a real life experience, the producers might be reluctant to respond if the consumer is asking whether or not the cosmetics products used the Halal substances. This is happened most likely because halal food is such a sensitive issue in Indonesia . Information in regard of any animals stuff in the cosmetic products is easier to give out, other than halal status reasons, but more relating to healthcare concern, such as allergic reactions.
This concludes of several things that need to be observed and some actions to be taken for consumers to obtain all the information concerning safe and halal cosmetics products. It is not easy to find the information needed. Cosmetics consumers in Indonesia are still unaware of this information, hard effort is necessary to acquire all that information needed. This matter should not lessen the attempt to fight and to obtain the consumer’s right for the proper and accurate information. The ignorance of consumers of their rights will have an impact that the producers will not have the sense of responsibility for the rights of consumers. From now on, let us begin from within ourselves.