Consumers and Halal cosmetic products:

knowledge, religiosity, attitude and intention

The Arabic term “halal” means lawful and those products which are not contaminated with pork,
alcohol and livestock slaughtered in accordance to Islamic laws. Muslims believe that halal products
are cleaner healthier and tastier. Halal extends to also all consumables like toiletries, pharmaceuticals
and even investments and business. The global Muslim population accounts for 23% of the world’s
population and the global market for halal food and halal lifestyle is estimated to be worth $1.62
trillion and expected to reach $2.47 trillion by 2018. In 2012 Muslims spent $26 billion on halal
cosmetics alone. A survey was taken in the UAE in 2011 and it was found that there was a significant
difference between attitudes towards Halal cosmetic products and attitudes towards Halal food
products and also a significant difference between intentions to buy Halal cosmetic products and
intention to buy Halal food products. The surveys were conducted in Malaysia and used self-
administered questionnaires, five point rating scales and convenience sampling to collect data. From
the data collected it is evident that there exists a positive relationship between religiosity and attitude
and the intention to choose halal cosmetic products. The limitation of this study is that it was limited
to Malaysia only. This study clearly indicates that religiosity is one of the main factors that should be
taken into account in promoting their cosmetic products in Malaysia.