“Malaysia is the center of the global halal industry. The Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM) is a government agency responsible for the development of Malaysian halal standards. “We establish and promote national standards for various industries including halal.”
HUSSALMIZZAR BIN HUSSAIN Senior Director, Department of Standards Malaysia.
He is in charge of the national halal standards system under the Malaysian government. This is the step to establish a global halal platform and expand international exchange.
Malaysia's consumer market is recovering after COVID-19. With the popularization of the Korean Wave, K-beauty awareness has increased. This serves as an opportunity for K-Halal cosmetics to enter the Malaysian and Islamic markets.
“Malaysia leads the global halal market. Trust in Korean cosmetics is high, and natural and organic basic cosmetics and color cosmetics used by Korean celebrities are popular among young people. After COVID-19, color cosmetics sales decreased, while basic cosmetics sales increased. “JAKIM Halal certification is essential to enter the Malaysian beauty market.”
In Malaysia, Muslims make up 61% of the total population. Recently, as Muslims' purchasing power for cosmetics has increased, a green light has been given to the halal market. The cosmetics market targeting Muslims is growing at an average annual rate of more than 15%.
Senior Director MIZZAR says that to obtain Malaysian halal certification, one must comply with national standards. The Department of Standards of Malaysia is the agency entrusted for developing national halal standards (MS STANDARDS).
“Malaysia Halal certification is a shortcut to quality recognition among Muslims. This is an opportunity to expand our distribution network to Islamic countries. “Malaysia will be an attractive option for Korean companies taking their first steps into the halal market.”
Senior Director MIZZAR emphasizes that in the case of cosmetics, notifying the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), Ministry of Health Malaysia is essential as the regulatory agency for cosmetics before receiving Malaysian Jakim Halal certification. It may be a difficult process for a company, but obtaining Jakim Halal certification can secure global public trust.
Recently, the perception that halal products are safe is spreading regardless of religious reasons because Malaysian standards cover all aspects of safety, quality and efficacy. Muslim consumers as well as non-Muslim consumers have begun to look for halal products. K-Halal food continues to increase awareness in the Islamic market, and K-Beauty is also slowly preparing to take off.
“Malaysia standards are a measure of improving the quality of products and services. It is related to the environment, safety, health, and consumer protection. “Products that meet agreed upon and recognized standards are future-proof.”
Going forward, Senior Director MIZZAR plans to strengthen joint research on standards with Korea. We are seeking practical ways to cooperate for international standardization strategies between Malaysia and Korea.
Senior Director MIZZAR said he hopes that Korea's excellent cosmetics companies will enter Malaysia and contribute to the development between the two countries. He concluded the interview by looking forward to active exchanges between Korea and Malaysia.
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* Who Is He?
Senior Director MIZZAR is devoted to promoting world’s halal standards. His role is not limited to the areas of standardization and certification. He is also responsible for establishing foreign relations cooperation and expanding trade promotion through international exchanges.
In particular, Senior Director MIZZAR is very interested in Korea. The goal is to serve as a bridgehead to expand exchanges between Malaysia and Korea.
Senior Director MIZZAR majored in chemical engineering at the University of Technology Malaysia in 1997. Subsequently, in 1999, he rose to the position of Assistant Director for Standards at the Malaysian Standards Authority.
From 2011 to 2014, he served as Scientific Officer at the Malaysian Delegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris. He worked towards Malaysia to have joined the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) in 2014.
In 2017, he took office as co-chair of the standards subcommittee of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement. Since 2017, he has been leading the Malaysian delegation to the ASEAN Advisory Committee on Standards and Quality (ACCSQ).
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* This interview was conducted with the help of Hong Young-bae, CEO of T&C Certification Institute.
