Issue 26

The increasing demand for Halal cosmetics provides a clear market for businesses to enter the cosmetics market for Muslim women.

The global Halal cosmetics industry is huge. According to advertising company JWT MENA, estimates place it as high as US$14 billion, with annual growth of 20%. Especially in the country’s southern provinces with their large Muslim populations, there is great potential for growth within the Halal cosmetics market in Thailand.

The founder of Pimmara cosmetics, Pimmara Sridokbuab, 24, says she started manufacturing Halal cosmetics and skincare products in 2012, after experiencing success selling hijabs online. Starting from an online shop with nationwide delivery, she discovered that there was a greater demand for Halal cosmetics from Muslim women than she had previously anticipated.

“The feedback was great,” says Sridokbuab. “Within six months of launching the brand solely online using Facebook and social media, I had received such a large number of orders that I had to establish provincial distribution centres in the Southern provinces. To date, there are now more than eight distribution centres, with two shops in Bangkok.”

Sridokbuab says that her clients range from teenagers to middle-aged women who appreciate the Halal certificate. However as Pimmara’s cosmetics are organic, its products are suitable for customers who are allergic to certain chemicals.

Ensuring a high level of consistency is important to Sridokbuab. “I think our success lies in the quality of the products, as we produce the cosmetics in small batches, with most sold within two months of manufacturing,” she says. “The packaging laboratories are hygienic, as GMP-certificate officials conduct quality controls every three months.”

In 2014, Pimmara cosmetics received an invitation from the DITP to participate in the Beauty World Middle East trade fair in Dubai, UAE. There, Sridokbuab learned about the importance of Halal certificates in different countries. “Now we are studying the benefits of the AEC, especially about taxes and imports, because we want to target the Muslim population in Indonesia and Malaysia, though some non-Muslims are using our cosmetics as well,” she says.

Pimmara is not alone in looking towards the growth regional Muslim market. In January 2015, while a guest lecturer at the Halal Centre in Songkla Province, Sridokbuab met dozens of representatives from cosmetics brands looking to get Halal certification in order to expand their market.

Looking into the future, the young entrepreneur is developing new packaging for her products to enter the premium segment of the market. She also has plans to launch a beauty salon this year that uses only Halal products. “I think establishing a salon that directly serves Muslim women in a closed environment using Halal products would be appropriate for those who cannot take off the hijab among members of the opposite sex,” she says.

Words by Sirinuch Borsub