Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – With Muslims in Indonesia becoming increasingly devout in recent decades, an exclusively Islamic market has now evolved, offering strictly halal products. They range from exclusive Islamic housing estates to cosmetics and foodstuff.
Take Pusaka Tradisi Ibu, a company that produces the only beauty products in the country with a halal certificate.
Founder and owner Nurhayati Subakat had worked for the cosmetics company Wella. In 1985, she quit that company to start her own business, supplying beauty salons with her Putri products. Ten years later, she decided to go Muslim with her products all the way.
She told The Straits Times: "We wanted to make beauty products that are halal for Muslims." So it came up with the Wardah and Zahra brands, which are devoid of elements not permissible for Muslims such as alcohol and pig-related products.
She expects to penetrate international markets such as Malaysia, Brunei and the Middle East.
The Indonesian Ulama Council has so far issued halal certificates for only about 500 locally made products. Council officials predict that 90 per cent of the locally made products in the domestic market may not be halal.
Name is important to ensure buyers that their products are halal. Manufacturers of instant noodles, for example, have adopted Arabic-sounding names to attract Muslim buyers to their halal products.
These include Alhami, a name derived from the Arabic word Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God) and mie (noodle), and Santrimie (from the word Santri or Islamic student), Salam Mie and Mie Barokah.
They may be small in comparison to the more established instant noodle makers such as Indofood, but they have been able to penetrate the market by selling noodles at lower prices.
Some of the Islamic products may only be sold in certain stores or in circles such as the Islamic multi-level marketing network Ahadnet Internasional, where members can buy anything from halal toothpaste to car shampoos and get discounts and perks for recruiting new members.
Analysts say not to expect too much as yet from these products. But they do have potential, considering that nearly 200 million Indonesians are Muslims.