The Department of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) has forged partnership with the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman for the bench-scale production, safety assessment and market research of halal cosmetics and toiletries.
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the ITDI signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with UP Diliman for the implementation of the project from May 17 to October 31, 2021.
He said under the project, the ITDI Halal Cosmetics and Toiletries R&D Team will provide 50 sets of halal-compliant products. These include moisturizing lipstick, moisturizing lip balm, shampoo with hair-growth promoting properties, whitening, and moisturizing bath soap, and whitening herbal toothpaste.
The products were developed through the project “Establishment of Halal-Compliant Standardized Process and Assurance System for Cosmetics and Toiletries,” which is funded by DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD).
The PCIEERD-funded project is a component of the DOST Halal Science and Technology (S&T) Program.
“On the other hand, UP Diliman will conduct market research on the developed halal-compliant products. They will determine demand potential among consumers, including market size, segmentation, potential positioning of halal cosmetics, price sensitivity, placement points, and identify likely manufacturers, including cost sensitivity and product competitiveness,” de la Peña said.
He said the partnership between the DOST-ITDI and UP Diliman seeks to promote ITDI-developed technologies and determine the consumers’ priority needs in terms of sensory attributes and specifications to further improve the formulated halal-compliant products.