On Certification and Beauty: Representations of Halal Cosmetics on YouTube in Indonesia

With the world’s largest Muslim population, IndonesiaIndonesia is one of the world’s most prospering Islamic economies, with a leading role in many halal market, market sectors. Since 2018, food and cosmeticsCosmetics have been certified by the Indonesia Ulama Council (Majelis Ulama IndonesiaMajelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI); MUI), which is the bodyBody for issuing fatwas (religious edicts) in IndonesiaIndonesia. This has opened more opportunities for the sales market of halal-certified (permitted, legal) cosmeticsCosmetics. The potential of halal products, products has prompted Incumbent Indonesian Vice President K.H. Ma’ruf AminAmin, K.H. Ma’ruf to announce in June 2021 that IndonesiaIndonesia aims to become the largest producer and exporter of halal goods globally. This paper examines the interplay between certificationCertification and beautyBeauty, using the example of halal-labelled cosmeticsCosmetics on YouTubeYoutube. The first objective of this chapter is to analyze how commercialsCommercials on halal cosmetics , cosmetics combine notions of Islamic identity and beautyBeauty, and thus set new standards for a gendered Indonesian halal lifestyle, lifestyle. The second objective is to strengthen an understanding of how Islamic male preachers discuss halal cosmetics, cosmetics on YouTubeYoutube. The analysis reveals how halal , cosmetics commercialsCommercials, on the one hand, and Islamic male preachers, on the other, pursue the same objective to funnel the halal label, label into concrete instructions.