The vegan trend of avoiding consuming animal foods is now increasingly popular. The vegan lifestyle initially focused on food, but it has spread to other aspects, such as cosmetics.
Currently, more and more body care and beauty products claim to be free from animal ingredients. The Asia Pacific region of Indonesia is among those with the most vegan product enthusiasts from young people.
There is an assumption that vegan cosmetics are identical to natural cosmetics, even though not all natural cosmetics are vegan. According to the Ecocert Cosmos and Nature Organization, the definition of natural cosmetics must contain 95% ingredients sourced from natural ingredients and their derivatives, such as animals, plants, and microorganisms.
Meanwhile, organic cosmetics must contain 95% natural ingredients, which is different in the process. Regarding the process, 20% of them must go through organic methods to obtain ingredients from their sources.
“Natural and organic cosmetics can contain ingredients derived from animal elements. Meanwhile, vegan cosmetics are definitely natural and organic because they come from a plant base. Of course this is a different thing,” said Head of Skinproof, apt. Theresia Sinandang, S.Farm.
Another misconception circulating in the community is related to cosmetics containing honey but claiming to be vegan products. As we all know, honey is a derivative of bees. This is still a misperception when determining vegan products.
The Senior Expert Pharmaceutical and Food Supervisor of the Directorate of Processed Food Registration of BPOM, Dra. Wiryani, Apt, said that essential things need to be considered when including a vegan logo on a product that is claimed to be vegan and will be distributed in Indonesia. For example, the product must be certified vegan, have animal-free test results, and have a vegan certificate issued by an authorized institution.
“The government itself has enforced regulations related to vegan products as stated in BPOM RI Regulation Number 31 of 2018 Article 64 concerning Processed Food Labels. This regulation states that the inclusion of the vegan logo or writing on the product must be proven by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis. Animal DNA analysis is carried out by accredited laboratories such as the LPPOM MUI Laboratory or laboratories appointed by the government,” explained Wiryani.
Meanwhile, Widya Palupi Herminingsih, S.Si, Apt, as a representative of the Indonesian Food and Beverage Producers Association (GAPMMI), said that plant-based and vegan foods would be attractive to consumers as long as the taste, nutrition, and texture are similar or better than real meat-based foods.
“Plant-based and vegan foods have great market potential in Indonesia. This will be an opportunity for plant-based and vegan foods as alternative foods to achieve balanced nutrition. Even in Indonesia, vegan food and beverages have the highest level of popularity and beat other Asian countries, such as India, Malaysia, and the Philippines,” explained Widya.
In response to this need, the LPPOM Laboratory, accredited with SNI ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 by the National Accreditation Committee (KAN), is transforming. “From initially only providing halal testing services, along with the development of regulations, now the LPPOM Laboratory can serve vegan testing. Hopefully, it will be useful for people who need vegan products,” explained LPPOM’s Director of Strategy and Operations, Ir. Sumunar Jati, M.P.
Laboratory test results are needed to prove that vegan products are free from animal DNA and to avoid counterfeiting of vegan products. Laboratory testing can also add value and guarantee that the product remains safe until it reaches the hands of consumers.
Interested in doing vegan or animal-free testing? The LPPOM Laboratory opens a product-checking service for this. You can access all information related to laboratory testing for vegan products at LPPOM via the website https://e-halallab.com/. (ZUL/YN)
