Navigating halal, natural, and organic labels with Ecovia Intelligence

Many small and mid-sized companies in Asia continue to face challenges in adapting to sustainability demands, often due to limited familiarity with green standards and evolving regulatory frameworks.

Understanding these concerns, the specialist research, consulting, and training firm, Ecovia Intelligence, supports businesses in meeting the growing expectations around ethical supply chains and green innovation.

In an interview with Ringier Beauty and Personal Care, Amarjit Sahota, founder of Ecovia Intelligence, discusses how his firm provides guidance tin order to advance sustainability across the cosmetics and personal care industries.

Amarjit Sahota, founder of Ecovia Intelligence

What does Ecovia Intelligence stand for, and how has the organization evolved in its efforts to support companies across Asia?

Ecovia Intelligence was established in 2001 with the mission to encourage sustainable development in the food, cosmetic and related industries. For over two decades, we have been providing market research, business consulting, and training through seminars and conferences, focused on our specialist industries: organic foods, natural cosmetics, green home care products, etc.

Our London-based organization has consultants and representatives across the world. In Asia, we have supported companies by delivering market intelligence, consultancy, and tailored training to help them navigate and implement sustainability initiatives effectively.

Please assess Asia’s beauty and personal care industry with respect to the pursuit of sustainability-driven innovations and clean product development?

Asia has become an economic powerhouse and one of the largest markets for beauty products in the world. However, the region still lags behind Europe and North America in terms of sustainability. Markets in the West are leading in terms of green formulations, sustainability schemes and eco-friendly packaging. This is reflected by consumer demand for green products.

Although Asia houses over 60% of the global population, its share of green product sales is fairly small. Our research finds that just 11% of global natural cosmetic sales are from Asia, compared to more than 80% of sales from Europe and North America. Similarly, Asia represents a mere 8% of the USD 141 billion global organic food market. The market share for fair trade products and green home care products is equally low.

In the cosmetics industry, much of the innovation in sustainable ingredients-such as bio-based raw materials, upcycled content, and certified organic input- is occurring in Europe and North America. Many Asian companies are still behind when it comes to producing and adopting these kinds of green raw materials.

Are the meanings of “sustainability,” “clean,” and “ethical” evolving across categories in the industry when it comes to formulation, processing, and packaging?

Sustainability is the most widely used term in relation to cosmetic formulations, processing, and packaging. In Asia, ‘ethical’ tends to equate with cruelty-free (non-animal testing) with many companies displaying logos such as the Leaping Bunny to demonstrate their ethical stance. Vegan labels are also gaining traction among Asian brands to highlight their ethical credentials.

The “clean” label, by contrast, is losing momentum in both Europe and Asia.

A major issue is definitions - how do you define ‘ethical’ and ‘clean’ in the beauty industry? By comparison, sustainability is clearer in scope, and all major cosmetic companies have sustainability plans. These plans are increasingly embedded into corporate strategy, with measurable actions to reduce environmental impact. This broader definition is one reason why ‘sustainability’ continues to be the preferred term.

Based on current analysis, what is the state of ethical standards in the cosmetics industry especially in Southeast Asia?

In general, the adoption rates of sustainability standards and ethical labels are very low in Asia. Our research finds that the most popular ethical labels in the cosmetics industry are natural and organic. COSMOS is the leading label, having over 32,000 certified products. The adoption of other ethical labels, such as Nordic Swan, Fairtrade, etc. is also mainly in Europe.

In Asia, vegan labels have seen strong uptake and are widely adopted. According to the Vegan Society, more than 70,000 products now carry its Vegan Trademark, over half of which are cosmetics. South Korea holds the second largest number of Vegan Trademark licensees in the world.

Cruelty-free labels are also widely adopted in Asia, particularly in countries where animal testing is still used for cosmetics and personal care products, including China. Popular certifications amongst brands include the Leaping Bunny and PETA’s cruelty-free labels.

 The Halal label is gaining popularity, especially in Southeast Asia, this is largely due to regulatory requirements rather than consumer demand. For example, the Indonesian government is making it mandatory for consumer products, including cosmetics, to have the Halal label by October 2026.

Are there regional challenges that remain difficult to resolve, and how do you see these addressed better in the coming years?

 Ecovia Intelligence finds that the adoption rates of ethical labels and sustainability schemes vary significantly between regions. Natural & organic, as well as low environmental impact labels, are the most popular in Europe whilst in North America, ethical labels representing low health impacts are the most popular. For instance, the Environmental Working Group Verified label has over 2500 certified products. In Asia, ethical labels (vegan, cruelty-free) and Halal labels are the most prevalent.

This variation in schemes and labels is a challenge for cosmetic and raw material suppliers, particularly international brands. The ethical labels popular in one region may not resonate in another, making it difficult to decide which schemes to adopt. This question- ‘Which labels and standards should we choose?’ - is one of the most pressing issues in the global beauty industry today.

Looking ahead to in-cosmetics Asia 2025 in Thailand, what can trade visitors and participants expect from Ecovia Intelligence in terms of insights or industry engagement?

At in-cosmetics Asia 2025 in Thailand, we will be hosting a panel discussion on the growing trend of ethical labelling. Our expert panel will bring together experts from two leading certification organizations, alongside a formulator and a brand representative, to explore evolving standards, cultural considerations, and the challenges of implementing ethical labelling.

We will share insights on aligning product development with rigorous audit processes and meeting diverse regional expectations, while also building credibility with conscious consumers in both global and local markets.

Amarjit Sahota, founder of Ecovia Intelligence, will be speaking at in-cosmetics Asia in the Marketing Trends theatre on Wednesday, 5th November from 14:00 – 14:45, as part of a panel discussion entitled: ‘Ethical Beauty - Halal, Natural, Organic Labels.’  Find all of the Marketing Trends Theatre sessions here.

in-cosmetics Asia, organized by RX, returns to BITEC, Bangkok, 4-6 November 2025. To register to attend, please find the link here.