Düsseldorf, Germany – March 4, 2016

BASF now offers 145 ingredients for personal and home care products which have been certified to the international halal standard HAS 23000: Along the entire value chain, strict guidelines for raw material purchasing, manufacturing, filling, warehousing, and transport are followed to ensure product purity in compliance with Islamic law. In order to gain the halal certification for its products, Illertissen and Düsseldorf – BASF’s largest production site for personal care ingredients – successfully underwent four audits.

BASF’s portfolio of halal ingredients ranges from sugar-based surfactants, pearlizers, emollients and protein derivatives for personal care applications – such as facial cleansers or baby bubble baths – to detergent and cleaning agents, and raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. These ingredients have been approved by Halal Control, Russelsheim, or the Halal Food Council of Europe, Brussels, which are both recognized by the Indonesian Council of Ulama (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) – a major umbrella association of Islamic quality management organizations.

Portfolio of halal ingredients answers the needs of predominantly Muslim countries of Asia

“With our new halal-certified product portfolio we want to adequately respond to the needs of the muslim populations and offer products that are considered to be pure in accordance with Islamic Law. Thus, we are able to better serve our customers in the predominantly Muslim countries of the Maghreb, the Middle East and Asia,” Dirk Mampe, Head of Business Management Personal Care Specialties Europe, explained. The driving force behind the growing demand for halal products is Indonesia. With over 200 million Muslims, the Asian island state is home to a huge number of potential consumers of halal personal and home care products. In 2014, Indonesia passed a law that will require all products to be labelled either halal or haram from 2019 onwards. “Western consumers are also starting to request halal-certified products. The fact that halal products can be traced back through the entire value chain is important for them in terms of quality assurance”, Mampe said. “In this light, we will continue to expand our portfolio of halal ingredients.” According to market research institute TechNavio, the global market for halal-certified personal care products will continue to grow by 13.7% each year up to 2019.

To comply with HAS 23000, ensuring the ritual purity of products is crucial. Production lines carrying halal-compliant ingredients have to undergo special cleaning procedures before they can be regarded as halal. They also must be separated from those carrying products that have been in contact with substances that are considered to be impure in accordance with Islamic Law. Use of alternative production lines is strictly prohibited. Equally strict guidelines apply to raw materials – their origins and transport conditions must be fully documented to ensure the entire value chain is halal.

About BASF´s Care Chemicals division

The BASF division Care Chemicals offers a broad range of ingredients for hygiene, personal care, home care, industrial & institutional cleaning, and technical applications. We are the global leading supplier for the cosmetics industry as well as the detergents and cleaners industry and support our customers with innovative and sustainable products, solutions and concepts. The division’s high-performance product portfolio includes surfactants, emulsifiers, polymers, emollients, chelating agents, cosmetic active ingredients and UV filters. Superabsorbent polymers developed for the full spectrum of hygiene applications complete the range. We have production and development sites in all regions and are expanding our presence in emerging markets. Further information is available at www.care-chemicals.basf.com<

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than €70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information at www.basf.com