A glimpse in Nora Rosely's make-up bag is an insight into a booming industry that Malaysian trade officials say is potentially worth 560 billion dollars a year worldwide.

The collection includes facial creams, skin toners, lipsticks, cosmetic applicators and perfume -- and all the items are certified halal, or allowable under Islam.

"It started when I went overseas when I was 18. I became more aware of what halal means and what to eat and not to eat, so I checked labels and ingredients," Nora says.

"Back home in Malaysia you take for granted that everything is halal."

The 38-year-old teacher is one of a growing number of consumers in Malaysia and worldwide who have the will, and the money, to ensure that as as many of the products in their home as possible are halal.

"My husband is quite particular. He was prescribed with medication that said the gelatine capsule was from a bovine source. Although it's from beef, for us, halal means it has to be slaughtered by a Muslim, so he emailed the manufacturer to ask," says Nora, adding they are still waiting for a reply.

The concept of halal -- meaning "permissible" in Arabic -- has traditionally been applied to food. Pork and its by-products, alcohol and animals not slaughtered according to Koranic procedures are all "haram" or forbidden.

But manufacturers are cashing in on the concept that virtually all goods and services can be certified halal, including cosmetics, clothing, pharmaceuticals, financial services and even tour packages.

Malaysia believes the market is currently worth 150 billion dollars annually, but could expand almost fourfold based on an estimated 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide each spending 85 cents on food every day.

The opportunity has Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country with sizeable Chinese and Indian minorities, scrambling to be part of what Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called a "new global market force".

Its bid to market itself as a global centre for the manufacture and export of halal products is being promoted by a government which advocates a moderate version of Islam that emphasises economic and scientific progress.