Is gelatine Halal?
Gelatine is made from animal skin and bone. That makes the question simple to state and hard to answer from a label: it depends entirely on which animal, and how it was slaughtered.
Short answer
Not Halal unless the source is confirmed. Gelatine is animal by definition, and European labels do not have to say which animal. HelalScan flags plain gelatine as not Halal until a manufacturer confirms a Halal source.
What gelatine actually is
Gelatine is protein extracted by boiling skin, bone and connective tissue. Most gelatine in Europe is pork, because pigskin is the cheapest raw material; the rest is mainly beef hide. It sets jelly, gives gummy sweets their chew, stabilises yoghurts and mousses, and clarifies some juices and wines.
On an ingredient list it appears as gelatine, gelatin, Gelatine or as the E-numbers E441 and E428.
Why the label rarely settles it
European labelling rules require the ingredient to be named. They do not require the animal it came from. So "gelatine" on a German pack may be pork, may be beef, and the pack will not say.
Where it does say beef gelatine or Rindergelatine, one question is answered and another opens: whether that beef was slaughtered in a way you accept. Halal-certified gelatine exists and is used by some brands, and that certification is the thing worth looking for.
What scholars say
The mainstream position is that gelatine takes the ruling of its source: from a pig it is impermissible, from cattle it depends on the slaughter. A minority position holds that istihalah, the chemical transformation during processing, changes the substance enough to change its ruling. That view is a real one held by respected scholars, and it is also a minority one.
HelalScan does not pick a side for you. It reports what the ingredient is and where it came from when that is known, and it says plainly when it is not known.
Fish and plant alternatives
Fish gelatine is made from fish skin and is widely accepted. Pectin, agar-agar, carrageenan and starch are plant gelling agents and raise no animal-source question at all. Sweets set with pectin are increasingly common, and the pack usually says so, because it is a selling point.
Common questions
Is E441 Halal?
E441 is gelatine. Treat it as not Halal unless the maker confirms a Halal source. HelalScan marks it not Halal by default.
Is beef gelatine Halal?
Only if the cattle were slaughtered acceptably. Beef gelatine from an uncertified supplier answers the species question but not the slaughter question.
Are marshmallows Halal?
Most contain pork or beef gelatine. Some are made with fish gelatine or pectin and say so on the pack. Scan the barcode and the app shows what the declaration says.
Is gelatine in medicine capsules Halal?
The same reasoning applies to capsule shells, though many scholars allow medicines where no alternative exists. Ask your pharmacist for a vegetarian capsule if it matters to you.