There are colour cosmetics and mass beauty products; there are various product ranges in skincare, haircare as well as men’s grooming categories too. While affinity towards fragrances has always been high in this region, there is rising demand for free-from, organic range of products.
In the past year several new brands have entered the GCC market including KIKO Milano, Rituals Cosmetics and Le Soie Cosmetics to name a few, while the existing names like Inglot, Mikyajy, The Body Shop and Lush continue to do brisk business. No wonder the GCC beauty and personal care market is big and buzzing, defying macroeconomic pressures.
According to research firm Euromonitor International, in 2016 the retail value of the GCC beauty and personal care market was $9.3 billion, a 10% rise over 2015. Strong growth is expected over the next four years, as consumers look to collectively spend $13.6 billion on their personal well-being in 2020.
In the UAE, particularly, consumers spent $2.1 billion on beauty and personal care in 2016. This number is set to rise to $2.7 billion by 2020. The top five categories are fragrances ($642 million), colour cosmetics ($400 million), skin care and men’s grooming (both $300 million) and hair care ($283 million).
Some of these new trends in the regional beauty market, according to Euromonitor International, are as follows:
Emergence of organic products: As more and more consumers turn to organic products witnessing the positive effects of going green, the popularity and acceptance of organic products continues to be positive.
Next level of social media (blogging and vlogging): Brands are leveraging social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to be successful in the region. Blogging has become immensely important. Bloggers and social media influencers are becoming quit essential in raising awareness about targeted brands.
Rising interest in young local brands as opposed to traditional heritage brands: While heritage brands such as Chanel and Dior continue to remain popular, younger brands such as KIKO Milano and Anastasia Beverly Hills branded cosmetics are growing fast as nowadays the young and aspirational consumers relate to them easily.
A special report on the regional beauty and personal care market will be carried in the June edition of RetailME