Sales of beauty and personal care products grew by 10% in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) grew by 10% in 2016 reaching US$ 9.3 billion. Photo: © clicksahead / shutterstock.com
The retail value of the GCC’s beauty and personal care market was US$9.3 billion in 2016, an increase of 10 per cent over 2015, unveiled Euromonitor International in a recent report. Strong growth is expected over the next four years, as consumers look to collectively spend US$13.6 billion on their personal well-being in 2020, defying any notion of a market readjustment.
The figures include bath and shower products, colour cosmetics, fragrances, hair care, men’s grooming, skin care, and sun care, while regional growth is driven by a young and affluent population that has high awareness of fashion and beauty, boosted by media exposure.
In the UAE, consumers spent US$2.1 billion on beauty and personal care in 2016 according to Euromonitor. The market is set to rise to US$2.7 billion by 2020. The top five categories are fragrances (US$642 million), colour cosmetics (US$400 million), skin care and men’s grooming (both US$300 million), and hair care (US$283 million).
The dynamism of the regional market is a strong asset for Beautyworld Middle East, the region’s largest international trade fair for beauty products, hair, fragrances, and wellbeing, which take place from 14-16 May 2017 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The 22nd edition of the three-day event is expected to feature more than 1,500 exhibitors from 60 countries.
While the UAE and GCC remain its main market focus, the show is attracting a growing number of visitors from neighbouring countries.
“Beautyworld Middle East’s internationality is integral to the overall success of the show, which is why we’re seeing participating exhibitors and visitors from every corner of the world,” said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East. “While half of the 37,000-plus beauty professionals and trade buyers are from the GCC, more and more are coming from Iran, Africa, Europe, and as far away as Australia, and North and South America.”
The show’s strong international flavour will also be underlined by 21 country pavilions from Argentina, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Morocco, Pakistan, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UK, and the USA.
Beautyworld Middle East 2017 returns after a spectacular run in 2016, when it featured 1,522 exhibitors from 60 countries, and attracted 37,184 visitors from 135 countries, 25 per cent up on the previous year.
