Premium Beauty and Personal Care in the United Arab Emirates

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Perceptions of premium brands still evolving as marketing becomes more targeted

The perceptions of premium beauty and personal care among consumers in the United Arab Emirates are still evolving. Generally, concepts of luxury have tended to be very traditional and leaning toward material goods.

Glamour and unique experiences remain at the core of the premium ethos

In the United Arab Emirates, luxury goods and premium branding are very closely linked to international tourism and consumer confidence. Dubai, and increasingly Abu Dhabi as well, are becoming very well-known around the world for glitz and glamour and this is tied to the country’s very robust luxury retailing sector.

The retailing of premium beauty and personal care continues to evolve

One major trend seen in luxury retailing in the United Arab Emirates towards the end of the review period was the much stronger focus on Instagrammable pop up stores. Indeed, anybody who had visited a shopping centre in the country during 2019 would have inevitably seen numerous eye-catching pop up stores.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

Sales of premium beauty and personal care are expected to decline by 12% in 2020 in 2019 constant value terms in light of the impact of COVID-19. Sales of premium beauty and personal care products were severely damaged by the COVID-19 situation during 2020 and it is expected that it will take at least 2-3 years for the category to fully recover from the sales declines anticipated over the course of 2020.

Affected products within premium beauty and personal care

Among the premium beauty and personal care categories to have experienced sales declines over the course of 2020 as a result of COVID-19 are premium blusher/bronzer/highlighter and premium other lash and brow make-up, each of which faced declining demand due to the fewer opportunities for people to socialise outside of the home amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. In addition, premium self-tanning faced difficulties due to the requirement for non-essential retail outlets to remain closed, which make these products difficult to find.

Recovery and opportunities

As noted above, it is expected to take at least 2-3 years before sales of premium beauty and personal care will be able to recover fully from the declines anticipated during 2020 as a result of COVID-19. It is likely that incomes will remain under pressure in the United Arab Emirates for some time to come as a result of the economic recession which is expected to flow from the COVID-19 situation.

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