Skin Care in the United Arab Emirates

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

The fast pace of life and the rising use of technology influence skin care

Dubai and Abu Dhabi are known for their fast pace of life and the pace of life in these cities continues to accelerate. This is benefiting sales of skin care as these products are often seen as an important part of overall wellbeing and stress relief routines.

Domestic players gain ground as local consumers favour local brands

Local brands such as Shiffa and Huda Beauty, the latter of which recently launched its new skin care range, continue to appeal to residents of the United Arab Emirates. Shiffa Beauty was launched during the review period by Dubai-based Dr Lamees Hamdan and the brand is positioned as being based on blends of herbs.

South Korean brands continue to gain ground

2019 saw a deepening of the trend towards South Korean skin care brands as consumers in the United Arab Emirates remained very receptive to all things Korean-related, especially when it comes to beauty and personal care. South Korean skin care brands are known primarily for their use of natural and unorthodox ingredients such as snail mucin, pearl, green tea and even banana.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

Sales of skin care are now expected to grow by 1% in 2020 in 2019 constant value terms in light of the impact of COVID-19. This is a slower rate of growth than the expected 2% rise forecast for 2020 during research conducted at the end of 2019 before the spread of COVID-19.

Affected products within skin care

It is likely that premium brands will have been more heavily affected by falling demand for skin care due to COVID-19. In addition, products that are seen as less essential are also likely to have been disproportionately negatively affected by the difficulties that the entire category is facing due to the diminished requirement to use skin care products amidst widespread social distancing and the COVID-19 lockdown.

Recovery and opportunities

Although demand for skin care is already relatively mature in the United Arab Emirates, the constant focus on innovation and new product developments among category players and the strong consumer interest in novel products that promise multiple functions and which are made from natural ingredients are set to continue underpinning positive sales growth in the category throughout forecast period. As soon as social distancing comes to an end, consumers’ skin care routines can be expected to return to pre-COVID-19 levels, although premium skin care brands may struggle to retain demand, especially in the event of a deep and/or prolonged economic recession in the wake of COVID-19.

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