Dubai: More men in the UAE and GCC are buying skin care products, according to experts at specialised cosmetics firm Seagull. “Between 2011 and 2012, demand for men cosmetics in the GCC was up 70 per cent,” according to Ratiba Ayad of Seagull. The demand has been focused on after-shave creams, mattifying (a product used reduce skin shine), anti-ageing, and anti-oxidant products for the skin, she said.
Within the same time period, “30 per cent of cosmetics buyers were men,” she said. The UAE cosmetics market is expected to be valued at $140 million (Dh514.92 million) by 2014, according to a recent study by Seagull.
Last year, the organic cosmetics industry was up 30 per cent, the study stated. Ayad thinks it will continue to see double-digit growth. She said that demand for men cosmetics will contribute to the industry’s growth, although women will continue to be the largest contributors.
“Men and women are becoming more aware of how to improve the well-being of their skin,” she added. However, Anshu Jalan, brand manager of Sensai, a skin care brand, says that not enough men are aware of the importance of skin care. “If they come to the counter, they will be more likely to buy. Most men will buy from supermarkets, instead of specialised stores,” Jalan said, adding that men cosmetics products accounted for five per cent of sales last year, a two per cent increase from 2011. She expects that this year it can reach up to 7 per cent, but no more than that.
The UAE cosmetics industry’s growth is driven by a number of factors, including increasing beauty awareness, high spending power, and wide offerings of beauty and skin care products across international brands, the study highlighted. The skin care segment is seeing the most growth, she said. Both women and men have been emptying the shelves of anti-ageing, eye-contouring, sun protection, hair loss, and anti-cellulite products, according to Ayad.
- Sarah Algethami is a trainee at Gulf News
