Cosmetic Surgery & Beauty #72

newsfront
THE
DRIVING
FORCE
BEHIND
THE
BEAUTY
BOOM
IN ASIA AND
THE UAE
According to Euromonitor International, Asia and the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) are experiencing an unprecedented
beauty boom.
‘Strong consumer confi dence, high literacy rates and
high social media exposure are the main drivers of beauty
and personal care products,’ said Ms Amna Abbas,
Research Analyst at Euromonitor International.
While it is true that the young may be driving cosmetics
sales, according to Abbas, popular items still come from
far more established camps.
‘The category of fragrances, especially traditional oud
and amber-based fragrances, are always very much in
trend due to their cultural signifi cance within the region,’
she said.
The quest for traditional scents has inspired many
international fi rms to explore oud-based fragrances. In turn
this has created a trend amongst high-end fashion houses,
exporting local tradition. ‘The UAE is thus benefi ting from
the increasing product portfolios of international brands,’
Abbas said. ‘Oud-based fragrances are appearing from
the likes of Gucci, Armani, Tom Ford, Hugo Boss, Versace
and Alaia.’
The rise in the Asian beauty market can be attributed
to the increase in disposables incomes and continuous
urbanisation, as well as social media exposure.
‘Familiarity with international beauty trends and
facilitated by social media, overseas travel and other media
has increased consumer demand for more sophisticated
products beyond basic orderings,’ said Warangkana
Anuwond, Research Manager at Euromonitor International.
‘China’s economic downturn might aff ect South East
Asia’s economy in other industries such as tourism,’
Anuwond said. ‘However, when it comes to beauty
product sales, the impact does not seem to be signifi cant,
as Chinese tourists prefer purchasing beauty products in
countries like South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong.’
BEE VENOM: THE NEXT BEAUTY CRAZE?
WOULD YOU GET STUNG BY BEES IN THE NAME OF
BEAUTY? GWYNETH PALTROW WOULD!
The actress, Goop website founder and holistic lifestyle advocate recently told
The New York Times that she has been stung by bees as part of her, shall we say,
creative beauty regimen.
‘It’s a thousands of years old treatment called apitherapy,’ Paltrow said. ‘People
use it to get rid of infl ammation and scarring. It’s actually pretty incredible if you
research it. But, man, it’s painful.’
Paltrow has recently launched her own skincare line – whether it contains bee
venom is yet to be seen!
14 www.cosbeauty.com.au