Brazilians take beauty very seriously. Figures supplied by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) and the Brazilian Association of Toiletries, Perfumes & Cosmetics Industries (Abihpec) show that while the country GDP and that of industries in general grew respectively 5.1% and 4.3% in 2008, that of cosmetics industries grew 7.1%.
Also according to the Abihpec, some factors may explain the good result for the sector. They are: greater female participation in the labor market, constant releases of products and use of state-of-the-art technology by personal hygiene, perfumery and cosmetics industries, which causes greater production and consequently sale of products at more competitive prices.
And Brazil, once again, is in the lead: it is the third cosmetics industry market in the world, losing only to Japan and the United States. Within the sector, one line is gaining strength: that of raw materials for natural and organic products.
A forecast by the Organic Monitor shows that consumption of these products is currently 4%, but in 2012 it may reach 10%.
According to figures by the Abihpec, one of the foreign markets the sector is going to continue betting on is the Arab. In early June, the organization participated once again in the Beautyworld Middle East, a cosmetics fair in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
In 2008, the total value of sales of beauty products in the Middle East exceeded US$ 2 billion. In the Emirates alone, the beauty and spa market exceeds US$ 600 million.
Anba