EXPERTS and senior directors from the flourishing beauty, wellness and personal health industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia met to discuss ways to maximize growth opportunities and how to meet future challenges brought about by an increasingly competitive and changing market. At a meeting that served as a prelude to Saudi Health and Beauty (SHB), the industry leading exhibition taking place on Nov. 25-28 this year, organizers and participants shared valuable information on the latest market trends, examined key issues and proposed measures that will enable the industry to move forward and develop further. Among the issues that elicited the biggest concern at the meeting included the education of consumers on how to choose between different beauty, wellness and personal care brands as well as challenges in KSA's regulatory environment, and how to develop human resources and feminization within the industry. KSA's health and beauty industry is currently worth $17 billion, with Saudi women spending $3,800 per capita on personal care and cosmetics. Of the $1.8 billion in personal care and cosmetics products currently being imported, France is KSA's strongest partner, exporting $342 million to Saudi Arabia. Closely following France in the ranking is the UAE, Germany, the UK, China, Italy, Bahrain, US, and Poland. From 2010 to 2013, health & beauty products imported into Saudi Arabia have recorded double-digit Compound Annual Growth rates or CAGR. Among the top 10 imported products that are in demand in Saudi Arabia include perfumes, skin care, hair care, cosmetics, oral care, make-up and depilatories. “Clearly, there is still a lot that needs to be done in order to help the industry expand,” said John Tappin, Exhibition Director. “And, it is truly a positive sign that key players within the industry have agreed to unite in this meeting and discuss how to take the necessary steps to address these issues and make a wide range of product and service solutions more available to consumers.” Rena Garabedian, General Manager for Claude Maxime, opened the debate saying: "There is no doubt that this meeting is very important as it carries many benefits to all parties. This session has led to a convergence of views and acquaintance with other participants in the exhibition which we hope that being organized every year." “Human resources are very important in the health and beauty sector. This is added to the essential element of skilled manpower with extensive experience especially in light of efforts to provide a feminist environment for this industry. Providing ongoing training, awareness and education to the consumer is also a very important in this regard. This is one of the most important roles played by the exhibition as we can see its direct impact on educating consumer," Garabedian added. “We are pleased to participate in an event dealing with health and beauty as one issue because we believe that beauty is a natural result of health and we think that promotion of health patterns is very important in this industry. If the exhibition deals with education issue, it will be a new strategic addition to the event," said Dr. Nasser Homud Al Ebrahim, Director of the Medical Rehabilitation Administration for the Ministry of Health. “From our side, we count too much on the educational and counseling side because it helps control category of beneficiaries of these services. It is certain that more education and counseling will enhance raising awareness of this issue and the link between its various aspects. This exhibition is a important cultural addition and it will become more important soon if the exhibition tends to shoulder other social responsibilities, he added. Sarah Turkustani from Nahdi pharmacies said KSA's strategy for Nahdi Pharmacies dovetailed nicely with what Reed Sunaidi Exhibitions and Saudi Health and Beauty are trying to achieve. “It is so important to recognize the importance of making the consumer aware of the holistic between, wellness and health. In Arabiz the word “Saha” is associated with hospitals, but Health is a lifestyle, and something you should think of every day. At Nahdi Pharmacies, we provide products and advice enabling women to be beautiful from the inside out. This means lifestyle and nutrition are just as important as creams, lotions and make up. Manna Al Jabarti, Show Manager for SHB, said: We agree with Nahdi, our objective is to help brands and companies do just that, to interact with consumers and wellness professionals, and inform them on how their brands can help benefit their day-to-day lives. We aim to provide a platform for the development interaction of the beauty, wellness and health industries.” Among the other topics and issues discussed at the meeting included further discussion on the importance of holistic wellness and beauty inside and out; problems faced by salon owners and solutions resulting from the government's important feminization initiative; and how to increase the availability of a wider range of world-class products and services in the market. Saudi Health and Beauty caters for the complete Beauty and Wellness industry, from Premium and Niche beauty brands to Organic products, and Wellness brands that help women look after their personal health and wellbeing. John Hooke-Tappin, Show Director, laid down the Gaunlet to companies in KSA's Beauty and Wellness industry: “All of our esteemed colleagues have talked about the importance of training, education and the raising of awareness regarding beauty and wellness in Kingdom.” We challenge the beauty and wellness industry to develop actions on how to educate consumers, and we look forward to analyzing these actions in our next steering committee meeting to be held before Eid (Hajj).” Following the successful staging of its inaugural edition in November 2014, the Saudi Health & Beauty event, powered by InterCHARM and organized by Reed Sunaidi Exhibitions, returns for its second edition as the meeting point for KSA's Beauty and Wellness Industry. Driven by a continuously growing demand for cosmetics and personal care products and services in the Saudi market, Saudi Health & Beauty 2015 presents globally recognized manufacturers and suppliers of premium cosmetic products, haircare and fragrances as well as multibrand retail health & beauty outlets with an unrivaled platform to capture a significant share of a burgeoning health & beauty sector within the Middle East's largest and fastest growing market. In addition, it also provides an unrivaled opportunity for distributors to source new products and gives salon professionals the opportunity to learn about the latest trends and techniques, as well as for key players of the industry to engage each other on vital information, issues and concerns. Furthermore, the event presents consumers with tremendous opportunities to learn more about new and favorite brands and salons, and important issues regarding women's beauty, wellness, personal care and health. — SG
