Syria-A World of Beauty 

Strong competition among Syrian cosmetics companies to replenish world brands in local markets

Surprisingly the beauty industry in Syria has boomed during the ongoing crisis which started in 2011 in the country, and soon there will be a licensed beauty and healthcare application  for people with the aim of enhancing e-marketing.

During Syria Times’s coverage of the Beauty World Exhibition, which was held on the fairgrounds in Damascus between October 22- 25 with the participation of 74 local cosmetics companies , it was noted that there were many newly- established companies that were searching for opportunities to promote their products and to find a window to export them.

Mr. Mohammad Halemeh, Director General of Kuven Kueer Company for hair and skin care said: “ The company was founded in 2013  and we overcame all hurdles in order  to go on with our work because we are proud of Syrian products and the statement “ made in Syria”.”

“I would like to clarify one point that the quality of the Syrian products goes in line with the consumer’s buying power….Since our childhood, Syria has been known as the mother of the poor because the consumer can find popular products and products of average quality and high-quality….The Syrian products of high quality are being exported to European countries,” he added.

In response to a question about the raw materials being used in making his company’s products, Mr. Halemeh said: “ We use argan oil in our products and we import it from Morocco and it is of high effectivity at world level. It is known as the oil number one for hair and skin. But we face difficulties to ensure this oil, as the number of companies that are able to get it are few.”

His stand in the exhibition showed sunscreen cream, anti-dandruff dropper zinc and ketoknazole, dermal solution, shampoo with argan oil and hair tonic abstract.

Mr. Halemeh sees that consumers select the brand they want to use according to their convictions, indicating that some women believe that putting cucumber peel on the face is better than using skin moisturizing cream.

Sales officer at Cosma Art Company in Damascus countryside,  which was founded in 2021, said that the quality of their products’ composition is similar to that of world brands.

Dr. Ali Abo Rabah pointed out that women in Syria have started to use local brands of high quality widely because the prices of world brands have become out of their budget.

“ The prices of Cosma Art Company’s products range from 7,000 Syrian pound to 24,000 Syrian pounds. It is a logical price in our market,” he added.

The company produces creams with Collagen for whitening, serums for skin, and toothpaste.

“We market our products via social media….The local market witnesses strong competition between local cosmetic companies as the import of most world brands sharply declined or stopped,” he stated.

The sales officer asserted the need to build trust between the company and consumer as there are a lot of new beauty products in the market.

The only way to know the quality of any product is through testing it , there is no other way,” he emphasized.

On this point [ building trust between companies and consumers”,  Mr. Yamen Al-Tawel , Director General of Zaxo company, which was founded in 2021, said: “ My family’s members were using world brands. But after the establishment of my company they started to use our products as I gave them testers to check the quality… We approve the quality after the consumers affirm that the product is good and effective.”

He indicated that the goal of his participation in the exhibition is to find agents inside Syria and abroad.

The new companies try to replenish and replace the beauty products of world brands in local markets through making products of high quality, according to Mr. Al-Tawel.

“ in our company we try to offer the best quality with competitive  prices to encourage consumers to buy them. The prices of our product -Shampoo- range from 5000 Syrian pounds to 9000 Syria  pounds. “ he said.

He concluded by saying that although the costs of establishing a new cosmetic company are very high, good sales of the products in local market and allowing the export of the products will cover these costs and help make profits.

Miss. Bisan Yoused, Director of Public relations in Sista Company, which produces 25 items such as soap, skin creams , shampoo for men and women said that the company’s products are of high quality and the prices are logical as they range from SYP 8000 to 15000.

“We have been in the market since 2019, and we have our customers , who trust our products and buy them. I myself use the products of the company daily,” she added.

Besides the participating companies, there was a young lady showing a handmade natural products.

Miss. Hasnaa Bakkar, from Aleppo, said: “ I have studied Biochemistry, and  I love to make handmade natural products, so I decided to make  beauty products for skin, hair and body care depending on local raw materials.”

She has established a workshop in Aleppo in which only her sister and brother work with her.

“The quality and the effectivity of the beauty products that are made in Syria are based on the percentage of the used materials. We produce products in accordance with the demand of the targeted consumers, Miss Bakkar declared.

She believes it is better to convince the customer to buy one package of cream to solve the problem of cracked feet at an acceptable price  SYP 8000) instead of buying 4 packages at low prices ( SYP 2000).

“Honestly,  I was using local sunscreen cream and world brands for make up…. We can not make a comparison between Syrian-made beauty products and world brand, simply because the quality of the ingredients in world brands are very high and original and they are not available in Syria,” Miss. Bakkar clarified.

She concluded by saying that the goal of her participation in the exhibition is to find companies that sell raw materials of high quality to make her products.

At the entrance of the exhibition, there was a stand for Peak Link company for IT services, which offer services for designing websites and developing mobile applications and e-marketing .

Eng. Wisam Jradat from the company told Syria Times: “Today we take part in the exhibition of beauty to give an idea about e-marketing and multi-vendor and single-vendor. We are preparing a mobile beauty and healthcare application and we are awaiting for a license to launch it with the aim of facilitating the process of demanding products by merchants and customers.”

He reckons that the forthcoming beauty and healthcare application will be used by the majority of Syrian people, referring to Hadiyati application, which delivers gifts from Syrian expatriates to Syrian people in the homeland.

“50% of the participants in the exhibitions are using Hadiyati application, so we expect that most of the participating companies will use beauty application in the near future,”Eng. Jradat added, asserting that the current infrastructure in the country help launch the application.

This exhibition has paved the way for the participating companies to take part in other exhibitions to be held by the Unions of Chambers of Commerce and Industry abroad in the future, according to member of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce Mihyeddin Arab Al-Halabi.

Reported by: Basma Qaddour