Dubai, UAE: In a post-pandemic market, salon and spa owners have had to adapt the services and products offered in order to remain competitive for a new breed of hygiene-centric consumer.
That sentiment was highlighted by industry experts during Beautyworld Middle East’s webinar: Pulse of the Industry: Salon & Spa, part of a series of online content sessions hosted by organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East in the build up to the region’s largest international beauty and wellness trade fair, taking place from 5th-7th October at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
A survey conducted in 2020 by Cosmetics Business, an online platform for the professional beauty, and cosmetics industry news, found that 92.8% of customers look for hygienic, wellness and personal care products as opposed to traditional beauty products.
Mette Haxthausen, Managing Director of Sisters Beauty Lounge in Dubai and one of the webinar’s panel of industry experts, describes the findings as a fundamental shift in both the direction the beauty world is taking intertwined with individuals’ growing sense of well-being. “Transparency has become so important. Consumers want to know what they are getting; they want transparency with prices, quality, etc,” said Haxthausen.
As consumers develop a positive attitude towards ethical products, face masks with eco-friendly ingredients, as well as hygiene and wellness products such as hand sanitizers with moisturising benefits, are becoming coveted items.
Haxthausan’s team have also explored other avenues to increase brand awareness, convert customers and attract salon footfall, including the introduction of a retail strategy through thoughtfully curated giftboxes which features pampering and personal care products.
“Our retail strategy really paid off when we created [the] Sister’s Gift Box that is constantly changing. It had been very successful for us, both in terms of retaining, and attracting new clients.”
In addition to a notable increase in demand for clean and biofriendly skincare and makeup products, specific hygiene-related services also increased.
“There is a big shift from artificial to natural, focusing more on taking care of what you have,” said Galina Sperling, General Manager at Beauty Profit Supply. “More people are going ‘green’ with a preference for biofriendly products, and a conscious approach towards the ingredients of the products they are using.”
“The retreat business will continue to rise even more so post-pandemic,” said Christian Kiefer, CEO and founder of Rayya Wellness. “We have also noticed that immune-boosting treatments are becoming more popular in the spas and wellness centres,” he added.
Customer values and behaviours have drastically changed to adjust to the post-lockdown standard of living. Over the last 18 months, a more personable approach to customer needs and a focus on mental health has yielded better results for the industry.
Kiefer said: “We understood the challenge presented by the lockdown and opted for a more genuine approach. Clients’ mental health took precedence and instead of using social media marketing to advertise, we set up a call-centre to actively engage with our regular clients.
“We also launched a series of mental health seminars and workshops hosted at the spa to cater for clients that struggled during lockdown,” added Kiefer.
Beautyworld Middle East 2021, in its 25th edition, will look to attract thousands of retailers, distributors, and beauty professionals who’re eager to source the latest inspirations across the product groups of Hair, Nails & Salon Supplies, Cosmetics & Skincare, Machinery, Packaging, Raw Materials & Contract Manufacturing, Fragrance Compounds & Finished Fragrances, Personal Care & Hygiene, Natural and Organic, and for the first time in 2021, Beauty Technology.
More information is available at: www.beautyworldme.com