UAE Himalaya Herbal Skincare sales double in under two years

Recent UAE statistics from an AC Nielsen retail audit show Himalaya Herbals' skincare range has more than doubled within two years.

The figures are consistent with an extremely healthy period of growth for the UAE's beauty industry, with last year's cosmetics and personal care market reportedly worth over Dh1.5billion in retail sales, which was an 8.4 per cent increase on 2005 (Dh1.41 billion).

The UAE's market for herbal beauty products in general has been expanding at a rapid rate according to Dubai-based Shailendra Malhotra, president and CEO of The Himalaya Drug Company.

He said: "Himalaya is one of the fastest growing skincare brands in UAE, having more than doubled our sales within the last two years.

"The growth we are experiencing is incredible and an excellent indicator of the faith consumers are placing in the power of herbal products. Consumers today are realising the long term ill-effects of using harsh chemical-based skincare products. Hence they are switching to well researched herbal products that offer effective yet gentle care.

"The key to Himalaya's success is scientifically-developed efficacious and safe products. Constant product innovation has helped us gain aggressive shares in some of the most important face care categories. The introduction of 'Neem' based herbal face washes saw the sales of Himalaya's face wash range triple over the last two years, making it among the top three players in the segment in the UAE."

According to recent reports, the consumption of cosmetics and perfumes in this region ranks among the highest per capita worldwide, with average annual purchases totalling around Dh1,225.

Skincare accounts for 10-15 per cent of the Middle East beauty sector market, where reports estimate the total value of beauty product sales in the Middle East will reach Dh7.7billion (US$2.1 billion) this year.

Himalaya has been investing throughout the Middle East to build awareness of the benefits of herbal formulation usage and the Indian company is currently considering locating a manufacturing plant in the region to service the demand.

Himalaya employs over 100 medical doctors in a state-of-the-art Research and Development facility based in India, which uniquely combines modern science and Ayurveda, validating and standardising Ayurveda for efficacy.

A 75 year old company, Himalaya manufactures herbal, pharmaceutical and personal care products through rigorous research and clinical trials. Himalaya's captive farmlands grow the herbs used in the formulations organically, without the use of insecticides and pesticides.