/ARTS WEEKLY/UAE: Make-up Peeks Out through the Veil

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Meena Janardhan

DUBAI, Jul 22 2003 (IPS) - Along the tree-lined boulevards or the corridors of the brightly lit malls here in Dubai, women walk about with their heavily and elaborately made-up eyes peeping out at you from under long black veils.

Brightly coloured fingernails and toenails also show from under long sleeves or flowing hemlines. A casual visit to any of the beauty parlours bears strong witness to the almost obsessive passion for beauty treatments and products.

Though many are hidden behind their veils, Arab women spend staggering amounts of money each year on cosmetics, perfumes and personal care products.

”We wear our veils in deference to our tradition, but that doesn’t stop us from ensuring that we look perfect underneath them,” said homemaker Ayesha Al Dahiri, as she stepped out of a beauty parlour after a four-hour long treatment.

”We love make-up and once we remove our veils, we have a whole different life with our families and friends,” she explained in an interview.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries import nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars worth of products annually, and the United Arab Emirates – where Dubai is one of its seven emirates – accounts for 40 percent of this.

This can also be seen in the fact that more than 350 exhibitors from 30 countries took part in ‘Gulf Beauty 2003’ here – the Eighth International Trade Fair for perfumes, cosmetics and body care – in early June.

The eyes of the global beauty industry are turned towards the Middle East because of the exponential growth witnessed in the region for beauty and body care products.

The young demographic profile of the GCC region – which boasts of some of the world’s highest per capita incomes and where 60 percent of the population is aged under 25 – ensures that a record demand for beauty, health and fashion thrives.

The Middle East market has also become increasingly sophisticated with spas and therapy centres doing exceptionally well in the region.

”It is also because of the large expatriate population that lives in the Gulf countries that Arab men and women are getting increasingly drawn to these trends,” Ayesha explained.

”When we see the foreigners making themselves up and coming out of parlours and spas looking so beautiful and refreshed, we feel the urge to follow their example. However, our make-up preferences and tastes do differ but the basics that we follow are almost the same,” Ayesha explained.

Noor added: "Gulf women like thick make-up, so they use more of it. They are also very brand-oriented and often spend fortunes on them. Perfumes and personal care products have been used in the Arab world for ages. Arab Gulf women also love strong perfumes – they are a cultural necessity and we do not mind spending on them.”

From the time of the pharaohs of Egypt, beauty treatments and aromatics have been highly valued in Arab society.

Over 3,000 years ago, the ancient kingdoms of South Arabia were famed as the source of the most desirable and the most expensive of incense materials in the Middle East and the Mediterranean lands – frankincense and myrrh, which were used for cosmetic as well as medicinal purposes.

Incense is burnt in all households. The smoke is also wafted through a woman’s clothes and hair to capture its unique scent. Then, of course, there is the tradition of body decoration with henna, an ancient practice in the East.

"The demand for beauty products from the Middle East and surrounding countries continues to rise, fuelled by changing lifestyles where personal grooming has become a necessity not only for women but for men as well,” said Daniela Rose, project manager of Gulf Beauty, Epoc Messe Frankfurt, in a press statement.

”Also consumers in the Middle East do not just want to look good, they want to feel good as well. There is also a growing demand for environmentally-friendly products, which are nature-based and produced through sustainable and traditional methods," added Rose.

Whether it is because of increased exposure to western lifestyles, because of the high purchasing power that enables the locals to indulge in their fantasies, or just because of the need to look good, one thing is for sure – Arab women, and more recently men too, are spending on beauty products like never before.