Beauty Brands: Unlock 5 Fresh MENA Consumer Trends to Sparkle in 2024
In a new report by Think with Google The region’s beauty and personal care products market is forecast to grow from USD $23.40 billion this year to USD $28.30 billion by 2028. Meanwhile, 39% of Saudi consumers say they plan to increase their spending on health and wellness.
In the beauty and personal care space, it’s not just about buying; people are keenly watching too. Last year saw around six million individuals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and another 20 million in Saudi Arabia enjoying YouTube videos focused on these very topics.
Here are 5 rising consumer trends that can set your beauty brand apart from rivals and leverage the growth within the industry:
1. Beauty is more than skin deep
Between 2019 and 2022 Google has seen YouTube searches around health, fitness, and wellness grow by 32% in the UAE and 34% in Saudi Arabia.
Fascinatingly, creators in the wellness and beauty sphere are diversifying their video formats. They range from in-depth, conversational makeup tutorials to brief YouTube Shorts that include ASMR — a soothing sensation triggered by soft stimuli such as whispered voices, the sound of paper tearing, or a scalp massage. A lot of these videos showcase self-care beauty practices, exemplified by the Short from Gadrianna Dsouza below.
Now more than ever, folks are keen on enjoying self-care rituals in their own spaces, showing a strong interest in exploring the latest skincare devices and technology at home.
2. Consumers are embracing minimalism and nature
The Shift Towards Minimalism and Nature in Beauty Preferences. Enthusiasts are moving away from elaborate makeup in favor of a simpler, more natural look. This trend extends to the ingredients being used as well.
For instance, the interest in “skin-scent” — fragrances that are subtle and more minimalist — has grown by 51% from one year to the next.Adopting a beauty routine that leans more towards natural elements is gaining traction too.
In Saudi Arabia, YouTube searches for “clean makeup” surged by 13 times, with concepts such as “skin cycling” — a skincare routine that alternates between active ingredients and rest periods for the skin — gaining popularity on the platform.
3. Clean beauty is on the rise, as well as new trends
Clean beauty — products made without ingredients shown or suspected to harm human health — is on the rise in MENA. In fact the clean beauty industry is said to be worth USD $2.6 billion by 2025.
It makes sense then that regional consumers are spending more time looking into beauty product ingredients. A recent Google survey asked UAE consumers what the deciding factor was for their last luxury beauty product purchase, and 34% said it was quality.
With that in mind, beauty consumers are curious about both ‘established’ and newly trending ingredients. They search for what they are, what they do, how to use them, and product reviews.
Think with Google
Source: Google Search, KSA, AE, Apr. 2022—Mar. 2023.
4. Consumers draw inspiration from pop culture
As consumers embrace beauty as a tool for self-expression, they draw inspiration from pop culture.. Gen Zers — born between 1997 and 2012 — are twice as likely to watch content around K-beauty — the name for the Korean influence upon our skincare routines — on YouTube vs other age groups8.
People also draw inspiration from movie heroes, characters, and cultural references. For example, creator Sela’s World shows people how to achieve the make-up look for the fictional character from the Addams Family, Wednesday Addams, in this YouTube Shorts make-up tutorial:
5. Men are equally interested in Beauty
In the world of beauty, the notion of gender is becoming more fluid and inclusive. This is evident in searches, with search interest for the term “unisex perfume” increasing by 53%.9
The modern Middle Eastern man, especially, is gracefully embracing a sense of comfort when it comes to sharing and indulging in beauty and personal care experiences that transcend conventional grooming boundaries. This is evidenced by an emergence of beauty videos produced and published by Arab male creators on YouTube. Like this morning skincare routine ASMR YouTube Short by ItsDrRyan.
Men’s practical interest in grooming is climbing too. Grooming-related search queries in the UAE and Saudi Arabia hit around 50M in 2022, marking a 29% rise between 2019 and 2022.