In this edition of Qatar 365, we explore the booming beauty care business, meeting the entrepreneurs and social media influencers, and also how it is breaking down social barriers.
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00:00 (indistinct)
00:02 - From when we first started to where we are now,
00:05 two years down the line,
00:07 more and more men are getting into skincare
00:09 and getting into self care and grooming.
00:12 - The true beauty to me,
00:14 I believe first of all, to be your own self.
00:16 (upbeat music)
00:18 - Hello and welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Laila Humaira.
00:27 Oscar Wilde said, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
00:31 That's largely true.
00:33 And by the end of this episode,
00:34 you'll know why the beauty industry is not only booming,
00:38 it's also breaking barriers.
00:40 Skincare, fragrance, makeup, and haircare
00:44 is expected to hit more than 500 billion euros
00:47 by the end of this year.
00:49 And as Humaira Chaudhry found out,
00:51 it's on a glowing trajectory here in Qatar.
00:55 (upbeat music)
00:58 Fashion trends may come and go,
01:01 but a flawless complexion is always in season.
01:05 The beauty industry has seen dramatic growth
01:07 in recent years.
01:09 Factors like the pandemic,
01:10 working from home and social media
01:12 have led to more people investing in the way they look,
01:15 making this a multi-billion euro global industry.
01:19 - Basically, I tried to find something that is simple.
01:24 - Entrepreneur Sheikha Al-Mudakar
01:26 has always been passionate about skincare.
01:29 The mum of three launched her own line
01:31 in search of an effortless routine.
01:34 - What got me into skincare was I wanted simplicity.
01:39 I'm keen to having the perfect, nice, very simple routine.
01:44 So I started my skincare with my first three serums.
01:49 I'm very proud of the name, Maladi.
01:53 It means sanctuary in Arabic,
01:55 and it's meant for all girls to have a sanctuary
01:59 of skincare products.
02:00 - Sheikha is an avid scuba diver,
02:02 so the range is also environmentally friendly.
02:06 She tributes her success to her loyal customers.
02:09 - Word of mouth was a huge factor for us
02:12 and our niche market.
02:13 It's very hard to cater to all skin types.
02:16 However, we focused on simplicity,
02:18 and you will find whatever you need
02:21 in our range of skincare products.
02:24 - Qatar's beauty industry is booming,
02:26 and experts predict exponential growth for the future.
02:30 Luxury brands like these are always popular.
02:34 However, the demand for natural, organic products
02:37 is also on the rise.
02:39 - Aglad is the brainchild of co-founders
02:41 Amna Al-Muhannadi and Rawan Al-Faraz.
02:45 Finding a gap in the market,
02:46 this dynamic duo created natural, cruelty-free products
02:50 with an emphasis on healing.
02:52 - The name of Aglad in the Arabic dictionary,
02:55 it means the glory, the heritage, authentic as well.
03:00 The reason why I decided to start Aglad
03:03 is the love and the passion for not only beauty,
03:08 but wellness and health.
03:10 - With organic skincare products
03:12 redefining the beauty industry,
03:14 Amna and Rawan have made it their objective
03:16 to be more than just another natural brand.
03:20 As well as educating their customers
03:22 and promoting sustainable beauty practices,
03:25 a core part of their business model is giving back
03:28 by empowering female farmers in developing countries.
03:31 - We do believe that supporting women in other country
03:36 is a main value of our brand,
03:40 because we are women,
03:41 and being a woman and having your own business,
03:46 it's not easy.
03:47 So what we do in Aglad,
03:49 we support women by bringing our raw materials
03:51 in countries like Africa, India, Middle East.
03:55 And I encourage anyone
03:57 when you wanna source raw materials,
03:59 please look to these women who are in need
04:02 for these kind of businesses
04:04 in order to support their families
04:06 and you support actually the community by doing this.
04:09 - From luxury products to beauty with a conscience,
04:12 these entrepreneurs in Qatar
04:13 are proving that ethical skincare matters,
04:16 as more and more people are prioritizing
04:18 a regular skincare routine.
04:20 In the social media age of today,
04:26 there's no denying that mastering the art
04:29 of online marketing is the key to success for brands.
04:33 Sure, people are looking for products that work well,
04:36 but social media has become a powerful tool.
04:39 More engagement, more followers, more business.
04:43 And that's why I've come to meet
04:45 one of Qatar's most followed influencers,
04:47 Hanin El-Safi, who went from blogging
04:50 about beauty and fashion to launching her own brand,
04:54 which is rapidly growing into a business empire.
04:57 Hanin, thank you so much for having us here.
05:02 Firstly, can you tell us from someone
05:05 who comes from a chemical engineering background,
05:07 what made you pursue a beauty business?
05:10 - It's somehow the same
05:11 because in chemical engineering,
05:13 we study the process of everything.
05:16 So anything you have in mind,
05:18 you want to turn it into a product,
05:20 this is chemical engineering.
05:22 And this is what I'm doing in the beauty industry
05:24 because I believe that when I started first,
05:29 I wanted the girls to feel beautiful,
05:31 to try new products, to try new things,
05:33 to give them new, let's say, inventions
05:37 in the beauty sector.
05:39 - Your "Buy Hanin" lashes became the talk of the town
05:42 as soon as they launched,
05:44 and now they're a staple
05:45 in every Qatari women's beauty box.
05:48 Can you tell us what's different about them
05:50 and what made you make them?
05:52 - So the main thing or the game changer
05:54 about these lashes is that they are magnetic lashes.
05:58 So they are not the normal lashes
05:59 that people, they use and they stick them with the glue.
06:02 So when you stick them with the glue,
06:04 many of them, they get damaged easily.
06:05 So it's like one-time use.
06:07 So the whole concept was changed
06:10 with like thanks to the magnets, of course,
06:13 because when we use the magnet,
06:16 it's a small magnet strip.
06:17 And let's say the revolution that's happened
06:19 in the lashes industry.
06:22 - Beauty and skincare brands from the Middle East
06:24 are becoming increasingly popular internationally.
06:27 And so are entrepreneurs and influencers like you.
06:30 So how important is social media
06:32 when it comes to reaching out to your target market
06:35 and also when marketing your brand?
06:37 - My set of goals was initially
06:38 before I become an entrepreneur,
06:41 it was that I want to deliver to the people
06:43 that Muslim woman can be still modest and successful
06:47 and she can do whatever people said she cannot do.
06:50 Then it changed to my career change
06:53 to be an entrepreneur and businesswoman.
06:56 And of course, this platform helped me a lot
06:58 in my businesses, but I'm not saying it's the only thing
07:01 because business and entrepreneurship,
07:06 anyway, it needs so much work.
07:07 So even if I will rely on my social media platforms,
07:11 it won't be that successful
07:12 if I don't have the other parts supporting it.
07:15 - Now, you said that you want to inspire every girl
07:18 to be beautiful and elegant from the inside out.
07:21 So what does beauty mean to you
07:23 and how do you stay real in the social media age?
07:26 - The main thing that I used to do is that
07:28 Hanin behind the camera is the same person
07:31 is in front of the camera,
07:32 which is sometimes it's really hard.
07:34 I keep reminding myself that I do have a message
07:37 I need to deliver and this message,
07:39 it will influence so many teenagers and young women.
07:43 I use my platform always to spread a good message.
07:45 For example, I encourage women to be educated,
07:49 to read more books and to do good things for themselves.
07:52 The true beauty to me,
07:55 I believe first of all, to be your own self
07:57 because if we all want to be, to look like someone
08:01 or to be someone or to be in a shape or a specific character,
08:05 this is not a beauty.
08:06 This is just like we are copying each other.
08:08 I see the beauty in everything.
08:10 I mean, the differences between us,
08:12 this is the beauty and this is the real beauty.
08:14 - Gone are the days where men's skincare routine
08:20 consists of just soap, water,
08:22 and two in one shampoo and conditioner.
08:25 Male beauty products are now part
08:26 of a multi-billion euro industry.
08:29 In fact, Statista expects the male grooming market
08:31 to exceed 100 billion euros in the next five years.
08:36 So we sent Adel Halim to find out why the industry
08:40 is far more than skin deep.
08:42 - Abdullah Al-Abdullah is not only passionate
08:47 about the beauty industry, he's a part of it.
08:50 The entrepreneur and social media influencer
08:53 launched his own unisex luxury skincare line two years ago.
08:57 - My initial goal was to simplify skincare
08:59 for the everyday person.
09:02 So we started with a facial cleanser and a moisturizer.
09:04 So these are, for me, are two essential products
09:06 that everybody should be using.
09:08 - He believes skincare basics should be high quality,
09:11 but also reasonable in price.
09:13 - Especially here in the Middle East,
09:15 we don't have any skincare brands led by a man.
09:20 Everything is very female oriented,
09:22 very geared towards that.
09:24 So I wanted to kind of create genderless products.
09:27 - When it comes to self care,
09:29 he believes more men in the region are closing their pores
09:32 by opening their minds.
09:33 - I think everybody should have access to skincare.
09:37 I think it's something that's super essential.
09:39 Just like water, you're hydrating from within,
09:40 but with skincare, you're hydrating the exterior.
09:44 - To put this theory to the test,
09:45 I decided to hydrate the exterior across town.
09:49 - Now this is uncharted territory for me.
09:54 I'm a little bit nervous
09:55 as I've never gotten a facial before,
09:58 but as I've been hearing so much about male grooming,
10:00 I've decided to do a bit of self care myself.
10:03 And I'm trusting my good friend Mustafa
10:05 to make me look good.
10:06 - Certainly, Mr. Adeb.
10:07 - Now that was refreshing.
10:14 In fact, I think I could get used to this.
10:17 Thank you, Mustafa.
10:18 - You're welcome.
10:19 - A facial is just one of many treatments on offer
10:21 for men wanting to pamper themselves.
10:24 - They can have a nice haircut
10:26 or also for beard trim.
10:28 We have hot towel shaves as well,
10:31 as we are offering hammam,
10:32 very good for muscle relaxation and for tension as well.
10:37 - And while there used to be a stigma
10:38 that manicures, pedicures, and facials were only for women,
10:42 that's changing slowly but surely.
10:44 - It's changing positively.
10:47 We've seen a lot of men coming, taking care of themselves,
10:50 and this trend are actually growing
10:53 and growing from year to year.
10:55 When you are looking good, you are confident, believe me.
10:59 - Abdullah Al-Abdullah agrees.
11:01 He says taking care of himself is a therapeutic experience.
11:05 - Self care makes me feel good about myself.
11:07 Taking that 10, 15 minutes to get ready in the morning,
11:10 doing my skincare routine,
11:11 or taking time like you did to get a facial
11:15 or going to the spa or laying by the beach
11:18 or something like that,
11:19 it makes me feel really good about myself.
11:21 And it's kind of like a moment of pause,
11:23 especially when the days are so hectic.
11:26 It's really important to kind of have
11:28 that moment of peace during your day.
11:29 - Nothing like a relaxing trip to the spa to pamper yourself.
11:36 From skincare to makeup to men's grooming,
11:39 it's clear the beauty industry in Qatar
11:42 is keeping up with global trends.
11:44 We hope you've enjoyed the episode,
11:46 but that's all the time we have for now.
11:48 For more, check out Euronews.com
11:50 and connect with us through our hashtag.
11:52 Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time
11:55 on Qatar 365.
11:56 (upbeat music)