São Paulo – In order to promote its products and expand sales in the Arab market, Brazilian cosmetics manufacturing company Vita Derm is planning to organize a technical mission to the United Arab Emirates, alongside European distributors, between July and August. The company already exports to the Emirates, Lebanon and Egypt, but does so by means of its distributors in Europe. “The Arab market is a large consumer of cosmetics. Besides, it has a high purchasing power,” said to ANBA the chairman of Vita Derm, Marcelo Schulman.
The products of the Vita Amazônica line, containing typical ingredients of the Brazilian Amazon forest, such as cupuassu, andiroba and murumuru, are the most exported by the company. Products for hair and facial treatment are also shipped to the Arab market. According to Schulman, the large orders placed by buyers from Dubai are exported directly from Brazil, but smaller orders are shipped from Europe. “We are very much interested in finding a distributor in the Arab market,” he said.
In the past, the company has already participated in some editions of BeautyWorld Middle East, a trade fair for cosmetics held in Dubai, but lately Vita Derm has invested more in fairs in the United States and in Europe. “We were visited by many Arab buyers at the European fairs,” said Schulman. According to him, Iraq and Iran, which is not an Arab country but is located in the Middle East, have also sought the company to learn about its products. “The Arab countries are gaining space, and we are going after it,” he added.
Vita Derm’s largest foreign markets are the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain, where the company even has a team that provides training on promotion and showcasing of the products to professionals in the sector. “One of our strategies is to train beauty industry professionals in foreign countries, so that they may pass the information on to the clients,” said Schulman.
Vita Derm offers 200 different items in its hair, face and body lines, exports to 15 countries and has around 300 franchises in Brazil and abroad. Headquartered in the city of São Paulo, the company employs 250 people and produces from 8 million to 10 million units per year, of which roughly 10% is turned to exports. According to Schulman, in recent years, the depreciated dollar against the Brazilian currency (real) has made it difficult to export. “We are investing heavily in the domestic market, which is growing each year, but we are also working to expand our foreign sales,” he added.
A pharmacist’s dream
Vita Derm was born from the dream and ideology of businessman and pharmacist Marcelo Schulman, in 1984. With support from his wife, Sandra Schulman, the company launched itself into the market as a small prescription pharmacy, with four employees. As sales grew, the pharmacy became the company that it is nowadays, present in South, Central and North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Contact
Vita Derm
Site: www.vitaderm.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
