Private Cosm\u00e9ticos<\/a> CEO M\u00e1rcio Ant\u00f4nio Esp\u00edndola said he exports a product line intended for use at home, featuring shampoos, conditioners and straighteners. The products are salt- and paraben-free \u2013 market requirement, according to him. \u201cOur straighteners are formaldehyde-free. We have years of experience with it, and we have revolutionized the market,\u201d he said. The company\u2019s products have been selling in Iraq since 2012. Private Cosm\u00e9ticos exports 90% of its output.<\/p>\n Esp\u00edndola explains that even though this is a constantly growing market, adaptations were required, such as labelling products in English and Arabic. \u201cThe market calls for something more glamorous, with competitive pricing and a more high-end packaging,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Private Cosm\u00e9ticos sells to distributors who get the product to the pharmacies, specialized shops and beauty parlors in Iraq. The flagship product is the Vegan Lizz straightener. \u201cIt\u2019s important to respect the Arab culture and religion. They are really big on personal relationships. They really take that into consideration when it comes to doing business,\u201d said Esp\u00edndola, who plans to specialize in the Arab market. \u201cIt\u2019s the market that buys the most product. The main countries are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Libya and Iraq,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n According to the CEO, the Iraqi women using his products are in the upper-middle class. \u201cBrazil is synonymous with hair products worldwide, just as France is with perfume,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n Esp\u00edndola points out that cosmetics and beauty product fairs like Dubai\u2019s Beautyworld Middle East are important, sales- and client relationship-wise. \u201cI have been to 48 fairs around the world. We went to 30 different fairs in a single year at one point,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It has been three months since he last shipped product to Iraq, because events got cancelled as the pandemic hit. \u201cSales had been going up, but we had to stop due to the pandemic. Everyone is having problems with product delivery. We spent three months without exporting anything. The whole system became very sluggish. There was no reason for them to keep buying, because the salons are all closed. Possibly the borders will reopen in August and orders will start going up, because their inventories should be depleted by now, and the stores are reopening,\u201d he explained. Some of the product shipped by sea goes straight to Iraq. The product that gets flown in goes to Dubai, from where it gets redistributed.<\/p>\n Brazil Cosmetics<\/strong><\/p>\n Brazil Cosmetics<\/a> CEO Paulo Amorim said his main export product to the world, including Iraq, is straighteners. Last March, he\u2019d told ANBA that he\u2019d open an office in Dubai by June<\/a>, to make it easier to do business across the region. The pandemic has changed that. \u201cWe are going to wait until the pandemic has passed. Many investors are wary, so it\u2019s best to wait and stay on the safe side,\u201d he said. Brazil Cosmetics products get sold via a Dubai distributor to countries including Iraq, Iran and India. \u201cThe only problem with Iraq is we don\u2019t have a way to do business direct, so they will buy from our exclusive distributor in Dubai, from where the product gets shipped by air or sea,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Amorim relates that the first quarter of this year saw sales to Iraq go up. The pandemic forced him to shut down for a while, and now sales are resuming. \u201cIt has stabilized, but it\u2019s not yet where we wanted it to be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n His products are also available from beauty parlors, cosmetics outlets and pharmacies. He points out that there are two different consumer profiles in Iraq. \u201cIn Baghdad, women are already getting their straightener from stores and doing it on their own. Usually you have one woman who will do it for everyone in the family,\u201d says Amorim. In Basra, on the other hand, the product sells to professionals and beauty parlors.<\/p>\n Brazil Cosmetics has been shipping to Iraq for six years now. Its best-sellers are Amazon Flowers straightener, shampoos, conditioners, and the Ipanema Bio Restore line. \u201cWe have also struck two private label deals with them as well,\u201d he said. Amorim remarks that the clientele is also upper-middle class, and that back labels including instructions and ingredients are available in eight different languages, including English and Arabic.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-07-30-at-11.35.27-225x300.jpeg\")
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